A Jew for a Quater - Story

Several years ago, a rabbi from out-of-state accepted a call to a community inHouston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it'. Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from G-d' and keep quiet'.

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change'. The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new rabbi in town?' 'Yes' he replied. 'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you in Shul on Shabbos'.

When the rabbi stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh Rebonoh Shel Olam (creator of the world), I almost sold a Yid for a quarter.'

Our lives are the only thing some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as JEWS, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Hashem on your shoulders when you call yourself a 'JEW'.

How Can the Rebbe Love Torah-hating Jews?

It so happened that someone wrote in and complained to the Rebbe.
‘How can it be that such a respectable Torah figure as himself gives any
sort of attention, no less honor, to such Torah-hating Jews?
The Rebbe answered, ‘When a Jew wakes up in the morning on Yom
Kippur, shaves, cooks breakfast, turns on the radio and while eating (all
these things are transgressions) hears the announcer say “Today is the Jewish
Day of Atonement, thousands of Jews throughout the world are….. “
Suddenly he remembers that he bought tickets to the services. He looks
at his watch, grabs the cup of coffee runs out of the house to his car, drives
to the Synagogue, runs inside, takes his seat and opens his prayer book for
fifteen minutes.
Suddenly he slaps himself on the forehead and yells out ‘OY! I’m late
for the meeting in the stock market!’ He closes his book and runs out of
the house of prayer.
Concluded the Rebbe: You have no idea how much pleasure G‑d gets
from that fifteen minutes that that Jew sat in the Synagogue.

Almost unexplainably Jews throughout the world suddenly are moved.
It’s not because they are thinking about punishment or reward, but rather
because they feel that G‑d is the creator of the world and they want to
serve Him.
Rosh HaShanna is the date that G‑d finished creating the world and
the date that He created man. And that is what every Jew feels, at least
subconsciously.
That G‑d is the King of the Universe and we are his servants.
This is the message of the Shofar and it will only be completely manifested
with the arrival of Moshiach. Then the ‘Great Shofar’ will sound and
the entire world will declare (as we say in the prayers of these High Holy
Days) “The G‑d of Israel is King and His kingship is on all creation.” So
what we are really all praying for on Rosh HaShanna is that we all....
Have a healthy, happy, sweet New Year with Moshiach NOW!!

Falling From a Ladder - Story

Falling From a Ladder
Rebbe Yisrael of Ger was so gentle and loving to those who had strayed from
Judaism that his hasidim were actually somewhat confounded. He once
explained by a parable: "A child climbed up a ladder and fell down. His
father slapped him and warned him never to do that again, lest he break his
leg. But if the child falls from a ladder and breaks his leg, then his
father runs to help and comfort him; he doesn't punish him. He rushes to
take him to the doctor and hospital." (Paraphrased from Pe'er Yisrael,
p.356)