They called him “Yossele the Miser”. A man who never seemed to give, who shut his door to the poor and turned away every cause. When he passed, almost no one came to his funeral. Why honor someone so cold? But in the days that followed, the truth came to light. The baskets of food that had always appeared at widows’ homes, the coins left for orphans, the quiet sustenance that had held up an entire town - all of it stopped. And the people finally understood: Yossele had never been a miser at all. He was a tzaddik nistar, a hidden righteous soul, now revered as “Yossele the Holy Miser”, giving everything in secret.

The lessons we can learn from Yossele are many. His life teaches us that the greatest giving is done in silence, without recognition and without any expectation of being repaid. Hidden holiness can be far greater than what the world applauds. We are also reminded how careful we must be not to judge others. The very people we may dismiss could be the ones quietly holding up countless others. Greatness is not always loud, and holiness is not always visible, but Hashem sees our lights shining brightly.

Lyrics:
מתחת עץ בלילה קר, סיים את המסע
הלך לבד בלי אף אחד, ואיש כלל לא ידע
עשיר גדול אדם נסתר, קשה עם לב זהב
וכל מי שהיה צריך, עזר לו הקמצן

כולם אמרו שאין סיכוי, הלב שלו כמו אבן
הוא לא מרגיש כבר שום כאב, גם לא של עצמו
אך אף אחד כלל לא חלם, שזהו האדם
שרק נתן דאג, מכל הלב, הלב החם

ר' יוסל׳ה קמצן קדוש, ומה נאמר שלא נבוש
כמו אבא טוב דאגת לכולם
שערי צדקה פתוחים לך, תתפלל על עמך, יוסל׳ה

ויוסל׳ה יושב ומתענג מזיו שכינה
עם לב שמח ושלם, ובליבו תפילה
לו רק היה ניתן רשות, לרדת לעולם
לתת צדקה לעוד עני, אחחח… זה היה מושלם

אך זהו סוף כל האדם, ואי אפשר לחזור
לקחת קצת מוסר השכל, ולעשות רק טוב
לתת מכל הלב זה לקבל בחזרה
בלי לבקש לעצמך, כבוד או תהילה

Translation:
Beneath a tree on a cold night, he ended his journey.
He walked alone, with no one beside him, and no one knew.
A wealthy man, hidden from the world - tough, yet with a heart of gold.
To anyone in need, the “miser” always lent his hand.

They all said there was no chance, his heart was like stone.
He felt no pain anymore, not even his own.
But no one ever dreamed that this was the man
Who only gave, who only cared, with a warm, generous heart.

Reb Yossele, the Holy Miser, what can we say without shame?
Like a good father, you cared for everyone.
The gates of charity are wide open for you,
Pray for your people, Yossele…

And Yossele sits, delighting in the radiance of the Shechina,
With a heart joyful and whole, and a prayer within.
If only he were given permission to descend once more,
To give charity to another poor soul... oh, would it be perfect.

Yet this is the end of every person, and there is no return.
We can only take the lesson, and choose only good.
To give with all your heart is to truly receive,
Without asking for yourself honor, or fame.

Credits:
Performed by: Shulem Lemmer
Composed & Written by: Udi Damari
Arranged & Produced by: Udi Damari
Piano, Percussion & Programming: Udi Damari
Bass Guitar: Avi Yifrah
Acoustic & Electric Guitars: Noam Burg (Hargol)
Violins: Turkey Orchestra
Mixed & Mastered by: Udi Damari

Video Script Written, Directed & Edited by: Sari Kreizman
Executive Producer: Shimi Kreizman
Cinematography by: Yosef Shlast
Lighting by: Zusha Kaplan
Lighting Assistant: Levi Rotem
Art Director: Rivka Fertig
Makeup Artist: Noam Ben Moshe
Color Grading: David Orian

Cast:
Izu lebovich
Daniel Zaresky
Mandy Bar Sela
Benny Weiss

Special Thanks:
Abigail Gur

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+1 (845) 4SHULEM
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#YosseleTheHolyMiser #Shulem