“His only redeeming quality is that he is as stubborn as an ox. He’ll never admit to failure”

A

young man named Mordechai lived on an island far, far away from the rest of the Jews in the world. He was an only child and his parents had placed great hopes in him, hopeful that he would become a great talmid chacham.

Their dreams were shattered on the fifth day of Mordechai’s first week at cheder. The rebbi didn’t mince words when he told them his assessment of their precious son.

“He doesn’t have the right head for learning. He stutters, is slow to understand even the most basic concepts, and can’t read like the other boys.”

“Is there any hope?” Mordechai’s father had asked.

The rebbi paused for a long moment.

“His only redeeming quality is that he is as stubborn as an ox. He’ll never admit to failure.”

The rebbi’s words turned out to be prophetic. Mordechai proved to be completely incapable of grasping even the most basic understanding of Chumash and Rashi, but he also never stopped trying.

**********

Now a young man of 19 years old, Mordechai still sat day and night in the study hall, sweating over pages of Torah that his peers had long ago mastered. His only strength, besides for his heart of gold and willpower, was his incredible physical prowess.

“You’re still growing, Mordechai?” one of the islanders remarked as Mordechai sat hunched over a table, studying from a scroll in the island’s beis hakenesses. “Every day I come in and it seems like you are taller and more muscular!”

Mordechai smiled bashfully. The comment did nothing to swell his ego. His wide shoulders and powerful arms were not anything he was proud of. He wanted only to break down the iron wall in his brain that prevented words of Torah from taking root there.

“Tell you what...” the islander said thoughtfully, stroking his beard as he eyed Mordechai. “I’m in need of a hardy fellow who can wield an axe. Would you do me a favor for today and help me out? You’ll make some good money too.”

Mordechai agreed, just for the day. He was so immensely successful that when nighttime fell, there was a line of people who had come to offer him various jobs requiring manual labor.

 With the encouragement from his parents, Mordechai accepted several jobs and began a new chapter in his life. He was offered top dollar for his services. Not only was he as strong as three men, but he was exceptionally hardworking and would not quit until the job was finished.

A few years passed by. Mordechai earned very good money and his parents were happy that at last he was doing something that yielded fruit from his labors.

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 765)