The Rebbe Rayatz was once speaking to a Chassid who had recently immigrated to America. “What are your prospects for earning a living?,” asked the Rebbe. “Well,” the Chassid replied. “I have no particular talents or knowledge of a...
A chasid facing serious health issues once entered into a private audience with the Rebbe. He explained his medical situation and how the doctors were planning on performing surgery. He asked the Rebbe for a blessing that the surgery go well. The Rebbe turned to the...
Isidor Rabi, the Nobel laureate in physics, was once asked, Why did you become a scientist rather than a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, like the other immigrant kids in your neighborhood? His answer was profound. “My mother made me a scientist without ever...
It was during the height of the conflict between Chasidim and Misnagdim, after the Vilna Goan had issued a cherem against the Chasidim. Rabbi Refael Hakohen Katz, one of the greatest students of the Vilna Goan, and the Rabbi of Hamburg and author of Toras Yekusiel,...
There’s a story told about Reb Simcha Bunim of Pshischa, in which he told his students the following directive. One must be constantly aware of and fear the influence of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination. To illustrate, he said, imagine the yetzer hara is...
They tell the story of a businessman who had come upon hard times. He was pressed for a large sum of cash. He finally finds an old friend who’s willing to lend him the money. They meet at the penthouse office of his friend. With an attache case full of cash, the...
