The Optimist & The Pessimist
June 17, 2026
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A king seeks to teach his twin sons, whose outlooks on life are completely opposite, an important lesson by giving each of them a very different birthday gift.
A king seeks to teach his twin sons, whose outlooks on life are completely opposite, an important lesson by giving each of them a very different birthday gift.
A chassidic master finds an unexpected lesson in love from an unlikely source.
A story from the world of baseball reveals how wisdom, humor, and Torah can appear in the most unexpected places.
A tiny sparrow, mocked by a war horse, insists on doing its small part to hold back the darkness.
Rabbi Mark Novak Hanukkah Rap: If You’re a Macabee Then You’re a Hammer
Adapated from Eli Wiesel z’l in The Gates of the Forest
Rabbi Jack Moline told us this story under the chuppah at our wedding, adapted for us from Sefer Tanchuma
A well known folk tale with a sweet ending inspired by R’ Zalman Schacter-Shalomi tz’l
Story of the Japanese King Solomon, we learned this story form Joel ben Izzy
Adapted from I.L.Peretz’s story originally written in Yiddish
R’ Zalman tz’l teaches that a good maisa – a good story – is one where the heart surprises the mind.
Please feel free to use these stories in your teaching and in your holy conversations. I welcome your gentle comments.
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