One Yom Kippur during the break after shacharis and before mincha, Rabbi Menzies sees a very worried looking Morry Schwartz walking towards him. His face is white and his eyes are bloodshot. He stands in front of the Rabbi, sweating and out of breath.
“Please Rabbi,” he says, “I must have a drink of water. I’m so thirsty and dry. I can’t stand it any more.”
Rabbi Menzies is astonished and replies, “Don’t you realise what you are asking? Today is Yom Kippur, when we fast and beg for forgiveness, and you come to me and tell me that want to drink and break your fast? Be strong and do not give in!”
Morry is in tears, “Please Rabbi, just a small drink. I can’t take it anymore!”
But Rabbi Menzies is not an unkind man, and is touched by Morry’s suffering. He thinks for a while and says “Alright.” He calls over the shammes, “give Morry a teaspoon of water.”
The teaspoon of water is given to Morry who is now crazy with thirst. “Please, please! I’ve got to have a real drink or I’ll die!” he cries.
Although he doesn’t really want to do it, Rabbi Menzies instructs the shammes to give Morry a full glass of water. Morry drinks the water, puts down the glass, wipes his mouth with his handkerchief, looks the Rabbi in the eye and says, “Thank you Rabbi, I’ll never eat a schmaltz herring on Yom Kippur morning ever again!”
Credit: David Minkoff, A Word In Your Eye