Jewish stories for children of all ages

The poor tailor

Two talmidim of the holy Baal Shem Tov meet a poor tailor in Vilna who has a local reputation for being able to bestow blessings that come true. They bring the tailor to the Baal Shem Tov and hear an amazing story that is the source of the poor tailor's ability.

Purim of the curtains

Emperor Ferdinand of the Hapsburg empire has entrusted his ceremonial gold curtains to the governor of Prague, Rudolf, who has in turn entrusted them to his chamberlain Hradek. When the curtains go missing, the blame falls quickly on the Jews, who have entrusted everything to Hashem and are miraculously saved through the intercession of the famous MaHaRal of Prague

Shimon’s good heart

When the Chacham says that Hashem desires nothing more than a good heart, Shimon takes him literally, to the great delight of the shamash. Eventually, Shimon teaches the Chacham the true meaning of a good heart.

The two merchants and the little judge

The governor has a very difficult case to judge when a spice merchant accuses his neighbor the oil merchant of stealing his fortune, but a chance encounter with some Jewish children at play gives the governor a just and wise solution.

The Rabbi and the dry cake

Rashid comes home hungry and finds that his dinner is not ready, so he threatens his wife Fatima with divorce unless she can make coffee before he finishes his dry cake and they end up relying on the Rabbi's wisdom when Rashid's impatience gets the better of him.

Davening with the Baal Shem Tov

A talmid of the Baal Shem Tov learns that every single action of a Rebbe has cosmic significance.

The jars of honey

When a wealthy widow entrusts her fortune to a neighbor after hiding it in jars of honey, she soon finds her trust is misplaced, until a shepherd boy saves the day with his wisdom.

Wedding gift from the Baal Shem Tov

When the Baal Shem Tov must raise 200 ruble to marry off an orphan girl raised in his home, he simply sends Leib Kreminer out to "take care of the matter" and the money is soon on the table in time for a joyous simcha.

The King’s dream

A cruel decree against the Jews causes the King to experience years of exile and torment until he finds himself back in his former kingdom, but without his former hatred for his Jewish subjects.

The wise merchant and the greedy thief

A merchant hides his money in a safe place while traveling on business, but when the money is stolen, the merchant relies on his wits rather than the authorities to recover his bag of gold coins.