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Jos. Vogel
S. A. FH.ILDLA1,DLR
Madison Jewish Center
hr. Friedlander is about 70 years old. He was born in
Brezowitz, liungar, where he attended Hebrew school, and where he
heard some of the stories he tells, and came to this country when
he was fifteen. he has attended various synagogues in New York,
and owes most of his tales to the latter source. The fact that his
stories are in large proportion about Chassidim (Polish Jews) he
attributes to the richness of the lore treating of the Chassidic sects,
lore that spread to all Luropean countries and followed to America.
Mr. Friedlander accompanied his telling of stories with gest-
ure and jistrionic effects, indicating the dignity of the Rabbi and
the mumility of the disciple, or vice versa as the occasion demanded.
He spoke both in Jewish and inglish. It was impossible for him to
give any idea of the exact sources of these stories, except that they
were to be heard, among Jews, particularly the orthodox, before and
after prayers in tic synagogue, or after study of the Talmud, as an
aid to relaxation.
The Dowry
-Ln alicia lived a widow and her daughter. The daughter was
betrothed to a merchant, who kept postponing, the marriage because
the widow could not provide the dowry which her husband, vihen he was
alive, had promised. As she had no prospect of raising this dowry,
the widow in desperation went to the house of her brother, a wealthy
man, and pleaded with him tc provide the dowry. :his her brother
refused to do. Vlhereupon the widow, in tears, went to the Rabbi and
told him of her predicament.
"How much do you rec_uire for the dowry?" asked the Rabbi.
"Four hundred gulden, "replied the widow, "and although my
brother, wealthy as he is, can readily spare this amount he has re-
fused to give even one gulden."
"We shall see, said the Rabbi solemnly. "Go home now and be
patient. God will help."
The season passed and yet no dowry was forthcoming, and the
merchant again postponed his marriage to the widow's daughter.
The widow thereupon return(,d to the Rabbi, who again asked that she
be patient, and assured her that God would help.
On the eve of lor, Kippur, the Jews of the twon gathered
at the synagogur, and among them was the rich brother of the widow.
The Kol Nidre had scarcely been begun, when this brother fell back
in a fit of suffocation. His face blue, the veins of his neck swollen,
he cried for a drink of water. Now when the Jews saw his plight they
were in a quandary, for it is forbidden either to eat or to drink on
the eve and on the (la; of Yom Kippur. As it seemed the man would die
if he were not given water, the services were interrupted so that ad-
vice could be asked of the Rabbi.
"IAIllowance cen be made, as it seems the man will die un-
less he is given water," advised the Rabbi. "But first he must pro-
mise to donate, for a purpose that will be approvdd of by God, four
hundred gulden."
When this sum, gratefully promised, was delivered after
the holiday to the Rabbi, he delivered it in turn to the widow, who
thus was able to provide he' daughter with a dowry.
The Power of haking One Weep
There was once a LEuggid (a Yiddish Billy Sunday) who travel-
ed from town to town and delivered sermons that had the power of
making people wee. It was from this power that he derived his live-
lihood, for in proportion as he drew tears from his audiences so he
drew also donations.
There came a time, however, when donations kept growing smaller,
from which he could only conclude that his power of drawing tears was
diminishing. what proved this to him beyond doubt was that whereas
he had always been able to count on the sound of weeping for inspira-
tion was lackin7.
he determined thereJ.oe to make a last test of his power.
he would speak and speak, for a whole evening, and if not a single
voice responded with weeping, it would be to him as an ultimatum
to seek otherwise for bread.
That evening, in a synagogue well filled, he began his final
test. he spoke and spoke, and when most of the evening passed without
the sound of a voice weeping, he could hardly continue for despair.
Just as he began to feel that he could no longer go on speaking, so
deathly was the silence that greeted his tenderest words, a most grati-
fying interruption took place: an outburst of wretchedness, a wailing
voice, as if somewhere a string had snapped, a heart had broken.
He made haste, when in triumph he finished his sermon, to
out this chord that had so wonderfully responded.
"Tell mc," he said to the man whose eyes were still moist,
seek
"what was it in my speech that made :you weep? his he asked, not
so much because he desired flattery as to discover what note it had
been that had stroke the chord.
"I can exp-air it only this way, said the man, fresh tears
filling his eyes. "Not long ago i had a cow that provided me with
much milk. This cow, for a reason that still mystifies me, one
day lay down and died. ivow it so happened that at that time hides
went u -T- in price, so i was able to sell my cow!s hide for a good
price. With the money
I got I bought a goat. The goat gave milk, not
so generously as the cow, but had no reason to complain. Then one
day the goat lays down and dies. As I listened to you, your whiskers
going up and down and your bleating reminded me of my goat, and to
think that he died broke my heart."
God Helps the Poor
A man, so poor that he could not buy matzos dor the ap-
proaching Passover, went to his Rabbi to ask for help. The Rabbi
promised him he needn't worry, and sent him home with the words:
"God will help."
As Passover approached ever nearer, the poor man's wife
raised her cries to the roof. "There is no money- to buy clothing for
the children, no money to buy matzos. What will become of us with
all your praying, when you don't stir out of the house to earn a
penny?"
"If the Rabbi said uoa will help," answered her husband,
"then rest assured that God will help."
"Go to the Rabbi again," pleaded his wife, "tell him we
have not even matzos for Passover. Ask him to help."
The poor man went again to the Rabbi, and again the Rabbi
sent him home with the words: "God will help.
On his way hone the poor man passed by the estate of a
nobleman, and seeing a menagerie on this estate, and the great num-
ber of animals, he thought sadly: "The animals are kept in plenty,
but for my wife and children there is nothing to eat."
That night, as the poor man repeated his prayers, he heard a
commotion in the street, the loud shouts of boys, and sudden y a win-
dow crashed and a maxmk7 monkey flew into the room. The boys, having
found a monkey that had escaped from the noblemants estate and that
had died, had flung the carcass into the house of the "yew". For seve-
ral minutes tha man and his wife stared at the body on the floor, dread-
ing to go near.
"Take it out somewhere and bury it,"said his wife,
The man then took hold of the feet, and as he picked up the body,
out of the monkey's mouth poured a shower of gold coins. And they re-
alized it was of this the monkey had died, of gorging himself with his
master's gold, and that the flinging of the carcass into the house of
the Jew had been an act of God.