Yitzy was shocked. Why on earth would Mr. Greenbaum ask him such a silly question? Was this a joke?
“A s you now know,” began Mr. Greenbaum, “when I was younger, I spent some long, hard, years in Siberia.” He turned to Yitzy. “Do you remember what I told you about Siberia on the very first Shabbos that I came to your house?”
Yitzy’s mind jumped back to that Shabbos. “You told us that no matter how hard it was, you and your friends made sure to daven and learn together every day.”
Mr. Greenbaum smiled. “Yes, Yitzy,” he said. “Do you know why I told you that story?” He answered his own question. “You told me how hard it was for you to learn in class, Yitzy, so I told you how hard it was for me to learn in Siberia. I was hoping you would be inspired. I was hoping that my story would get you to try a little harder.”
Mr. Greenbaum paused to let his words sink in. “Unfortunately,” he continued, “I saw that my story didn’t help. You didn’t believe it was possible for Yitzy Levinson to learn and succeed.”
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