“You can’t just follow a recipe if you don’t know how to bake,” Mommy explained. “You need someone to show you how the first few times, and for that I need more energy than for baking by myself. Another time, b’ezras Hashem.”

“I know how to make chocolate balls,” offered Tova. “Bentzi, your friend will be glad to get them, won’t he?”

“He’s not my friend yet, but if I bring him chocolate balls he’ll definitely become my friend. Great idea, Tova! Mommy, you go rest, and we’ll make chocolate balls.”

“And clean up after yourselves?”

“Sure, sure. Don’t worry!”

Mommy went to her room to rest, Tova made a list, and I went to the store to buy the ingredients. When I passed by the door that had been the Citronbaums’, my heart skipped a beat. Maybe my new best friend was right here behind this door! Of course I would still be friends with Yoel, Yom Tov, and Tulli. But it would be so nice to have another friend who was also a neighbor, right here in my own building. I wondered if he would switch to our school and be in my class.

“Shalom aleichem, tzaddik!” someone greeted me. It was the new neighbor from the secondhand clothes place. Reb Nissan, Daddy said his name was. I hoped he would say something about the mysterious box, but he just nodded at me and continued toward the stairs that led down to his new home.

When I got home with the groceries, Moishy said, “I want to help!”

“Me too! Me too!” clamored Shmuel.

We all washed our hands with soap and began crumbling the biscuits. I was struck by sudden inspiration: “Let’s make some for Reb Nissan too! It’s not right to welcome a boy with a loving family, and forget someone who lives all by himself.”

“And when we bring him the chocolate balls, maybe he’ll tell us what’s in the box!” added Tova excitedly.

At that moment I was glad Batya wasn’t home. She would have laughed and said that was the real reason I suddenly remembered Reb Nissan. [I would not! Well, maybe I would have laughed just a little… but I know you really want to do something nice for Reb Nissan. You don’t care only about your mysteries. —Batya]

After we rolled the balls in shredded coconut and decked them out in paper cupcake cups, Shmuel went to play while Moishy helped Tova and me wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen as we had promised.

Batya arrived home just as we were finishing up. She admired our handiwork, and then went to her room to put her notebook away. Suddenly we heard heartrending cries [Oh, stop exaggerating…. Batya]. We rushed to the scene and found Batya upset, Shmuel in tears, and Batya’s eraser collection scattered all over the place.

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 736)