Choose Life! 8 Chassidic Stories for the Jewish New Year

By Libi Astaire

Rebbe Zusha of Hanipoli was once walking down the street when he was asked by a Russian police officer, "Where are you going?"

Where are you going? That's a good question for any day of the year, but it's especially pertinent during the time period in the Jewish religion known as the Days of Awe - Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Repentance, and Yom Kippur - which are days uniquely designed for taking an inner journey to discover the path to a fulfilling and meaningful life.

In this short volume of eight classic Jewish tales retold by Libi Astaire, this spiritual journey is explored through the lens of Chassidus - the mystical religious movement founded by Rabbi Israel, the Baal Shem Tov. Along the way we'll meet great chassidic leaders such as Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Rebbe Zusha of Hanipoli, and the Baal Shem Tov himself, who were all masters at showing the way to a New Year filled with good health, prosperity, happiness and, of course, life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aster Press
• Release date: Jan 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386549895

Libi Astaire

Libi Astaire is the author of the award-winning Jewish Regency Mystery Series, a historical mystery series about Regency London’s Jewish community. Her other books include: Terra Incognita, a novel about Spanish villagers who discover they are descended from Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Middle Ages; The Banished Heart, a novel about Shakespeare’s writing of The Merchant of Venice; Day Trips to Jewish History, a volume of essays about some lesser known areas of Jewish history; and several volumes of Chassidic tales. She lives in Jerusalem, Israel.

Book preview

Choose Life!

8 Chassidic Stories for the

Jewish New Year

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LIBI ASTAIRE

ASTER PRESS

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Copyright 2011 by Libi Astaire

Copyright cover photo: Victoria/Pixaby.com

ISBN:  978-0-9837931-3-7

All rights reserved.

Aster Press

[e-mail]

Contents

Introduction: Where Are You Going?

Chapter One: The Thirty Days of Elul

How Not To Repent

Chapter Two: Rosh Hashanah

Tipping the Scales (Repentance)

We Are Your Children! (Prayer)

You Should Be So Lucky (Charity)

Chapter Three: The Ten Days of Teshuvah (Repentance)

A Settling of Accounts

Chapter Four: The Eve of Yom Kippur

Is There an Advocate in the House?

Chapter Five: Yom Kippur

The Cantonists’ Prayer

Chapter Six: Neilah, the Closing Prayer

Before the Gates of Heaven Close

Biographical Notes

A Note About This Text

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The Jewish people have many names for God, which come from many languages. In the stories that follow these names appear:

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Hashem – a Hebrew word meaning The Name

Aibishter – a Yiddish word meaning Most High

Ribono Shel Olam – a Hebrew phrase meaning Master of the Universe

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The words Rabbi and Rebbe are used to designate a spiritual leader. Reb is a courtesy title used for ordinary Jews.

Introduction: Where Are You Going?

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Rebbe Zusha of Hanipoli was once walking down the street of his town when he was stopped by two Russian police officers.

Where are you going? asked one of the officers.

I don’t know, replied Rebbe Zusha.

Really? said the officer. Do you expect us to believe that you’re just walking around, with no idea where you’re headed?

That’s right, said Rebbe Zusha.

The two policemen grabbed Rebbe Zusha and escorted him to the local police station. We’ve picked up a suspicious character, they told their commanding officer. He’s probably up to no good.

The commanding officer took over the interrogation. Look, he said, if you don’t answer my questions, I’m going to throw you into jail. But before I do that, I’m going to order my men to beat you to a pulp. So stop this nonsense and tell me where you were going.

I’d tell you if I could, but I really didn’t know.

The commanding officer was about to carry out his threat when Rebbe Zusha’s wife rushed into the police station. Zusha! she cried out. What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the synagogue.

Synagogue? asked the commanding officer. If you were going to the synagogue, why didn’t you say so?

Rebbe Zusha sighed, and then he explained, It’s true that when I left my house my intention was to go to the synagogue. But the moment I saw your police officers coming toward me I saw that Hashem had other plans for me - and I ended up here!

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Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Jewish Days of Awe

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Who hasn’t had a similar experience at some point in life? We think we know where we’re going but later—whether it is days or decades later—we look back with either wonder or dismay and ask, How did I get here?

What happened to the plans? What happened to the dreams? What happened to the person that I thought I was going to be, that I wanted to be?

What happened is, in a word, life. We start out with a plan and then somewhere along the way we allow ourselves to be distracted by things that look tantalizing or deterred by challenges that seem too tough or crushed by disappointments that appear to be insurmountable. We therefore change course when we should continue to go forward; we become smaller when we should become bigger—more courageous and creative, more generous and compassionate, more flexible and forgiving.