A rainbow over Mt. Zion, in Jerusalem
Happy New Year - G-d bless you
A Great Story .....
Meyer, a lonely widower, was walking home along Delancy Street one day wishing something wonderful would happen in his life, when he passed a pet store and heard a squawking voice shouting out in Yiddish, "Quawwwwk...vus machts du?" (How're ya doin')
"Yeah, du." (Yeah, you.)
Meyer rubbed his eyes and ears. Couldn't believe it. Perfect Yiddish.
The proprietor urged him, "Come in here, fella, and check out this parrot..."
Meyer did. An African Grey cocked his little head and said: "Vus? Kenstsprechen Yiddish?" (What? Can you speak Yiddish?)
In a matter of moments, Meyer had placed five
hundred dollars on the counter
and carried the parrot in his cage away with him. All
night he talked with the
parrot. In Yiddish. He told the parrot about his father's adventures
coming to America. About how beautiful his late wife, Sarah, was when she was a young bride. About his family. About his years
of working in the garment
district. About Florida.
The parrot listened and
commented.
They shared some walnuts.
The parrot
told him of living in the pet store, how lonely he would get on the weekends. They both went to sleep.
Next morning, Meyer
began to put on his Tfillin, all the while saying his prayers. The parrot demanded to know what he was doing
and when Meyer explained, the
parrot wanted to do the same. Meyer went out and had a miniature set of tfillin hand made for the
parrot.
The parrot wanted
to learn to daven, and learned every prayer. He even wanted to learn to read Hebrew.
So Meyer spent weeks and months,
sitting and teaching the parrot, teaching him Torah. In time, Meyer came to love and count on
the parrot as a friend and
fellow Jew.
One morning,
on Rosh Hashanah, Meyer rose and got dressed and was about to leave when the parrot demanded to go with him. Meyer explained that Shul was not a place for a bird, but the parrot made a terrific
argument, so Meyer relented and carried the bird to Shul on his shoulder.
Needless to say, they made quite a spectacle, and
Meyer was questioned by everyone, including the Rabbi and the Cantor. They
refused to allow a bird into
the building on the High Holy Days, but Meyer persuaded them to let
him in this one time, swearing
that parrot could daven.
Wagers were made with Meyer.
Thousands of dollars were bet that
the parrot could NOT daven, could not speak Yiddish or Hebrew, etc.
All eyes were on the African Grey during services.
The parrot perched on Meyer's
shoulder as one prayer and song passed - Meyer heard not a peep from
the bird. He began to become annoyed,
slapping at his shoulder and mumbling under his breath, "Daven!" Nothing.
"Daven...parrot, you can daven, so daven...come
on, everyone is looking at you!"
Nothing. After Rosh Hashanah services were concluded, Meyer found that he owed his Shul
buddies and the Rabbi over four thousand dollars.
He marched home, so upset he said nothing to the
parrot.
Finally several
blocks from the Temple the Parrot began to sing an
old Yiddish song, as happy as
a lark.
Meyer stopped and
looked at him.
"Why? After I had tfillin made for you and taught you the morning prayers, and taught you to read Hebrew and the Torah. And after you beggedme to bring you to Shul on Rosh Hashana, why? WHY?!? Why did you do this tome?"
Meyer, don't be a schmuck," the parrot replied. "Think of the odds we'll get on Yom Kippur!"
Hat tip: Wolfman, Happy New Year Ed!
UPDATE: Want more laughs........Iowahawk has the most hysterical post up............read it and weep (with laughter)
