“Hey Dudi!” said El’e as he got off the bus and saw his friend walking down the block towards him.
“El’e!” Dudi said, running over to catch up. “I brought my new drumsticks!”
“Wow!” El’e said as they entered the courtyard of Talmud Torah Nitei Chaim. “The ones that light up when you play? Can I see them?”
Just then the schoolbell rang, and the two boys trudged off to their classroom.
Rebbe Holtzer rushed into the classroom and quickly got everything ready before the second bell rang and class started.
“Who wants to be the chazan?” he asked brightly.
The boys all looked tired. Yanky raised his hand feebly.
“Alright, Yanky!” Rebbe Holtzer said, full of energy as Yanky trudged to the front of the classroom with his siddur, looking like he could use a strong cup of decaf coffee.
Yanky and the rest of the class mumbled their way through Shacharis. Rebbe Holtzer frowned, but didn’t say anything.
“Okay boys!” Rebbe Holtzer said. “Who remembers how we explained the last mishnah that we learned yesterday?”
Nobody raised their hands. Perek Gimmel Mishnah Tes of Taanis was a really long mishnah, and they learned it right before the recess bell when nobody was really paying attention anymore.
Rebbe Holtzer tried his best to teach and entertain the class. He even told them a story about the time he accidentally took the wrong bus and almost ended in an Arab village, but nothing seemed to interest the boys today.
The recess bell rang, and suddenly, like magic, a transformation took over the class. The boys shot out of their seats and raced to the door. Rebbe Holtzer watched, amazed at the speed with which the boys escaped the classroom and sped down the hallway towards the courtyard.
“Dudi!” said El’e excitedly. “So let’s see those drumsticks!”
Dudi quickly opened his schoolbag and pulled out his small drum pad and two shiny black drumsticks.
“Wow...” breathed El’e, bouncing up and down on his feet.
Dudi tapped the drumsticks on the drum pad. Nothing happened except the normal tapping sound.
“They’re broken!” gasped El’e.
“No, it’s just too sunny out here. Let’s go into the lobby.”
Dudi and El’e took off at breakneck speed towards the lobby of the school building. They crouched in a corner where it wasn’t too bright, and Dudi started tapping the pad. The black drumsticks lit up in different colors each time.
“Whoa that’s amazing!” gushed El’e. “Can I try?”
“Sure!” Dudi said.
El’e took the drumsticks and started banging on the pad with gusto. The lights on the sticks looked like blurred wavy lines of color as he drummed.
“This is so cool! I need to ask my father to buy me these! These are the best...” Ele’s voice trailed off as the bell rang to signal the end of recess.
All of the recess energy disappeared instantly and the 4th grade boys shuffled slowly towards the classroom. Rebbe Holtzer watched with curious amusement at the sudden quiet atmosphere.
“Boys,” Rebbe Holtzer said after everyone slowly slid into their seats just as the second bell rang. “Did you ever think about why, in this week’s parsha, Avraham Avinu ran to the cows to shecht the meat for the malachim?”
“Because he wanted to do hachnosas orchim,” said Binyomin.
“Okay, very good, but he had many many servants and other people whom he could have sent. Avraham Avinu was a very rich man. Do you know how messy it is when you shecht a cow? Avraham could have had a servant shecht and cook and then he could still serve the prepared meal to the guests.
“But Avraham really wanted to do the mitzvah. And when you really want something, you do it yourself and you RUN to do it!
“Now I saw some fantastic running from all of you on the way to recess. Why, El’e, I’m pretty sure your feet didn’t touch the ground once from the time you left your seat until you were out the door. You boys must have really wanted to enjoy recess.”
“Now there’s nothing wrong with that,” Rebbe Holtzer added quickly with a smile. “You need to get out your energy and enjoy yourselves. That’s why we have recess. But don’t you boys also want to learn Torah? I understand that at nine years old you might not enjoy mishnayos as much as LED drum sticks, but come on, boys. The way you walked back to class looked like a herd of cows headed for shchitah!
“So maybe, just maybe, next time we can see a bit more enthusiasm when you come back to learn? I know you boys like to learn. Now let’s see you show that you really want it.”
Have a Wonderful Shabbos!
Let’s Review:
- Why did Avraham run to the cows?
- Why didn’t Avraham have his servants do the shechting?
