Shalom aleichem!
Mazel tov to QC alumna Leah Rothman on her marriage to Levi Atlas last Sunday!
Mazel tov Zalman & Talia Baron on the birth of a daughter yesterday!
Mazel tov Aaron & Shevy Gropper on the birth of a daughter, Avigael Tovah.
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Yesterday I went shopping with Tzipah for some odds and ends, and while in the supermarket, I decided to buy some beer. If there’s such a thing as a “beer tooth,” I have it. I often ponder the statement of the great Rebbe, Reb Zushe of Anipoli, who when he first tasted beer, made a face indicating his distaste, and said, “It’s bitter….. but it’s good.”
The cashier also laughed and said, “We have to card anyone who looks 35 or younger.”I didn’t tell him that I might not be “35 or younger…”
In any event, a short story came to mind:
A chassid of the Alter Rebbe once found a piece of paper resting on the ground. Upon examination, he discovered that it had the great rabbi’s handwriting on it. In fact, it was a letter written by the Alter Rebbe to another chassid, and contained a profound mystical teaching.
Shocked to discover such a precious memo laying carelessly in the street, the chassid continued to read it. At the end of the letter, it stated that after reading it, the chassid should tear it up and throw it in the fire.
The chassid who discovered the letter was perturbed that his colleague did not fulfill the directive of the Alter Rebbe — for if he had burned it, he obviously would never have found it outside!
He was so irked, that he went to the chassid’s home and reprimanded him for his lax conduct. Explaining what happened, the seemingly negligent chassid said, “When I read the note, the fireplace was burning. I read it, then tossed it into the fire. It seems that the wind must have blown the paper up and out the chimney, before it caught fire.”
Reflecting on what happened, the two chassidim learned how important it was to follow the directives of their Rebbe to the detail, for he had stated to tear it up and burn it.
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Details make a difference!
Shaul
