Rabbi Yoel Gold is a Rabbi and a High School teacher in Los Angeles. He’s become famous for his master storytelling skills. In the last few years, he’s created a nice number of videos in which he tells powerful and entertaining stories. A quick YouTube or Google search of his name will give you a lot of entertainment.

He is unique in that he follows every story to its source to verify the details exactly how it happened.

One story entitled “Little Giant Man” is about Mrs. Geldzahler, who was driving on the Garden State and stopped for gas. The attendant turned out to be a very short person – only about 3 and a half feet tall. The attendant went ahead fueling Mrs. Geldzahler’s car and started wiping the windshield. As he was wiping, he saw a picture of someone in the windshield and stopped to ask Mrs. Geldzahler who that was.

Mrs. Geldzahler was surprised why a picture of her father, Rabbi Geldzahler, interested the gas station attendant. She said, “Um, that’s my father”. He said, “Oh, I am looking for him for two years!!”

The late Rabbi Geldzahler was a dean of a Yeshiva – a Jewish High School. He was a brilliant Talmudic scholar and also a person full of life.

Vinnie, the gas station attendant, relayed how every time Rabbi Geldzahler came for gas at the gas station he used to come out and talk to Vinnie and make him feel good. He used to tell him, “You are my inspiration! You can have all the justifications in the world not to come out of bed in the morning; yet you choose to live a normal life.”

Rabbi Geldzahler told Vinnie that he was on the way to his Yeshiva, and he is going to speak to the boys how he met this fantastic guy who overcame his given challenges and if he can do it, they can do it too! Vinnie told Mrs. Geldzahler, “That day, your father was the first person to ever make me feel tall!”

We have tremendous power with our words. Rabbi Geldzahler not only made him feel good about himself, but he also made him feel big - as a teacher and role model for everyone.

I had a similar situation recently in Home Depot. An attendant there was quick to help people and I observed how he went from one person to the next with zeal and helped them. I told him that he has much potential and talent to make it a great life. He was very taken. After he helped me out, he told me that he will never forget what I said.

I must say that I knew how great I would feel with saying such encouraging words. It’s a feeling of humble power that is real, much better than exterior power. However, I didn’t bluff. I sincerely meant what I told him, but I can’t say that I was altruistic about it. I knew that it would make me feel very good.

In truth, I actually believe that that’s the way to do it. The good feeling that the giver of encouraging words feels is what the Creator wants we should feel in life. We can use words to profoundly change people’s lives and have a blast of enjoyment while doing it. It really is an unbelievable pleasure – much more than most physical pleasures.

It needs thought so that the words are sincere. It’s a really worthwhile hunt – to be on the lookout of seeing good in others and telling them about it. There are constantly opportunities between family, neighbors, friends, and people who we encounter.

The verse “Death and Life is on the hands of the tongue” also means that with our tongue we can feel bare and grouchy or alive and full of enjoyment.