How to Give a Musar Schmooz- The Story and The Lesson: A Beginners Guide

by Rabbi David

Back in the day, the Maggid, the storyteller rabbi who found a way of serving the community without having to teach Torah, was the one giving the Shmoozes. Many times, the Maggid would travel from town to town. Which meant they would walk fifteen minutes to the town next door. That was travel back in the day, before we had cars. The Maggid would hold their attention then move into a story and a lesson. And they were able to do all of that without mentioning the Holocaust.
Now, you have to do the job of the Maggid. So, let us learn how to end your Shmooz correctly.

The Story Part
You’ve held the attention of the Talmedim. Now work in a story. If you're going for the talking method, tell a story. Always tell a story. The masters of the staring method can tell a story just by looking at their students. However, we're beginners. We can't telepathize a detailed parable.
Wagons are good. When you tell a story, tell it with a wagon and a rabbi. Every story should have a rabbi being pulled by horses. Wagons evoke thoughts of a time in early years. Most stories with wagons happened between the years 1682 and the early 1930s. Basically after the Prohibition, people were using cars. Turns out Prohibition prohibited alcohol and cars. I just realized that. Thought I would add a side note of education.
In the 1930s people started using cars, and stories of rabbis are much less meaningful. Nothing spiritual ever happened in a car. A car never took a Maggid from town to town. “And the rabbi drove his Toyota Carolla from town to town, to spread H’s message.” Nothing spiritual. He’s probably spreading stock tips.
And use "town" when telling your story. "The rabbi decided to take a wagon that day, instead of walking the fifteen. The rabbi got stuck and almost missed his chance to share the lesson with the people in that town. What were the people of Minsk to do." You see how meaningful that story is? A wagon and a rabbi. And then I added in "Minsk" for extra meaning. That story right there says everything. Town, Minsk, wagon. That's the message. And to make it more powerful, I added a question with no question mark. That’s an advanced Maggid skill. First focus on wagons in Minsk.
If you lose them in the middle of the story, you might want to employ the Holocaust attention holding technique. "The lesson with the people in that town. Holocaust. And the people of Minsk..." You have their attention again, and you can go on with your inspirational parable about the wagon. I don't suggest the Holocaust technique. I personally just yell at them. 

The Lesson
The lesson is very important. This is the end of the Shmooz. Though, people will not trust that it's the end till you finish. That's how you know it's a good Shmooz. If people think it will never end.
This is where you repeat the topic again. After you've repeated it the previous hour. And held their attention by repeating it more, telling a story and repeating it. People have short memory abilities nowadays. After the Shmooz, they're going to forget what you spoke about. So, save this Shmooz, as you will have to repeat it next week. 
You want to repeat the topic correctly. You want the people to know that there is hope. The story of the horse drawn wagon that got stuck on its way to the town of Minsk was brought to let people know they can do Teshuva. They can repent, like the rabbi whose wagon was saved "because he cried to H'."
You see how I added crying to H'. That is what you do at the lesson part of the Shmooz. You take the lesson to a different dimension of Gd and wagons.
How do you connect Teshuva to the story of the wagon? I have no idea. As a Maggid giving the Shmooz, it's your job to be creative.
The connection of Teshuva, H' and the wagon is not important. What's important is that the students listening feel bad about themselves.

"Perseverance" is always a good message. You can end with that. "If you put yourself in very bad situations by not using a car and using a horse for transportation, you can make it." That's the meaningful message of Teshuva.
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And no matter the lesson, end with Mashiach. They should feel guilty and thinking about Mashiach.
Say something like "speedily in these days." Great ender. Say it in Hebrew, people are cheering. Brilliant. Ended on a high. You gave an amazing Shmooz about not speaking Lashon Hara when traveling to a town in a wagon. End that with, "Lashon Hara speedily in our days," it's gold. The message is received.
You throw in a "speedily in our days" with a "support Israel in wagons," you can tour with that Shmooz. You're the Maggid.
And people feel like redemption is on its way, and they did not help with it. That is how you end your Shmooz.

Next time, we will speak of how to ask for an appeal correctly, and techniques for flipping the numbers on the cards.