A Passover Storygift

An elderly Jewish man whom I have known for the past six years or so told me a story the other day.  After he told it to me and I told him that I really liked the story, he told me I could use it.   He gave it to me like a gift and so I am sharing this gift with you.

This successful business man is now into his eighties and has been dealing with two kinds of cancer for the past decade.   As he gets older, he is reflecting more on what is important to him and finding that this is changing as time goes on.

The other day, he realized that there was a message on his cell phone but he couldn't remember how to retrieve the message.  A few days went by and a younger man who is a whiz at technology and entrepreneurship came by for a visit.  The older man, David, asked him to help retrieve the message and the younger man Mahar did it easily.  The message was from a rabbi with whom David had been acquainted for many years. 

And so David called the rabbi who picked up the phone right away.  The rabbi was very happy to hear from David and wished him a happy Passover and good health for him and his family for the coming year.  Then the rabbi reminded David that he was always so generous supporting the rabbi`s school every year and he wondered if David wanted to do so again.  David happily made a sizable donation and after exchanging a few more pleasantries, they ended the call.

The young man was upset.  “Why did you call him back when it cost you hundreds of dollars?” he asked.  David told him that this was the only rabbi that talked to him.  He explained that now that he was older, he realized that one day he may need a rabbi to sit and talk to him or to pray for him and he wanted to keep that relationship going.  This was a different kind of investment.  This was beyond the young man`s understanding however and after a while, he left.

A few minutes after the young man left, David`s phone rang and he answered it.  It was the rabbi again.  He apologized for calling back so soon but he said that he had the feeling that David was the kind of a man he could ask for help.  “Of course,” answered David.  “What kind of help do you need?”

“Well,” said the rabbi,”I have a grandson in Israel who is dying of a rare condition and I was wondering if you would pray for him.”  David was surprised to hear a prayer request from the man who he thought would pray for him but he agreed to help.

Here were two grandfathers who knew what was really important in life.  They understood the treasure of grandchildren and the riches of health and family and community.  Life had not yet taught the young man about this and he thought that monetary wealth was the most important thing.

The story seemed to me to be the kind that a rabbi would tell to the congregation. I told David that this was the best story I had heard all week and that`s when he told me I could use it.  The story is a gift that I am sharing and because it is a gift I won`t unwrap it all for you.  Now it`s your gift and you can unwrap it for yourself.  The storygift can speak to you.  

We become the stories we hear and the stories we tell.  That`s what makes them so powerful.