Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

On Wednesday it was a poor widow, who had found a bagful of coal for her furnace
every Wednesday throughout the winter for the past fifteen years. But not this
Wednesday.
On Thursday it was the baker, who had found a purse
filled with coins and a list of people to whom he was to
deliver a Shabbat challah – every Thursday for twenty
years. But not this Thursday.
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And on Friday the shammes, the caretaker of the synagogue, reported that every Friday
for as long as he could remember there had been wine for Kiddush, candles for Shabbat,
and food for any poor person who might spend Shabbat in the synagogue. Those items
had just appeared by magic – but not this Friday.
By the time Shabbat arrived, the rabbi had figured it out. He stood during the Shabbat
prayers and announced that the entire community must accompany him to the cemetery at
the end of Shabbat to offer an apology to Reb Moishe the Miser, who had been quietly
caring for the sick, the hungry, the poor – for every needy person in town – for all these
years.
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As Shabbat ended, the entire town gathered at the grave of
Reb Moishe the Miser. The rabbi spoke about holiness. He
said, “As God is holy, we must try to be holy. How can we,
human beings, be just like God? Just as God comforted
Abraham, we can comfort the sick. Just as God fed Israel in
the desert, we must feed the hungry. Just as God buried his
friend Moshe, the holy prophet, we must bury our friend Reb Moishe the Holy Miser.”
That night the rabbi awoke to find his bedroom filled with light. Right there before him
was the shining likeness of Reb Moishe. The rabbi fell to his knees and pleaded, “Reb
Moishe, I beg you, forgive us. We did not know all that you had done!”
Reb Moishe smiled a sweet smile. It was the first time the rabbi had ever seen Reb
Moishe smile. “Of course you did not know,” he said. “I didn’t want you to know. I did
what I did in secret so no one would feel that they had to pay me back. All that I did
gave me so much joy. I need you to do one favor for me: Go to my home, and look under
my bed. There you will find a box filled with all my money. Use it to carry on my work
– for the poor families, the widows, the children, the synagogue. Use all the money to
bring happiness and light to this town.”
“Certainly, Reb Moishe,” the rabbi replied, “I will do as you ask.” And then the rabbi
grew bolder. “May I ask you a question, Reb Moishe?” And without waiting for a
response, he proceeded: “What is it like there, in the other world? What is heaven like?”
“What is heaven like? It’s paradise! God’s paradise. It’s almost perfect.”
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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