With the general dimensions of a regular envelope, stuffed
with goodness, the juice of good cheer, of chessed, of
joie-de-vivre-in-Eretz Yisroel, this book is like its
subtitle -- "Life in Israel - It's More Than You Bargained
For." It packs a lot!
Perhaps it is the very diminutive size that makes this book
so dear. Every single page reinforces your love for your
fellow Jew, for Hashem, for this extraordinary land where you
never question that Hashem `has His eyes upon it' from the
beginning of one year to the next.
The characters in this book are you and me and the bus
driver. No kidding. You may find people you recognize from
Har Nof, or the grass roots folk whom you recognize by
general genre, if not by face, then by heart -- the
amcha of a beautiful Am Yisroel.
All this is seen through the eyes of a gifted writer [who has
appeared numerous times on our FAMILY pages and] who, in her
acknowledgements, thanks her father for having "created
within me the sensitivity and inner joy which enabled me to
see and appreciate the wondrous beauty that abounds here both
in the People and in the Land of Israel."
So now we can dig in and sample.
"Now, That's Service"
It's all a matter of keeping your eyes open.
After twenty-five years of living in Israel, the unbelievable
stories that are constantly taking place here still never
cease to amaze me.
I guess that's part of the miracle of the Jews' return to our
Land... the unreal becoming natural.
One such unnatural, natural story happened last week...
My friend Faigy E. travels to work each day by bus: it's
about a forty-five minute ride from her home. During rush
hour, the bus is always stuffed with people in a hurry -- and
the traffic on the streets is awesome.
Yesterday morning, a very, very old man wobbled up to
the bus. The harried bus driver waited patiently for him to
climb up the steps one by one, and the first seat was quickly
vacated so that the old man could sit down.
When he was settled, the bus driver quickly closed the doors,
and zoomed away.
Faigy was sitting close by, and overheard the very old man
explain to the bus driver that he had to go to the local
clinic for some tests. He asked the bus driver to tell him
where to get off in order to get to the clinic.
Now, this clinic is not located on the main street where the
bus line runs. In fact, it is two blocks off to the right of
the main street.
Faigy was wondering how long it would take the poor old man
to walk those two long blocks, when the driver stopped at a
red light.
Turning around in his seat to face all the passengers on his
crowded bus, he called out, "Does anyone have an objection if
I drive this man to the clinic?"
No one objected.
And so the entire Egged bus, stuffed full of passengers all
rushing to get to their jobs on time, left the regular bus
route. and, two blocks later, the doors opened to let out the
little old man -- at the clinic entrance.
What a country!
*
Why did I chose this story? Only because it was the first.
All the others are equally entertaining, heartwarming, full
of as much good cheer and ahavas Yisroel as this, if
not more.
A really delicious flavor, like the lollypop the driver
finagled from a juvenile passenger. When she brought him one
the following day, he popped it right into his mouth. Where
in the world do you see bus drivers with lollypops? Or like
the mouthwatering flavor of freshly baked Angel Bakery
rogelach filling a Friday afternoon bus. Nu, so what
happened? I've tempted you? Read about it yourself!
Have a friend who's having a hard time getting acclimatized
here? Tourist relatives coming to visit? A homesick girl new
in sem.? Pass this irrestible book on to them.
Not your own copy, of course...
