I swear, you Jews are always making up more holidays just to be off from work! What is it today?

The winter was intensifying in Sharayeh, the days grew yet colder and darker. But in the beis medrash, a fire was burning bright. The sweet sounds of Torah learning drifted from the small shtibel in the early hours of the morning, while the sun had yet to fully rise, and mounds of snow completely covered the rooftops, and the ice hadn’t thawed on the frozen ground. Often, the elite learners would arrive at the door to the beis medrash to find that Reb Hirsch Leib and his talmidim were already there, sharing scrolls, shivering as they sat close to one another, but beaming with excitement to learn more and connect with the Master of the World.

But the peace was not to last. The poritz Jan Serkostrisk was a sleeping bear, just waiting to awaken suddenly and shatter the calm.

It occurred one morning when Jan arose from his sleep and looked out his window. To his great surprise he saw a group of elderly men plodding through the snow, talking animatedly. He was taken aback, because he knew these Jewish men were never home at this hour. They were usually traveling or working in far off places.

“What’s going on here?” Jan opened his door, wrapping his thick robe tighter around him as a blast of cold air stung his skin. “Is there a holiday today? I swear, you Jews are always making up more holidays just to be off from work! What is it today? I see you’re all smiling, so it must be something good.”

“No, no holiday, sir. We were just learning in our place of worship.”

“You? Since when? I’ve only seen the younger men doing this at this time of day.”

“Not anymore!”

“Who won the lottery?” Jan’s eyes narrowed. “Suddenly you’re all rich and can sit all day studying instead of earning money? I should raise the rent on all your houses and inns! Share some of the wealth, eh?”