Chol Hamoed Pesach had arrived, including the annual all-Jewish-teenagers-not-in-Florida trip to Six Flags. Being that he was home for Pesach (nebach), Moshe was excited to spend the day at Six Flags with his best friend and fellow amusement park fan, Mordechai (or Mort, as Moshe called him). Moshe was completely shocked when Mordechai said he planned to go with his family to the National Pencil Museum (in Pencilvania, obviously) instead of going to Six Flags. Moshe was so shocked that he actually decided to call his best friend to find out what the deal was.
Mordechai picked up on the third ring. “Hey Mort!” shouted Moshe, forgetting Mort can hear him clearly through the phone. “Stop messing around! We both know you aren’t going to a pencil museum. You have a ticket for Six Flags, right?” Mort, also not used to phone calls, shouted right back. “No! I’m not going to Six Flags! Don’t ask me about it again! Bye!” He ending the conversation, but forgot to hang up, and Moshe could hear Morechai’s mom in the background. “Just tell him, Mords. He’s your best—” Then, the call actually ended.
Once again, Moshe turned to his mother for advice. He told her about the phone call (“I know, I heard you screaming all the way upstairs!”) and what he heard Mordechai’s mother say. Moshe’s mom thought for a minute, but could only come up with one idea. “Mo, is it okay with you if I call Mordechai’s mother to find out? I don’t need to tell her what you heard her say.” Moshe didn’t need to think about it. “Yes, please. Thanks Mom, love you! Tell me what she says!” And with that, Moshe headed out to play basketball.
A few hours later, Moshe returned home. His mother was out, but came back an hour or so later. Moshe heard her pull into the driveway and headed straight downstairs to greet her. “So, Mom, did you find out anything?” Moshe’s mom nodded. “Apparently, when Mordechai was younger, his older brother convinced him to go through the haunted house at Six Flags. At that time, you went through the ride sitting in a little car. Mordechai got in the car with his brother, but the second the car was about to enter the haunted house, his brother jumped out, leaving Mordechai to go through himself. Even worse was that the ride got stuck, so Mordechai was alone in the haunted house for 15 minutes. This was a really tough experience, so Mordechai really doesn’t want to go to Six Flags ever again. I feel bad for the kid.”
Moshe now had his answer, but he wasn’t giving up quite yet. “Mom, do you have any idea how we can convince Mordechai to come anyway?” This time, Moshe’s mom thought for a few minutes, and then her eyes lit up. She told Moshe the idea, and they swung into action. First, Moshe invited Mordechai to come over to watch the Mets game. A few minutes before game time, Mordechai came over and sat down at his normal spot on the couch. After the first inning was over, Mordechai noticed a few photo albums on the coffee table. He picked one up and went through the pictures. Mordechai slowed down when he came across pictures of his family on vacation with Moshe’s. They were at Universal Studios, where Mordechai and Moshe went on a number of fast roller coasters.
“Hey, you boys want something to drink?” Moshe’s mother asked. “Yeah, Mom. Thanks.” Moshe’s mom brought the boys a bottle of Snapple and two cups. Each cup had logos on them from Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world. Mordechai definitely noticed the logos and even smiled. “Moshe? You remember Millennium Force? I thought I was going to die.” Moshe looked at his mother. She nodded as if to say “Keep going.” Moshe continued. “You remember how scared you were? I can’t believe you still went on with it.” Mordechai looked as if he was considering something. “Hm,” he said. The next day, Moshe received a text from Mordechai. It was a sticker of Mordechai at Cedar Point with the caption, “Roller Coaster Mort Is Back In Business!”
This week’s parsha begins with Yaakov asking Yosef to bury him in Eretz Canaan. He then recounts the promise Hashem made to give Eretz Canaan to his children. Yaakov then tells Yosef that Ephraim and Menashe are like sons to him and will each receive a portion in the land. He then mentions that Yosef’s mother, Rachel, is buried in Eretz Canaan. Yaakov seems to be reminding Yosef about his true home. But why not tell him directly? Why not tell Yosef “you and your descendants belong in Eretz Canaan, not Egypt?” Perhaps Yaakov was being sensitive to the fact that Yosef’s life in Eretz Canaan was, of course, marked by the tragedy of being sold above all else. Therefore, Yosef may not have been ready to hear the message directly; he needed to come to the conclusion on his own.
Yair Daar is the director of Student Life at Bicultural Hebrew Academy High School. He can be reached at [email protected].
