The Father of the Rothschilds

This week we read a story about Maier Anschel Rothschild - the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty.



This story is taken from volume 4 of The Storyteller by Nissan Mindel

Goldie's Stories - A Little Light Dispells a World of Darkness

This week we read the story that is in the epilogue of the book Truths Revealed: Modern Stories of Miracles & Faith which is written by a friend of mine. It is a story about darkness and light.



This story is from the epilogue of the book Truths revealed: Modern day stories of faith & miracles by Tzvi Jacobs

Goldie's Stories - Episode 23

In today's story we complete the stories from Legends of Judah the Macabee with the story of the Miracle of Chanukah.

If you haven't caught the whole series here are the links to the series in order.

The Rise of Antiochus Epiphanes
The Hellenizers
Antiochus Takes Action
The Death of Eleazar the Priest
Hannah and Her 7 Sons
Rebellion in Modiin
The Death of Matisyahu
Judah the Maccabee Goes to War

And today - The Miracle of Chanukah



This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 22

Today's story is a continuation of the book, Legends of Judah the Macabee, Today we read chapter 8 - Judah the Macabee goes to war.



This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 21

Today we continue the daily story from an adaptation of Aggadot Yehuda Ha Makkabi. Today's story is about the passing of Matisyahu.



This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 20

Today's story, the continuation of the history and story of a Chanukah - Rebellion begins in the mountain town of Modiin.



This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 19

Today's chapter is the story of Hannah and her Seven Sons. This is an incredibly sad story associated with Chanukah. (In fact, I could not keep entirely from crying at the end.) With that in mind I have also included a happier Chanukah story that I recorded last year of Herschel and the Hannukah Goblins.

Hannah and her Seven Sons:



The previous story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins:



The previous (and second) story comes from Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Goldie's Stories - Episode 18

Today we continue the daily story from an adaptation of Aggadot Yehuda Ha Makkabi, which tells the history leading up to Chanukah, as well as the story of the Miracle of Chanukah. Today's story is about the Antiochus's challenge to Eleazar the Priest.



This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 17

Today we continue the daily story from an adaptation of Aggadot Yehuda Ha Makkabi, which tells the history leading up to Chanukah, as well as the story of the Miracle of Chanukah. Today's story is about the Antiochus's first actions to attempt to crush out Judaism.




This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 16

Today we continue the daily story from an adaptation of Aggadot Yehuda Ha Makkabi, which tells the history leading up to Chanukah, as well as the story of the Miracle of Chanukah. Today's story is about the Hellenizers.



This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 15

This week we have something a little different. In honor of Chanukah we will be reading a daily story from an adaptation of Aggadot Yehuda Ha Makkabi, which tells the history leading up to Chanukah, as well as the story of the Miracle of Chanukah. Today's story is about the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes.



This story comes from Legends of Judah The Maccabee
by S. Skulsky

Goldie's Stories - Episode 14

During the time of the Alter Rebbe, the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, there were many who opposed the teaching of Chassidus, that is, Jewish Mysticism. Some of these opponents trumped up charges that resulted in the Alter Rebbe's arrest. This week we hear some stories from the first imprisonment of the Alter Rebbe.



This story comes from the book The Arrest and Liberation of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi: The History of Yud-Teth Kislev

Goldie's Stories - Episode 13

This week we hear the story of a student of the Baal Shem Tov and the directive that the student was given to follow after the Baal Shem Tov's death.



This story comes from Volume 3 of Extraordinary Chassidic Tales, an unfortunately out of print series of books.

Goldie's Stories - Episode 11

This week we read an unusual story about Reb Shmuel Munkis, involving sorcerers, whisky and a trip to Liozna.

This story comes from the Early Chassidic Personalities series book on Reb Shmuel Munkis, by Rabbi Sholom D. Avtzon

Goldie's Stories - Episode 9

This week's story is a modern day story that takes place in Tel Aviv and is taken from Tuvia Bolton's Torah Online weekly mailing.
http://www.ohrtmimim.org/Torah_default.asp




(Reference for the video: tefillin)

Goldie's Stories - Episode 4

This week we are reading a story about the Rebbe Maharash, the fourth Lubavitcher Rebbe. Although he was known as the Baal Shemske Rebbe because so many miracles occurred when he was Rebbe this story shows the power of belief to cause a transformation.



For those who are interested in more from the behind the scenes I usually read through some of the dozens of story books that I have in our house (many of them collections of stories) to find ones that seem right for the time (season/calendar wise) and length. One story I had considered I realized was too long, and I didn't feel up to rewriting the story. I decided that the bagel story would be a good one, but I couldn't find the book I had read it from. So, while I am reading the story, what I am reading is my writing of the story as I remember it.

Loss and Rememberence

In two days it will be the second day of Shavuot (for those of us outside of Israel), and it will be the one year anniversary of the passing of Dovid Weiss. I'd say Dovid was friend of ours, but really the relationship was different, he was more like family, more like a son. We were the number he could call for whatever help, and even though he would run off, confused by the fact that we gave him kindness and not abuse, as his upbringing taught him love was connected with abuse, not kindness, he would come back when he came to terms with it.

His stories of his childhood were really an eye opener to the kind of abuse a mother can dump on their children. I regret that he never wrote his stories, the collection that he was going to title "Where the Switches Grow". One story he told was that his older sister would create a contest where the siblings would see how long they could hold their breath under the water in the sink as preparation. Preparation for what? In case his mother actually followed through on the threat she would make walks when they would walk over the bridge and say to the children "I should just throw you in the river". Perhaps if they could stay under long enough they could come up after their mother thought they had drowned.

Dovid, in spite of the abuse he suffered and the anger he carried, was an amazing person. He would try to inspire others, he was intensely creative, he was a real character, and his stories always brought response. Dovid was truly a memorable character, bigger than life in many ways. Towards the end of his life he was finally getting, and accepting, the help that he needed, and learning that love can be shown with kindness.

He had seemed to be getting genuinely healthy. But then a week before his death his cancer came back with a vengeance. Erev Shavuot my husband went over to see him, and try to talk him into going to the hospital as the bleeding and the inability to keep food and drink down was dehydrating him. He chose to stay home, and on the second day of Shavuot, the 7th of Sivan, he passed away.

Dovid's funeral was the first one that we had to arrange. It was the first one of a person close to me that I attended. It is hard to hear the dirt hit the coffin of one who you watched struggle and grow and that you hoped would achieve and learn from what you tried to impart in your words and actions. But in the end his life was lived at full intensity. Those that knew him were touched by him, and in the end that is all that we leave behind. Life is left to the living.

So on the anniversary of his death we remember him, and remember his intensity and learn from the amazing spark of life that had.

Dovid Tzvi Aaron ben Shoshana you are remembered.