Stories We Tell

Sometimes, it may feel like we live in a huge world and that coming together and mending our connections is an enormous task that will take forever. However, as Rabbi Phyllis Sommer reminds us with this week’s story, Map of The World, sometimes, all it takes is one very smart class, a new perspective and a little tape.

When a man traveling the world in pursuit of justice walks into a dark forest, he discovers a cottage filled with oil candles, and he’s shown his designated candle. Listen in as Rabbi Fred Reeves shares the magical story of testing one’s moral compass.

Have you ever had a song get stuck in your head, that you just can’t get out? In “Moishe’s Song” Rabbi Rachel Heaps shares the story of Moishe’s melodic malady, and how his son’s love led to a beautiful cure and an important lesson.

Sometimes learning isn’t just about knowing the right answers, but about asking the right questions too. In Rabbi Scott Gellman’s telling of "The Question," a frustrated student and a wise teacher help us understand the value of seeing "the bigger picture." You can also find a version of this story in Three Times Chai by Laney Katz Becker.

A farmer gifts a Kibbutz gatekeeper with a beautiful bunch of grapes, to thank him for always being so welcoming. Soon, the gift is shared in unexpected ways, and we learn that what goes around, really does come back around. Listen in as Rabbi Phyllis Sommer shares with us the wonderful story of the “Grateful Grapes”.

What happens when a string, a note, and an innocent goat lie between you and everything you never knew you needed? Rabbi Josh Weinberg reminds us that curiosity and patience should never be overlooked through his telling of Shai Agnon's The Fable of the Goat.

Several merchants are traveling through town when Yohanan, a local villager, offers to give them room and board. The merchants fear their goods will be stolen if they don’t guard them during the night, but Yohanan assures them that the mysterious Watchman will assist them. Listen in as Lisa Langer shares the story of The Watchman, and reminds us that sometimes the best gift is what we give, and not what we get. You can also check out a version of this tale in Barbara Diamond Goldin’s book Creating Angels: Stories of Tzedakah.

A wealthy man dies at the age of 120. He wasn't a particularly good man, nor a particularly bad one. So, when asked by the heavenly court if he can think of a truly good deed he's done that will outweigh the bad, he recalls one in particular. However, he needs some help from his defending angel attorney to make his deed look better than it actually was. Originally included in the collection Three Times Chai by Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, this story compels us to reexamine our own deeds and if they can truly measure up on their own.

A man was told that he could find God at the top of the highest mountain, so he climbed to the peak and waited patiently for God to show up. Join Rabbi Phyllis Sommer as she tells this story about what it truly means to find God in ways we might have never even considered.