Torah Stories

G-d Is One: Practical Application

Rabbi Michael Beliner was a devout Jew, known for his piety and the long hours that he would stand before his Creator in concentrated prayer. One day, in the middle of his prayers, a shoemaker entered the synagogue. Rabbi Michael unexpectedly stopped his prayers and pointed to the torn shoes of another worshipper, motioning to the shoemaker to fix the shoes.

After prayers, the congregants asked Rabbi Michael how he could stop in the middle of his devout worship just to take care of a pair of shoes that needed fixing. Rabbi Michael answered, "Do you think that praying 'G-d Is One' means that a person can be totally absorbed in the upper realms while others right next to him are suffering? The true test of our declaration that 'G-d Is One' is if G-d has penetrated our souls so much that we cannot rest until our friends’ shoes are fixed."