בס׳ד

"Where does it say that you have a contract with G-d to have an easy life?"

the Lubavitcher Rebbe



"Failure is not the enemy of success; it is its prerequisite."

Rabbi Nosson Scherman



22 Apr 2009

A quarter too much

The following is an anecdote I received through email - author unknown.
"Several years ago, a rabbi from out-of-state accepted a call to a community in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.
As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it'.
Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from G-d' and keep quiet'.
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change'.
The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new rabbi in town?'
'Yes' he replied.
'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you in Shul on Shabbos'.
When the rabbi stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh Rebono Shel Olam, I almost sold a Yid for a quarter.'

Our lives are the only thing some people will ever read.
This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as JEW, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of HaShem on your shoulders when you call yourself a 'JEW'.
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

“If relativity is proved right, the Germans will call me a German, the Swiss will call me Swiss and the French will call me a world citizen. If relativity is proved wrong, the French will call me Swiss, the Swiss will call me German and the Germans will call me a Jew.”
Albert Einstein

2 comments:

  1. So true. If a Gentile double parks and blocks traffic, people say, "oh look at the man blocking traffic." But if a Jew does the same thing, people say, "oh look at the Jew blocking traffic. They think they own the world."

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  2. Interesting story!
    I am fairly certain that the story was originally about a priest, not a rabbi. It includes such gems as 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter,' rather than 'Oh Rebono Shel Olam, I almost sold a Yid for a quarter.'
    I have a writeup of this here:
    http://parsha.blogspot.com/2009/04/rabbi-priest-and-quarterback.html

    Kol Tuv,
    Josh

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