Page 116 - issue
P. 116
CRACKERS
REEASRTTEIOSNRTGION…FGOASUNARNDCLTTIOVITETYSHTEO
Tby Janet S. Sunness, M.D.
here is a well-known story about a box in the closet, and fed these to the dren, searching until she found the
Reb Yissachar and Reb Shmelke children. crackers for them to eat. She did the
of Nikolsburg that is used to show right thing, and R’ Yissachar was able to
the extent to which anger can be The family came home later and realize and acknowledge this. To him, the
controlled. (Many versions of this began preparing for the Seder. The table food was matza, but to her it was crack-
story are in print; one is by was set with the family’s finest dishes, ers, and she acted consistent with this
Hanoch Teller, who heard it from and the Seder plate was prepared. Then perspective.
the Bostoner Rebbe, zt”l.) After R’ R’ Yissachar went to look for the matzos
Yissachar’s death, R’ Shmelke was asked and couldn’t find them! The whole fami- This sense of understanding the val-
to become the Rabbi of Nikolsberg. As ly began looking but to no avail. The ues of the other person has helped me
he walked through R’ Yissachar’s empty maid saw all this, went to R’ Yissachar over the years. For example, a number of
house, which was to become his home, and told him that the children had been years ago I accidentally scratched my
he smelled a beautiful fragrance. He hungry, and she fed them the only food neighbor’s car when I was parking mine.
knew that this heavenly smell meant that she found in the house, the crackers in It was a small scratch, and had it hap-
a wonderful good deed was performed the closet. R’ Yissachar was quiet for a pened to my car (as it did some time
there, and he asked around to find out moment, asked her to repeat what she later when another neighbor scratched
what it was, but no one knew. had said, then asked an older child to mine), I would have ignored it and not
bring some of the ordinary matzos they repaired it. My car is important to me as
One day, an elderly gentile woman had bought, to place on the Seder table. a vehicle. (I thank Hashem for it every
approached him on the street. She told He told the maid, “Thank you for taking erev Shabbos for its getting me where I
him she heard he was searching for the such good care of my children.” R’ needed to go during the week, but that is
remarkable event associated with the Shmelke agreed that this must have another story.) I don’t consider my car an
house, and she thought she knew what it been the beautiful deed responsible for item of beauty. My neighbor valued her
was. When she was a young girl, she the heavenly smell. car in a different way and asked us to pay
became a maid at R’ Yissachar’s house for the whole car to be repainted, which
shortly before Pesach. One morning (erev A beautiful story, with an important we did. To me, a car was “crackers,” a util-
Pesach), the parents and all the older message regarding the behavior bein itarian object. To my neighbor, it repre-
children left the house, and she was adam lechaveiro (between one person sented something more, and she dealt
alone with the younger children. The and another). But some 20 years ago, with it from her perspective, not mine. I
children began to cry because they were when Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb was still had to recognize that the car was not
hungry. The maid looked all over the Rav of Shomrei Emunah, he added an merely “crackers” to her but something
house but could not find any food for additional depth of understanding that much more valuable and to accept her
them. She finally found some crackers in has helped me understand people better. worldview of it.
He said that from the maid’s perspective,
she had taken very good care of the chil- (continued on page 118)
112 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
REEASRTTEIOSNRTGION…FGOASUNARNDCLTTIOVITETYSHTEO
Tby Janet S. Sunness, M.D.
here is a well-known story about a box in the closet, and fed these to the dren, searching until she found the
Reb Yissachar and Reb Shmelke children. crackers for them to eat. She did the
of Nikolsburg that is used to show right thing, and R’ Yissachar was able to
the extent to which anger can be The family came home later and realize and acknowledge this. To him, the
controlled. (Many versions of this began preparing for the Seder. The table food was matza, but to her it was crack-
story are in print; one is by was set with the family’s finest dishes, ers, and she acted consistent with this
Hanoch Teller, who heard it from and the Seder plate was prepared. Then perspective.
the Bostoner Rebbe, zt”l.) After R’ R’ Yissachar went to look for the matzos
Yissachar’s death, R’ Shmelke was asked and couldn’t find them! The whole fami- This sense of understanding the val-
to become the Rabbi of Nikolsberg. As ly began looking but to no avail. The ues of the other person has helped me
he walked through R’ Yissachar’s empty maid saw all this, went to R’ Yissachar over the years. For example, a number of
house, which was to become his home, and told him that the children had been years ago I accidentally scratched my
he smelled a beautiful fragrance. He hungry, and she fed them the only food neighbor’s car when I was parking mine.
knew that this heavenly smell meant that she found in the house, the crackers in It was a small scratch, and had it hap-
a wonderful good deed was performed the closet. R’ Yissachar was quiet for a pened to my car (as it did some time
there, and he asked around to find out moment, asked her to repeat what she later when another neighbor scratched
what it was, but no one knew. had said, then asked an older child to mine), I would have ignored it and not
bring some of the ordinary matzos they repaired it. My car is important to me as
One day, an elderly gentile woman had bought, to place on the Seder table. a vehicle. (I thank Hashem for it every
approached him on the street. She told He told the maid, “Thank you for taking erev Shabbos for its getting me where I
him she heard he was searching for the such good care of my children.” R’ needed to go during the week, but that is
remarkable event associated with the Shmelke agreed that this must have another story.) I don’t consider my car an
house, and she thought she knew what it been the beautiful deed responsible for item of beauty. My neighbor valued her
was. When she was a young girl, she the heavenly smell. car in a different way and asked us to pay
became a maid at R’ Yissachar’s house for the whole car to be repainted, which
shortly before Pesach. One morning (erev A beautiful story, with an important we did. To me, a car was “crackers,” a util-
Pesach), the parents and all the older message regarding the behavior bein itarian object. To my neighbor, it repre-
children left the house, and she was adam lechaveiro (between one person sented something more, and she dealt
alone with the younger children. The and another). But some 20 years ago, with it from her perspective, not mine. I
children began to cry because they were when Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb was still had to recognize that the car was not
hungry. The maid looked all over the Rav of Shomrei Emunah, he added an merely “crackers” to her but something
house but could not find any food for additional depth of understanding that much more valuable and to accept her
them. She finally found some crackers in has helped me understand people better. worldview of it.
He said that from the maid’s perspective,
she had taken very good care of the chil- (continued on page 118)
112 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
