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| Original Image: http://unrealitymag.com/ |
This story was inspired by the Feldheim publication of a Middos book called the Gaavatanic. It focuses on how people wanted to board this ship called the Gaavtanic to prove how much money they had. And because the ship was overburdened with bad middos, it came down eventually.
I thought that an essential part of the story was omitted, so here is my insert.
Upon the higher deck of the Gaavatanic the Shwartzenberger family was travelling. They were famous for their kind acts of charity although rumor had it that they only gave great amounts of gelt to Tzdakkah because their daughter Raizel was in shidduchim and they wanted to marry her off to the greatest bochur out there.
After many years of searching and screening, Raizel got engaged to Calman. And the entire family was traveling upon the Gaavatanic to Glitterland to celebrate the festivities in the most beautiful hall the world has ever seen.
Raizel’s parents hired the best tailors in town to sew a magnificent gown for the bride. The sleeves were embroidered with shiny beads and the lace trail of the dress could stretch half way to the moon. Raizel had a tiara made of crystal. She was the most special bride in town, and her Choson, Calman was going to be the next Gvir in town. If there is such a thing as the Shidduch of the century, Calman and Raizel were it.
Raizel went along with the crowd and didn’t give much thought to the fact that Calman was not the sweetest person out there. She only met him twice. Once at the Beshow and once when she was in the market. Raizel was so excited to see Calman, she dropped her baskets with groceries and ran towards him. Calman ignored her and walked away from her as if Raizel never existed in the first place. That night when she came home, her parents admonished her for almost running her future by being so immodest in the streets of town. What will the neighbors say? We cannot ruin our reputation.
At the same time, in another corner of the shtetl, was a poor boy named Yankel Veiselmanovitch. Yankel did not have much money, a famous family, but he did have tremendous brains and when he left Cheder, he went to Yeshiva. He wanted to devote his life to Torah. At the age of twenty his expertise in the law was evident to all. And when the request from Glitterland came for a rabbi to lead the only community there, the Rabbis unanimously agreed to send Yankel as their representative.
