Learn the words in Hebrew to figure out the joke below:

Tied – קָשׁוּר

String – חוּט

Around – סָבִיב

Your finger – אֶצְבָּעֲךָ

She tied – קָשְׁרָה

In order to – בִּכְדֵי

I will remember – אֶזְכֹּר

To send for her – לִשְׁלֹחַ עֲבוּרָהּ

Letter – מִכְתָּב

She forgot – שָׁכְחָה

To give – לָתֵת

Solution:

Jack asked his friend why a string is tied to his finger. His friend responded that his mom tied it to remind him to send a letter for her. Jack asked his friend if he remembered to send the letter. The friend said that his mother forgot to give him the letter.

Teacher’s Corner:

One of my students forgot his books in his locker more often than he remembered to bring them home, and wasn’t able to complete homework assignments. As a reminder, I asked him to take his books home even on days that he doesn’t have homework.

My student complained, “Why should I bring home my books every day? I don’t forget anything else, so it must be that I don’t like homework—so just don’t give me any homework.”

So I shared with him that over-correcting for a behavior builds muscle memory, which can change a pattern to the opposite side. Sometimes when you want to change a habit, make a sign that will remind you to do something in the extreme—and you will be like a pendulum that swings too far in one direction and then swings back. This will create a balance and cause positive change.

I checked in with my student after two weeks of exemplary homework and asked him how he feels. He said he was hungry every day. “Why?” I asked. “With the books in my hand in the morning, I keep forgetting to bring my snack!”

For private tutoring—all levels—email [email protected].

Maya Yehezkel is a Hebrew teacher at Yeshivat Noam middle school.