© 2003 Rabbi David Botton – All Rights Reserved
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Every morning Shimi the worm would come to the window of his
apple home and look out to see the sunrise. He would hope that today would be
different, that today his wish would come true. That he would be able to do
something special for Hashem.
True, every day Shimi said his Perek Shira
like everything else on earth, but he wanted to do more.
Shimi would pray, “Hashem, I know I am not a Jew, I am just
a lowly Tereif worm, but I want to have Mesirat Nefesh
like every Jew should for your Torah
and Mitzvot!”
So Shimi would pray every day, until the rumbling of massive
machines interrupted one beautiful morning and his life, as he knew it, was
over.
Shimi felt his entire world spinning around him as
everything plunged in to darkness.
“Hashem,” Shimi screamed, “is this my end, will I be lost
for ever in this pit of darkness never to see your sunrise and sing your
praises again.”
Shimi began to lose hope as now added to the darkness and
spinning was a deep cold.
Shimi was upset and angry, “How could Hashem do this to me,
how could he forget about me and leave me here like this. Not only was I a good
worm, I wanted to do even more!”
Shimi cried and cried tears running down his slimy cheeks as
his depression grew.
After many tears were shed, Shimi suddenly came to a
thought. “I am a creation of Hashem! Everything He does, He does for my good. I
may desire to do more, but Hashem knows what is best for me and who am I but a
worm that I should think I even deserve more.”
Shimi began to scream, “Hashem, forgive me! It was only my
lack of Emunah in You that
lead me away in to depression. If my being here in the dark and cold serves
your divine plans than I accept with all my heart.”
Shimi smiled and thanked Hashem for being able to say his
Perek Shira and pleaded as always to have the opportunity to do more for
Hashem, but this time he added, “Hashem, I will always be happy with whatever
opportunity You give me, but I will never stop to desire to be forever in your
service with my entire being.”
Days passed in the dark and cold, but Shimi now had hope and
trusted in Hashem and was happy. Then light broke through the window of Shimi’s
home. A few seconds went by and his little eyes adjusted. There in the distance
he could see a sign, “Chaimi’s Grocery”.
“What could this all mean,” Shimi thought, “I don’t know,
but whatever it is good or bad in my eyes, I know that it is the Ratzon Hashem.”
Shimi’s next moments were as bad as the first that landed
him in to the cold and dark, he could feel his home spinning and moving from
place to place. Shimi never gave up hope though.
The next morning after his new ordeal, Shimi woke up and
from the window of his apple home he could see many apples everywhere he
looked, and people, lots and lots of people. Shimi saw the most amazing site of
his life, real Jews. He was so happy, he could see little boys with kipas
on their heads, men with beards and peyot
and women with their hair covered
so beautifully.
Shimi couldn’t hold himself back and shouted, “Wow! Thank
you Hashem, if only for this day to see real Jews, I would suffer my entire
life in the darkness.”
Shimi then heard a child whining to his mother over and over
again, “I want to pick my own apple, I want to pick my own apple, I want to
pick my own apple…”
The next thing he knew, Shimi was again spinning around his
home as he felt his apple being thrown in to the shopping basket of the whining
boy’s mother.
Shimi was really excited now. He knew that he was going to a
Jewish Home!
A few hours later Shimi’s latest spin came to an end. He
inched over to his window and saw the boy’s mother cooking all kinds of
wonderful foods. Then he heard the words, “apples dipped in honey for Rosh
Hashanah” being song
by the young boy.
Shimi was shaken, this meant that his home was destined for
the holy Yom Tov table. For
a second he thought about his home’s destruction, how he had carved out every
nook and cranny with his own mouth, how he assembled his furniture from apple
chunks and even created a master replica of a true mezuzah
to put on his door. Then, Shimi realized, this was a gift from Hashem, his home
would be destroyed, but it would be for a holy purpose. More importantly than
that, Shimi realized that here was the holy mission he had prayed for, the
opportunity to have Messirat Nefesh. If he stayed in his apple home and a Jew
would eat him, the Jew would be in violation of the Torah.
Shimi immediately grabbed some apple bits and was out the
door. He didn’t know how he would survive with out his home. “No food, no
comforts of home,” Shimi thought to himself, “nothing matters, I am in the
service of the King of Kings”
So it was that Shimi found himself inching across the cold
kitchen counter pondering his fate when the young boy spotted him. The next
thing Shimmi knew he was in the palm of the boy’s hand. Less than a second
later that boy ran up to his room and was staring in to the eyes of Shimi and
he said, “Will you be my friend? Look here, I am going to build you a mansion
to live in with my block set!”
Shimi cried tears of joy, “Wow! A real Jewish boy wants to
be my friend!”
The boy then placed Shimi in to his magnificent new home.
The boy then said, “I’ll be back for you later!” and the boy quickly left.
Shimi couldn’t believe it, “Wow! I’m saved and what a
wonderful new home. Wow! I Thank You Hashem for everything this was more than I
could ever have dreamed of, a true Gan Eden.”
Shimi didn’t even complete his praise to the almighty when
in came the young boy again. He took Shimi and placed him in his shirt pocket.
Shimi loved the warmth and excitement that he felt from head to tail. He was
glowing with the idea that he was going to experience Rosh Hashanah in a Jewish
home.
The young boy took his place next to the holy Yom Tov table.
Shimi could see everything from his special seat. He heard the boy’s father say
Kiddush
on a glass of wine and then every one did Nitilat Yadaim
and the father said HaMotzi.
Then the special moment every child was waiting for on Rosh Hashanah night, the
father asked each person to take the piece of apple on his plate and dip it in
honey.
Shimi saw on the plate his home and he smiled, “Wow! There
is nothing more in the world that I could ever want more than this. Thank You
Hashem for letting me give up everything for You!”
Everyone at the table then recited the blessing over the
apple, “Borei Peri HaEtz”. The young boy then gave a small piece of the apple
to Shimi and Shimi began to cry uncontrollable tears of joy, “Wow! A piece of
apple with a blessing from a real Jew!”
Shimi was truly living heaven on earth.