Bagels from Benny

Reviewed: December 17, 2008
By: Story by Aubrey Davis / Illustrations by Dusan Petricic
Publisher: Kids Can Press
32 pages, $6.95

Benny loved to help his grandfather, who was a respected baker of bagels, but a humble man, who didn’t like to take any credit for his skill. When Benny asked him about that, Grandpa explained that the flour and the wheat that made the bagels came from the earth, and since God made the earth, the thanks belonged to Him.

Benny pondered this all that day and night and woke up with a plan to thank God for the bagels. He would take some to the synagogue and leave them in the most sacred place he could think of. He did this for several weeks and the bagels always disappeared, so he figured he was on the right track.

But then Grandpa got curious, followed him, found out what he was doing and explained why it really couldn’t be working the way Benny thought. So that left the mystery of what was happening to the bagels, and when they found out, Benny was devastated.

However, Grandpa explained to him why it was the best of all possible outcomes and Benny was happy.

No, I am not going to explain to you why it was the best outcome. While this is a very Jewish story, go read Matthew 25 verse 40 and you’ll get the point.

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