This Too Is for the Good | The Story of Nachum Ish Gamzu | Tales of Tzaddikim

[Music] Long ago in our holy land under the harsh rule of the Romans lived the great and saintly manam Ish Gamsu. Rabbi Noam. Everyone knew him by his special name, Natham is Gamsu. Natham was known for his betuff. Whenever anything happened that seemed bad to most, he sought it for the good, knowing that everything that happens is orchestrated by Hashem. No matter what happened, good or bad, Noam always would smile and say, This too is for the good. >> That was always Nah's attitude to see everything for the good. And our story that is about to unfold should inspire us all to always be positive and have a muna in Hashem no matter what. Just like Nahim is Gamsu. In those days, the emperor of Rome was making life very difficult for the Jews, making it harder and harder for them to live a religious life. The Jewish leaders of the community knew they had to do something, for the harsh decrees by the emperor were becoming too much to bear. [Music] >> Life is getting too difficult for us under this emperor's rule. We must do something. Perhaps if we send him a gift on behalf of all of the Jews, this will persuade him to be kinder to us. Wonderful idea. Yes, we must send a gift to the emperor. But who will take it? They all agreed only Nahim is Gansu could succeed for Hashem made miracles happen for him. [Music] Noam set off with a beautiful treasure chest filled with dazzling gems and jewels. On his way to Rome, he stopped at an inn for the night to rest his head. But as Nam slept, two thieves crept into his room. [Music] They stole the jewels and replaced them with plain old dusty sand. The next morning, Nakam awoke to continue his journey. Without even realizing what had taken place, he proudly took the chest, loaded it upon his donkey, and headed in the direction of the emperor's palace. Once at the royal palace, Nam graciously presented the chest to the emperor with deep respect. Your Majesty, I present to you a humble gift on behalf of the Jewish people. May it serve you in good health. [Music] The emperor's soldiers opened the chest and saw in it only sand. How dare you mock me? Throw this Jew into prison. You lying, stinking Jews. guards prepare the royal army to ambush the Jews in every community and slaughter them until there is no one left. Poor Nam. The emperor's gods rushed him away to prison. But even now in the cold dark dungeon, Noam whispered, >> "Konsiva." >> Just as Natham was taken away to prison, and the guards rushed off to prepare to leave the emperor's army to kill the Jews, Eliu Hanavi, disguised as a servant, appeared to the emperor. Perhaps, your majesty, this sand is like the sand that Abraham used to defeat his enemies. Perhaps it's magic. H maybe. Just maybe. The next morning, the emperor decided to test the sand against the enemy army. The emperor's army opened the chest. Filled with sand before the enemy, the soldiers grabbed handfuls of sand and threw it towards the approaching enemy army and miracles of miracles. The sand transformed into shooting arrows and the enemy fled in terror. A [Music] heat. You free. Overjoyed. The emperor freed Nakam is Gansu from prison. He then told his soldiers to leave the Jews alone. Rabbi, the chest of sand you gave me on behalf of the Jews is the most wonderful gift I have ever received. Please let the sages know the Jews shall have peace for the time being and take this gift with you as a token of my appreciation. Thank you, your majesty. Thank you. The emperor had his guards fill Noam's chest with treasures for his journey home and sent him on his way unharmed. Now returning home, Nam passing by the inn he had visited on his journey to Rome. The greedy inkeeper saw Noam and approached him. Noam, I have heard the news of what occurred when you visited the emperor and that he gifted you many riches. May I ask, what did you give the emperor for him to return you home? with so many precious jewels. Only what I carry from here." >> Then Nathan smiled and went on his way. The inkeeper, on the other hand, thought of another devious idea, hoping for rich ball. The wicked inkeeper and his equally wicked partner began digging and gathering piles of ordinary dusty sand from the inn and rushed off to the emperor in hopes of receiving a equal to that which was given to nothing. Once at the royal palace, the thieves proudly presented the emperor with their sacks of Dusty sand. But when the thieves sand was tested, there were no miracles to be found. No sand transformed into arrows as it had before. And the Roman army was forced to chase away the enemy by their own sword. [Applause] This made the emperor furious and the emperor ordered to kill them and bury them with that worthless sand. >> No, it is magic sand. We promised it probably needs to be charged or put some water around it. You won't do it again. I promise. >> Of course you won't do it again. We're going to kill you. There's no [Music] idea I [Music] please [Music] [Applause] [Music] soon enough. Northam had heard what had happened to the inkeeper and his partner and he smiled and said, "Gonzo, Gonzu." >> From this we should learn that whenever we find ourselves with troubles, we should remember we don't know what good Hashem truly has in store for us. And so the story of Namish Gamu has taught us that even when things seem bad, with faith in patience, we shall see how good things truly are. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] Dear Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yeshua, I write you this letter with a heart filled with mixed emotions. As I sit here having just completed the Tarum, my translation of the Tyra into Aramaic, the Tarum given to us at Sai has now been restored. Now that the restoration of the Tarum is complete, I present to you copies of the Tarum. Please share this Tarum amongst our brothers across the land. For it is my hope that the study of the Tarum shall also be restored amongst Claire. While I know the Tyra tells us not to remind a convert of their past, it is my hope that a story of my life shall serve as a lesson to all that the light of Hashem in his Tyra is capable of the most incredible things. I was once a royal prince with the world at my fingertips. I was part of the Roman nobility. But after my uncle Tetus, a highranking general in the Roman army destroyed Hashem's holy temple and I saw the evil the Roman Empire was capable of, I began to question the meaning of my life, my role in the world. And I grew curious of how despite all the torment the Jews had experienced, they remained faithful to their god, to his Tyra, and he remained faithful to them. Soon after the destruction of the base of Mikdosh, a fly miraculously entered my uncle Tetus' head, chewing away at his brain. This fly tortured this mighty hand until his final days. I believe it was the divine punishment delivered by the hand of our shell. You're driving me crazy with all of the buzzing. You pesky fly. Guards. Ouch. Make it stop. Guards, slam the hammers. Ah, much better. Keep slamming. [Music] No. Ouch. Ouch. It doesn't work anymore. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Stop it, you piss. Ah, no. My end is near. Guards, bring me prince. The agony. >> Your majesty. Prince Unlas is here for you. Hail Caesar. >> Prince Unlas, please come closer. >> Uncle Jus, I'm so sorry. >> My sweet Oquis. Ow! Ouch! Oh, I don't have much time left. It has taken 7 years, but it seems this fly has nearly finished me off by chewing at my brain. Who would have thought a man as mighty as I, a man who conquered the nation of Israel and destroyed the God's holy temple, the Bam Mikdash will be brought down by a teeny tiny puny little fly. I want to ask you, Uncle, to fulfill your uncle Tetus's last dying wish. >> Of course. Whatever you need, Uncle Tetus. I knew I could count on you. When I pass, the gods have orders to burn my body. I ask of you to see to it that my ashes are scattered across the seven seas, so that the god of the Jews will not find me, not stand me before him in judgment. >> I will see your wish is fulfilled, Uncle Tatis. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ow! Ouch! Ouch! No! I'm dying! >> The god of the Jews deals with matters measure for measure. I wish to know him and his ways. I'm sorry, Uncle Tatis. You did not get to know Hashim. And even more sorry, you chose to act against him. I pray that I shall get to know Hashem and his ways. >> Soon after the death of my uncle Tatis, we set out on a journey across the seven seas to spread his ashes. However, deep down I wondered if my uncle Tetus truly could have escaped judgment and what became of his spirit in the afterlife. Wow, this world is so beautiful. And there in the distance, Erit Israel. Well, Uncle Tatis, here we are. Our final stop, the Mediterranean. Oh, Uncle Tatis, how I wish you were here right now. How I wish I could ask you if it was all worth it. Well, there's one way to find out. I wish I wish to speak to Tetris. I wish I wish to speak to Titus. I wish I wish to speak to Tetlers. Ah, I knew I could count on you. >> Uncle, tell me, please, what's it like on the other side in the world to come? >> I burned the Bambi dash down. Now I suffer my faithful punishment in return, and I thought I could escape judgment. >> Uncle, tell me, who is the most honored in the world to come? >> Is there, >> I wish to join them. >> Listen to me, Oakley. Don't be a fool. The Jews have many, many laws. Far too many. You'll never be able to fulfill them. Rather, attack them, destroy them, and make them suffer. And you shall become a great leader and be remembered forever. Live life, please. They're calling me back. No, no, not the fire. No, not again. >> Farewell, Uncle Tatis. God of Israel, if you can hear me, please hear my prayer. I wish to join the Jewish people. If I meant to join your chosen people, please make it so and show me the path. I was never the same after that night. Speaking to the ghost of my uncle Tatis only filled my mind and heart with so many more questions about the meaning of life. After witnessing my uncle Tatis' demise, I began to question the meaning of life even more. I desired to know Hashem and to join the Jewish people, but I feared for my life and told no one of my desire to convert to Judaism. And rather, I entertained my uncle Tetus' advice. I drank and I indulged. >> I fought lions and the great Roman coliseum, the cheering crowds of thousands chanting my name. I studied all the writings of the greatest philosophers from Socrates to Plato to Aristotle. I taught myself harp and was able to play all the melodies of all the nations by memory. I apprenticed under the most masterful artists in their crafts and even became a skilled sculptor myself. [Music] Yet to no avail, I still felt empty inside. After years and years of trying my best to live like a good Roman prince, my longing to join the Jewish people into cavette, Judaism only grew stronger. Until one day, after a meeting with the rabbis of Yvnet in the Roman courts, I secretly followed the great rabbis, Rabbi Yeshua and Rabbi Eleza into the marketplace. I followed them into an alleyway, hoping they could help. Excuse me, rabbis. >> Prince Unlas, thank you for voting to continue the protection of our Yoshiva in Yv. >> Yes, we are most grateful, Prince Unlas, for your ongoing support. Of course. And I would like to seek your help. >> Help? How could we help? >> Teach me, Tyra. I want to become a Jew. >> Pardon? Wait, what? >> I want to become a Jew. I want to learn. Tyra, I must. >> Shh. Keep this to yourself. Don't tell anyone. Tell no one. >> If you are sincere, find us at Arishhiva in Yn. I will. >> We must be going now. Come, let's go. As they ran down the alleyway, I felt as if I had met two malakum, two angels, their faces glowing so bright like a torch in the middle of the night. Then suddenly, I knew this was the sign I prayed for those years ago as I scattered my uncle Tetus' ashes into the Mediterranean. I knew then in that moment I must seek out the great sages Rabbi Alzan and Rabbi Yeshua in Yvnai and do whatever it took to become a Jew. But I didn't dare tell a living soul amongst my fellow Romans about my desire to convert to Judaism. For I feared for my life. So I began to learn Tyra by myself in secret. [Music] My uncle Adriionus had recently taken the throne as Caesar. I knew time was running out, so I made a plan and approached my uncle Adriionus for advice. >> Sweet Unlas, you seem a bit sad. What's troubling you? >> I want to enter into business. So to acquire wealth for myself. >> Wealth, you are so silly. I could give you all the gold and silver you could ever wish for. >> No, Uncle. I wish to work for my wealth. >> Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. You shall make a great Caesar yourself someday with an attitude like that. Unlas, here is my advice. When dealing in the trade of business, one should seek out and invest in the least expensive merchandise he can find because at that time no one desires it, and therefore it is ignored, and certainly it will be low in price. But trust me, my dear nephew, there will come a day that that merchandise will rise in price, and you will ultimately profit from it. >> Brilliant, uncle. You are absolutely brilliant. >> Thank you, Unlas. I am so proud of you. Please take one of the royal horses from the royal stable and of course have this satchel of gold and silver pieces to help you get started. I look forward to hearing all the wondrous stories of your travels. I see great things in your future, Unlas. Truly, truly great things. And off I went. It was nearly a two-month journey on horseback, but Hashem's light guided me on my way until I made my way to Aritzia. Then I made my way to the vineyard of Yavn, the yeshiva, where the great sages, Rabbi Yaleza and Rabbi Yeshua said I would find them. >> I am telling you this, this is the halaka. No, no, no, no. This is the halaka. >> Excuse me, Rabbi. >> Rabbi Elazar, it seems we have a visitor. We shall let this matter rest until another time. >> Prince, your face is it's it's glowing. Have you been learning Tyra? >> Yes, I have been in secret. And I've come to you both to learn the depths of Tyra. And I desire to convert to Judaism. >> Being a Jew is not easy. It's not so simple. I'm not so sure you know what you're getting yourself into. Just look at the glow of his face. It is clear we must give this man a chance. Please prince come sit with us. Let us learn some please just call me Unlas. [Music] And it was so. We began with learning the olive bays and as time went on I learned more and more. Tyra. weeks turned into months. And I grew and grew under the guidance of my great teachers, Rabbi Yeshua and Rabbi Eleazar, until the day came when the great sages felt I was ready. I received a bris and immersed in a mikvah and I became a Jew. I continued my studies for years and as years began to pass by I grew in my Tyra knowledge. However, little did I know, news of my conversion reached my uncle Adrionas, who was not pleased to hear. >> Wouldn't a member of the royal Roman family has become a Jew? That traitor. Ah, >> gods. The royal Roman prince Unlas, son of Konokus, has converted to Judaism, and he must pay. I order you to Yavnne at once. Capture that traitor, Unlas, and bring him to me. He shall answer for this betrayal. [Music] Prince Unlas, son of Konokius, by orders of the Caesar, you are under arrest. We are here to take you back to Rome. >> Are you servants of my uncle Adriionis? Yes, he has ordered that you come with us. >> Do you always follow all of the orders that Caesar commands of you? >> Of course, we execute all of the orders commanded of us. >> Oh, I feel so bad for you. >> You feel bad for us? Why? >> For you are servants of a mere mortal flesh and blood man. However, I am blessed greatly for I am the servant of the king of all kings, Hashem, the almighty creator of the universe. >> Please tell us from where did you discover such wisdom? >> From learning Tyra and all of the Roman soldiers stayed to learn more Tyra with me and soon enough they all converted to Judaism. News of the soldiers conversions reached my uncle and this did not make him happy at all. Guards, listen carefully. All of you, you are hereby ordered to arrest my nephew Unklas in Yavn immediately. Do not speak to him. Simply capture him and bring him here to me. Do not say a word to him. That is an order. >> Sir. >> Hey, Caesar. [Music] You know, something always confused me about the Royal Roman army. Let me ask you a question. If the bottom rank soldier holds the torch for his sergeant and the sergeant holds the torch for his general and the general holds the torch for the Caesar, who amongst the ranks of you soldiers does the Caesar hold the torch for >> the Caesar hold the torch for a soldier? [Laughter] The Caesar holds a torch for no one, you fool. For he is the Caesar. >> But the holy one, blessed be he, the king of the universe. He holds a torch for all of the Jews. >> Oh wow. And Bruhim, those soldiers stayed in Yn too, desiring to learn Tyra. and eventually they also joined the Jewish people. This however only angered my uncle even more. [Music] >> General, I order you personally to go to Yav and arrest Prince Unlas at once immediately. Bring him here to me in chains. Listen to me, General. That Unklas has a clever mind. Do not discuss anything with him. And I mean anything. That is an order. >> Sir. Yes, sir. Fail. Caesar. Men followed. March. [Music] Not a word from any of you. We're here for Unlas and we'll be on our way. Nobody move or suffer the sword. [Music] Let go. You traitor. You had your chance. There's no escaping now. What is this? You tell me. The way of the world is that the Caesar sits in his palace and has all his servants guard him from what's outside the palace. But Hose, the God of the Jews, his servants are inside while he stands God of them outside. As it says into him, Hose will guard your departure and your arrival from this time and forever. >> Well, I'll be on tell us more. And the general and his men stayed behind and soon they too converted to Judaism. Unl why? Unl why? Why? Uncle >> uncle >> nephew your face it's it's glowing but why how >> I have studied Tyra I have become a Jew >> I have heard but who gave you this idea to convert to Judaism? Who you did, uncle? Me? When? >> The last time I saw you, I had asked you for advice. You told me I should seek out and invest in the least expensive merchandise I could find because no one desired it, and that the day would come that it would rise in price, and I would ultimately profit from it. Well, uncle, I have found nothing as lowly and least desired as the Jews of Israel and their Tyran. But why, Unless? Why? >> Because I wanted to learn Tyra. >> But surely couldn't you have studied Torah without becoming a Jew? >> A man can never fully grasp the entire wisdom of the Tyra if he does not become a Jew. >> It seems since before you were born, you were destined to become a Jew. Farewell, sweet prince. H. [Laughter] Wow. Dear Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Yeshua, I wrote you this letter with a heart filled with mixed emotions. As I sit here having just completed the Tarum, my translation of the Tyra into Aramaic, the Tarum given to us at Haii has now been restored. [Music] There are warriors, there are sadikim, and there are legends. My father, Matis Yahu, and my brothers, the Mcabes, they were all of these things. For without them, who knows where we, the Jewish people, would be. Years ago, Israel was under the rule of the evil Greek king Antiocus, who hated the Tyra and wanted to destroy the Jewish spirit in us all. I have had enough of these Jews and their burdensome Torah. I have given them every chance to embrace Greek culture and ritual. Yet many of them still refuse. Israel is under Greek rule and its citizens shall live as such. All of them. Scribe, write me this decree and see that is sent across the land to all of the Jews. No more to no more and no more Judaism. The Jews must become great or die. And the king's decrees were sent across Erits Israel. Jews could no longer keep the shamis. You Jews are hereby banned from observing the shabies. Any sign of you keeping the shabas and you shall die. >> Please, please don't kill me. I'll never keep shabas again. >> Jews could not learn Tyra. The Greeks burned our Torah scrolls across Jewish communities. Your car makes much better firewood than it does reading. Those Greeks, they converted our holy temple into a place of idolatry, placing idols inside our holy temple, offering up pigs in a base mikdash. Ah, looking much better now. This place is starting to feel much more like home. [Music] Worst of all, so many of our Jewish brothers and sisters buckled under the pressure of the Greeks, changing their dress and even their names, embracing the Greek way of life, abandoning the Tyra and our Messiah. Welcome to the Greek life. You made the right choice. [Music] My father Montyahu was disgusted and horrified at what had happened to our people. >> Look what they have done. We can no longer stay here in New Shallayam. It is not safe for us here. He gathered my brothers and I to leave you. So we fled and settled in Modian. In the beginning, things were certainly not perfect in Modian. However, there was not as much of a presence of Greek soldiers to enforce the evil king's decrees. Unfortunately, Modian did not remain safe for long. [Music] What is the status of the Jews? Have they all abandoned their silly Torah in ridiculous rituals? Are they all now upstanding Greek citizens loyal to my empire? Your Majesty, many have embraced Greek life, but there still remain a small minority of Jews who are still loyal and committed to their beliefs. >> This will not do. Bribe the local community leaders to embrace Greek culture. Bribe them greatly. And if they don't listen, kill them in front of their pathetic followers. Then I'm sure they will change their minds. It wasn't long before the Greek soldiers arrived in Mod with a caravan filled with pigs. They were there to erect an altar in the name of their false god, and they sought out my father to inaugurate the newly formed Greek altar. Are you the community leader, the great Musahu? >> Yes, I am Matis Yahu. >> King Antiois has ordered me here to ask of you to be the first Jew to bring a sacrifice to the Greek altar of Modil. The king offers you this gift in return for accepting this honor and encouraging your fellow Jews to do the same. We've brought plenty of pigs for you all to sacrifice to the greatest of Greek gods, the great and mighty zoos. >> Listen, they want us to abandon the tyra in mitzvah. I say never. Stay true to the tyra. >> Oh, enough of your preaching, Rabbi. Get with the times. The Greeks are here to stay. Sacrifice to their gods. I say >> my father Montisy Yahu witnessing this betrayal became filled with a holy rage. >> You traitor traitor. The events of Modian reach King Antio. And soon we knew we'd find ourselves in an ongoing conflict with the Greeks. Other loyal Jews began to join us. We had formed an army of 6,000 men strong. Our rebellion had begun and we were achieving victories. However, my father would not see this rebellion to its conclusion. My sons, my time has come. This war has only just begun. Strengthen yourselves, my sons, and listen to your brothers, Schuman and Yehuda. Stay true to the Tyra and be loyal to Hashem, no matter what it takes. I love you, my sons, Israel. I have had enough of these renegade Jews. It's time we squash those Jews like the little bugs that they are. I want those makabe's heads on a spit. Brothers, Antiocus is sending an army of Greek soldiers our way right now. We must make a plan. What do we do? Do you have faith, Shiman? Yes. In this life and the next. Then all we have to do is hold our swords up high. Hashem will do the rest. Gather our men at once. We will strike the Greeks at their camp first before they ever reach ours. Do not fear that we are outnumbered by the enemy. It makes no difference in the eyes of Hashem. The enemy is fighting for their arrogant pagan ways of life. But we are fighting for Hashem. Have faith and fight. Fight. Fight. [Applause] You see men, you see this victory here tonight, remember this is Hashem's war. We are merely his warriors. Stay loyal to him and his Tyra and you shall always prevail. Now let us reclaim the base of Mikdash. My brother Yehuda mightily led us to the Basa Mikdash to reclaim it. It was worse than we ever could have imagined. But we didn't waste any time. We rid the Basa Mikdash of the blasphemous of Odazara. Our holy manora was nowhere to be found. So we quickly fashioned one from iron and plated it with tin. We still needed oil to light the manura. However, all the oil we found had been contaminated by the Greeks. So we searched desperately until finally we found something. A flask of oil untouched with the seal of the Cohen guttle. We knew it was only enough oil for one night, but we couldn't wait any longer. We were determined to show Hashem our dedication that night. So, we prepared ourselves to light the manura. We returned the next evening to find the manura miraculously still burning. The flask of oil, which was only enough to last one night, continued to burn for eight whole nights. We saw this as a sign from Hashem, and we knew a great miracle had happened there. There are warriors, there are sadikim, and there are legends. My father, Matyahu, and my brothers, the Mcabes, they were all of these things. [Music]