The Traveling Chessed
By Leah Scher
Nava was out with her mother one day;
They were shopping for food for Shabbat.
As they were waiting to pay for their things,
In line a man Nava did spot.
He had a bushy gray beard and a frown underneath,
He looked troubled without a doubt,
It seemed he was short a few dollars to pay,
When inside Nava an idea did suddenly sprout.
She said to her mother, “This man is in need!
Why not lend him some money of our own?”
“What a wonderful idea,” her mother responded.
And the man’s scowl into a smile had grown.
Gilad was the man with the bushy gray beard,
And a great big smile he now wore.
“I can now bring home shabbat food for my family,”
He thought as he was leaving the store.
On his way out, Gilad did see
A mother that looked in over her head -
She had so many bags and 4 crying children,
So he decided the chessed he should spread.
He went over and asked, “May I help with your stuff?”
The woman then smiled and said,
“You don’t understand how helpful this is!”
As they loaded her car with her meat and her bread.
Sarah was the woman whom Gilad had helped,
And she drove home so grateful and relieved,
Because now Sarah could enter shabbat in peace,
Thankful for the help she had received.
On her drive home she passed a little boy,
Who was sitting on a bench in the park.
He was alone and scared, with no one around,
While outside it would soon be getting dark.
She stopped the car to go help the boy,
She asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Sammy,” he replied, “And I can’t find my mother.
I’m really so happy you came.”
Sarah searched through the park with Sammy at her side,
Paying forward the chessed with each step she took.
When they found his mother, she was so joyous and grateful,
She thanked Sarah and left with a happy look.
Finally assured that Sammy was safe,
And that everything works out in the end,
Sammy’s mother then suggested to him,
“Why don’t you go play with a friend?”
On the park swings he found a girl his age;
She sat alone with a face so sad,
But remembering the kindness Sarah had done for him,
Sammy walked over to make her glad.
He took the swing beside her and started to talk,
He said, “I’m Sammy, would you like to play?”
She smiled and answered, “I’m Raizel, and I’d love to!”
Sammy had just made her day.
They talked and they played with each other with joy,
Till it came time for Sammy to leave.
They said their goodbyes and went separate ways,
Both so happy, it was hard to believe.
When Raizel returned to her beautiful home,
Shabbat was in a few short hours.
Her mother was running all over getting ready -
Cooking food, making beds, arranging flowers.
Raizel took a seat in front of the TV
All ready to start watching her show,
When her mother asked, “Can you please go clean your room?”
She had to decide whether or not to go.
Raizel then remembered how Sammy had come
When she was on the swings all alone,
And she chose to pay forward the kindness he did,
By cleaning her room all on her own.
When Raizel was done, she had helped so much,
Now for Shabbat the whole house was clean.
The table was set, the candles were lit,
And her mother was as calm as could be.
We see how Nava’s one act of chessed
Reached fellow Jews she didn’t even know!
From Gilad to Sarah to Sammy to Raizel,
You see how far a single chessed can go.
Although we don’t each know every Jew in the world,
Through our Torah we are all connected.
A simple act can go farther than you think,
And through every chessed all of Am Yisrael is affected.
Just as we care about our family and close friends,
We should care about all our fellow Jews, too,
Because you can make a difference in the Jewish world,
Just believe you have the power in you.
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