so much nachas from one daughter

Two women who haven't seen each other in years run into each other on the street. "How's your daughter," the first woman asks, "the one who married that surgeon?" "They were divorced," the second woman answers. "Oh, I'm so sorry." "But then she got married to a lawyer." "Mazal tov!" the friend exclaimed. "They were also divorced... But now everything?s alright, she's married to a very successful CPA." The first woman shakes her head from side to side. "Mmmm, so much nachas from one daughter..."

Are You Poor? Do we appreciate everything we have?

Are You Poor? Do we appreciate everything we have?

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yes," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a
river that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go
beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Over the Wall to the Sukkah

5. Over the Wall to the Sukkah

Rabbi Abraham of Slonim (the Yesod HaAvodah) arrived at the synagogue in the

morning on the first day of Sukkot and found a Jewish soldier there. The

rebbe called him over and said, "I see light shining from you. What did you

do?" The soldier was speechless; he had no idea what to say. But when the

rebbe pressed him he told the rebbe what had happened the previous night,

the first night of Sukkot. He was a guard in his army camp and was feeling

badly that he wouldn't he able to observe the mitzvah of being in a sukkah.

Then he saw that beyond the wall around the camp there was a Jewish home and

in its courtyard was a sukkah. Now, if he left his post he could be shot but

he decided that after all the officers left and he was alone, he would climb

the wall and be in the sukkah. As time passed he began to be upset because

the officers were not leaving and the mitzvah is traditionally performed

most perfectly before midnight. But fifteen minutes before midnight everyone

left and he was alone. He stuck a piece of bread in his pocket and jumped

over the wall quickly so no other soldiers could see him, he made kiddush on

the bread (which is permitted if one has no wine) and sat eating in the

sukkah. Then he quickly jumped back over the wall. He was so happy, he told

the rebbe, that he had fulfilled the mitzvah with self-sacrifice. "That's

beautiful," said the rebbe, "but you wouldn't shine so much from that. Tell

me more." Then the soldier admitted that he was so happy at what he had done

that he had danced in the camp the whole night. "Now I understand why you're

shining so much," said the rebbe. (Yehi Or, p.264)