In a quaint village nestled among rolling hills, there lived a humble and devout shoemaker named Yitzchak. Though his knowledge of Torah was limited, his heart was filled with sincere faith and boundless love for the Almighty. One Shabbat morning, as he sat in the back of the synagogue, Yitzchak listened intently to the rabbi’s sermon about the mitzvah of the Showbread (Lechem Hapanim). The rabbi explained how the Showbread was placed on the golden table in the Holy Temple each week.

Yitzchak’s eyes sparkled with excitement, for he believed that the Showbread was prepared for G-d’s consumption, just as a person would eat. With this newfound understanding, Yitzchak hurried home to share the inspiring news with his beloved wife, Rivka.

With great enthusiasm and joy, Yitzchak and Rivka decided to take part in this sacred mitzvah. Every Friday afternoon, they would carefully knead and bake two loaves of bread, their home filled with the delightful aroma of fresh challah. Dressed in their finest Shabbat clothes, they reverently placed the loaves in the synagogue’s ark, believing that they were offering a special meal for the Almighty.

The next morning, when they returned to the synagogue and found the loaves missing, Yitzchak and Rivka were overcome with joy. They imagined that G-d Himself had partaken of their humble offering. This ritual became a cherished tradition for the couple, filling their hearts with immense happiness and a deep sense of connection to the Divine. Every Saturday morning, they’d rush to the ark, and upon finding the bread gone, they’d rejoice, convinced their offering had been accepted.

Unbeknownst to them, the synagogue caretaker, Reuven, had been taking the bread each Shabbat morning for his own meal. One day, the rabbi discovered what had been happening and was furious. One Friday, the rabbi hid behind the ark’s curtain, curious to see who left the bread. He watched as Yaakov and his wife, faces glowing with devotion, gently placed the loaves inside. He scolded Yitzchak and Rivka for their misunderstanding and put an end to their practice.

Heartbroken and confused, Yitzchak and Rivka stopped baking the bread, their joy replaced with sorrow. However, the rabbi’s harsh reaction did not go unnoticed in the heavens. That year, the rabbi passed away, and it was revealed to him that his actions had extinguished a pure and innocent flame of devotion.

The story of Yitzchak and Rivka’s Showbread offering spread far and wide. It was said that since the days of the First Temple and the time of Moses in the Mishkan, there had not been such joy before G-d from the Showbread as there was from the act of this simple couple. Their pure hearts and joyous intentions brought unparalleled pleasure and goodwill to the Creator, as if they had presented bread to a king.