Search Results for: parable

A man comes to a gate, seeking entry to the Law. The gatekeeper says: “Not yet.” So he waits. For years. For decades. He grows old beside the gate, peering in but never entering. Only at the end, as life fades, he asks, "Why has no one else come … [Read more...]

The principal of the school awarded a Certificate of Excellence each month to a top-performing student at the school. This one month, when the principal notified the parents, he mistakenly sent his message to the wrong family. The parents were … [Read more...]

Charney fell out of favor with the Emperor. He was thrown into a dark dungeon with no access to visitors. Lonely and depressed, he scratched the words "Nobody cares" into the stone wall of his cell. One day, he noticed a tiny green shoot … [Read more...]

There once was a great sage, brilliant, respected, and beloved by all the people in the country. They would come from near and far to get his good counsel and receive his blessings. When they arrived in the village where the sage held court, the … [Read more...]

 It was a time in history when a cruel military General came to power, and he had no tolerance for religion among the people he conquered. One day, a Lieutenant of the General's soldiers and his regiment came to a God-fearing village. They … [Read more...]

Visualize a race. Several runners are making their way around the track. People in the bleachers are cheering. You are in the race, too, but you are running last. You are trailing behind the others. You are giving it all you have, so much that … [Read more...]

A Sunday school teacher asked her class of children if anyone could quote the entire 23rd Psalm. A golden-haired, four-and-a-half-year-old girl raised her hand. The teacher, a bit skeptical, asked her if she could really quote the whole … [Read more...]

A disciple was overcome with despair and came to his teacher, Baal Shem Tov, the great sage. "No matter how hard I try," he said, "I feel distant from God. My prayers feel hollow. The good deeds I do—they don't uplift me. I feel like I'm trapped … [Read more...]

Two men were each building a house. The foolish builder would build his house without thinking about what kind of foundation there was. He might have liked the way the building site looked. Perhaps he decided to ignore the warnings of people who … [Read more...]