All We Take With Us
Here comes a tale of what happened to us, When we left Eretz Yisroel. We sent back a lift with all of our stuff. Big deal. That's a story to tell? Well, the part that is worth telling Is we'd lived there for over ten years, Becoming observant, redirecting our lives, We returned here with many fears. How could we manage to keep our values straight? Would Torah and Jewish learning start slipping behind? And then our lift came. We opened it up. What we were looking for—we did find. Nearly all our possessions, all of our things, Had been stolen from us. All our stuff. The uninsured crates had been broken into. "Leaving Home wasn't enough!?!" We realized later, we'd needed this patsh, Given with complete love, though we'd cried, The message it brought didn't hit right away. Only after the pain could subside. You see there was just one box left untouched, One crate in which no thieves had pried. Can you guess what was in that one heavy box? All our Torah books were packed inside. That one box was all that remained. The symbolism was not lost. This experience left an indelible mark, At comparatively little cost. That's really all we can take with us. In the other boxes we'll find ... nil. Just the Torah box goes from one world to the next. So which need we work hardest to fill? How could we ever manage to keep our values straight? What would save us from slipping back yet? The invaluable lift we were hoping for came. What we need is precisely what we get. Bracha Goetz is the author of 41 Jewish children’s books and a candid memoir for adults about her journey in Judaism. Her books can be found at www.goetzbookshop.com.
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