Shoshannah Brombacher

Artist’s Statement: The chassidic Jews of Eastern Europe loved to tell stories. Many anecdotes about their rebbes (rabbis, or spiritual leaders) contained profound spiritual, allegorical and philosophical truths, hidden in layers of simple folk tales. A g...

In a small town somewhere in Eastern Europe lived a nice man with a nasty problem: he talked too much about other people . . .

The Baal Shem Tov's disciples were puzzled. Why was the old water carrier so much happier all of a sudden, with his same pair of tattered boots and his same old pails of water?

After the prayers were finished, the chassid went over to one of the guests and said very quickly in a soft, murmuring voice: “Werurygoigtdy?”

"What is hateful to you," said Hillel, "do not do to your neighbor. That is the entire Torah..."

The community leaders infomed R. Shmelke that they had a special custom: every new rabbi was expected to add a new rule or custom to the chronicles of the community

Chassidic master Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rymanov did not have money and he didn't care for money either. He was actually so poor that he often could not feed his children...

"Is that such a terrible curse?" Rabbi Bunem pondered. "It means that the snake is never hungry. Dust is everywhere; his table is always full, no matter where he goes..."

There was a rabbi, a very good and pious man, who wanted to see justice in the world . . .

A chassid came to see the Karliner Rebbe because he was depressed. “I’m not a good Jew,” he said. “I don’t study enough, I don’t know enough; all I do is work, work, work.”