“I can’t believe I just did that!
How could I have done something so humiliating, like destroying his Bar Mitzvah?!”
I thought.
Whoops!
I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start with an introduction. My name is
Chaim Dov Bloch. I’m in the 9th grade of Yeshivas Mordechai
Ha-Tzaddik in Chicago , Illinois
I thought it was going to be a great day, when I awoke on
that tragic day of March 23rd, 2006. But I was wrong! I was very
wrong! From that day, my life started going downhill.
It all started when I woke up at 7:15 a.m. and groggily
reached for my watch. Now let me tell you something about this watch of mine.
It was a solid gold watch, given to me by my great-grandmother ע"ו on my Bar Mitzvah. Only one month later,
she passed away. All of a sudden, I sat straight up, wide awake. It was gone!
My beautiful watch was gone! I turned the room inside-out an outside-in, but it
was in vain. My watch was nowhere to be found.
I-I-I was just devastated. I-I couldn’t believe it. Only a
few days after Purim, the happiest time of the year, I lost my most precious
possession. I was so careful with it and like that *snap*, it was
gone. I felt like crying. I was so upset that I felt sick all over. I dreaded
telling my parents, who knows what they’ll do to me?
I
went to school that day and asked everyone I could, if they saw my watch. They
all said no. all of a sudden, I remembered that Yaakov Levin was playing with
it yesterday, and even said that he wished he had a watch like mine. I
immediately confronted Yaakov and demanded that he returns my watch to me. He
said he has no idea what I’m talking about, he never took it. I screamed that
he’s a liar. He answered back that I’m a *beep*. At the end of the
day, I didn’t have my watch back in my hands.
I
went home so furious that I was sure I could melt an ice cube by just glancing
at it. I had to get Yaakov back. But how? How to do it? It had to be the
sweetest, most cunning revenge yet, I thought to myself while drifting off to
sleep.
Shortly
after Pesach, I got an invitation in the mail. Do you know whose it was? That’s
right; it was an invitation to Yaakov Levin’s Bar Mitzvah! Now I had the
greatest, most foolproof revenge ever in history. I will DESTROY his Bar
Mitzvah! But how?
The
next day in school, everyone was talking about Yaakov’s party. Now Yaakov
Levin’s parents were, well, pretty rich. There was even a rumor that the party
was going to be like, if not better than, a wedding! Everyone was asking each
other if they were going. Then it clicked! I knew how to destroy Yaakov’s Bar
Mitzvah! I had a plan! Boy, did I have a plan! He-He-He!!!
All of a sudden, Shlomo came up to me and asked, “Hey
Chaim, you ganna go? I heard they’re having a full-fledge band!”
Then Moishy added, “Yah, I heard they’re having an amazing
dessert!”
And on, and on. Do you know what I did? I just gave them
all a glare, a menacing glare. It was clear to them all that it meant
explicitly this: ‘Whoever goes to the Bar Mitzvah will be rejected from the
class, and humiliated like never before’. They were scared. They knew that
everyone listens to me, and whatever I say is, well, law. Yet they wanted to go
so badly. But they were stuck.
The day of the Bar
Mitzvah arrives. As Shuir was ending, Yaakov reminded everyone about that
night. “Remember, tonight’s my Bar Mitzvah Party at Maachon La-Torah at 6:30
p.m.”. “We’ll be there Yaakov!” we all chorused. But in our hearts we knew not.
At 12:15 Yaakov left for his shul, Maachon La-Torah, to
help set up. If you would’ve walked in right then, you’d have gone nuts! His
cousins were setting the tables; his aunts were getting the VCR ready for a
production. And his mother?! Oh! I’d rather not say! She was hustling all over,
calling the caterers and the bakers, making sure that the popcorn and slurpee
machines were intact. The band was tuning their instruments to perfection. The Bar
Mitzvah Bochur was studying his Maamer in Hebrew, Yiddish and English, as he’s
going to be saying it in all three languages, so anyone who comes can
understand. The caterers were trying to rearrange the foods the proper way.
And-and-and-and it was just a full-fledge zoo!
Comes 6:15 and some guests start to show up, yet no one
from his class. He was, well not scared, but more like anxious, for normally
classmates start to show up fifteen or twenty minutes early. But, he thought to
himself, maybe they don’t have a ride or something. Comes 6:30, lots of great
rabbis start to show up and respected people in the community, yet no one from
his class. We-e-ll, maybe they’ll come a bit late, it’s not like them, but
maybe.
At 7:15 the Rav said a beautiful Dvar Torah on the Parsha
that Yaakov read so fluently the day before. Then Yaakov, himself, said a Dvar
Torah on the Haftorah. It was now 8:30. Yaakov said the Maamer by heart
perfectly in all three languages. Still no one from the class showed up.
Yaakov was heart-broken. Outside, he didn’t show it, but he
was so hurt that not a soul from his class showed up. He knew that this was no
coincidence. But why did this happen, he did not understand.
The next day in school, Yaakov walks in downcast. He went
over to Shlomo and asked him, “What happened last night? How come you didn’t
come?” To this Shlomo answered, “I had an appointment which I couldn’t miss,
I’m sorry.” Everyone had a different excuse: no ride, had to baby-sit, help
their family, etc… etc…
Then he comes to me. He said, “Chaim? We’re good friends. I
was certain you’d be there!” Do you know what I did? I, in a nasty way, pulled
up my sleeve, looked at my empty wrist and said meanly, “I didn’t have my
watch; I couldn’t keep track of the time. It’s not my fault.” And I turned on
my heels and left.
Now Yaakov knew. He understood it was all my doing. All
because I thought he took my watch. Yaakov ran home, crying bitterly.
Chanukah passes and Purim is fast approaching. I decided to
use my same costume as last year, Captain Scarface (the best pirate), only
better. I went to my storage and found the Purim box. I opened it up, in the
light, and I saw something glittering.
I quickly dug through the box, and there I saw it. It was
my watch! I couldn’t believe it! For the past year, I thought Yaakov stole it,
and here, I just found it with the Purim box! Oy vey! What have I done?!?!
The next day I found Yaakov, and in tears, I burst out to
him, “I’m so sorry, I thought you stole my watch and I just remembered that I
put it with my costume so it won’t get stolen by someone who’s drunk.” And I’m crying and crying and crying. “Please
will you forgive me for ruining your Bar Mitzvah, please?”
“Look”,
said Yaakov. “I can’t forgive you so easily, I can’t.”
“Please,
please forgive me!” I begged.
“No,
I can’t. I’m sorry.” he replied.
I
had to do something, I had to. But what? Then I knew. I destroyed his party, so
I must make a new one, a better one, for his 14th birthday.
The
next day, I called together all the kids in the class and asked them to help
put together a party for Yaakov’s birthday. They agreed. So for the next month,
I was planning, ordering and shopping etc...
The
day of the party arrives. I rush to Maachon La-Torah after school. My friends
and I start setting up. Menachem is getting his piano ready. The mothers are
helping with the food. I then get the VCR in position for a clip I put together
about Yaakov. We worked for hours.
At
6:15 I call Yaakov’s house and ask him to please come to Maachon La-Torah right
away. He said he’ll be there.
Yaakov
came and we surprised him with a great party. At 8:15 I got up onto the podium
and addressed the crowd.
“First
of all, I’d like to wish Yaakov a happy birthday and many more. Now, um… I-I’d
like to publicly ask forgiveness of Yaakov. For the past year, I thought he
stole my grand watch. Not only that, but I destroyed his Bar Mitzvah, as well.
Yaakov, will you please forgive me, for what I’ve done? Can you find it in your
heart to forgive?”
Yaakov
just said, with tears in his eyes, one word: “YES”.
