There are millions of chocolate cookies in the world, but I can identify my mother’s chocolate cookies from far. They have an especially chocolaty deep-dark color and they’re big and beautiful and inviting. It’s enough to eat just one to feel full, and they’re yummy as only homemade chocolate cookies can be.
That’s why I was so surprised on Sunday, when I walked down the aisle between the desks in class to go wash netilat yadayim (rituial washing prior to eating bread) and saw just such a chocolate cookie on Naomi’s desk. At first, I stopped and almost said to her: “Hey, what is my mother’s chocolate cookie doing by you?” But the next second, I understood that it wasn’t nice. I bent down as if I had to fix something on my shoe and then continued to the sink. Yes. It was definitely my mother’s cooky.
As I was chewing the tasty sandwich Ima prepared for me, I tried to figure out how a cookie from our house could have gotten to Naomi. Very soon, I had one possible answer, but it was very hard for me to digest.
Every month, there’s one week when my mother cooks for Shabbos in extra big quantities. Part of the food is for us, and part – for Ezer Mizion. My mother is one of hundreds who have been approved to provide food to families in which one of the parents or one of the children has a serious illness and there’s no one to cook food for Shabbos for them.
The food for Ezer Mizion is packed into special boxes and on Thursday night, it’s sent, fresh and appetizing by other volunteers. The whole project is very complicated but Ezer Mizion does a great job making sure each family gets what it needs.
I’ll tell you secretly that all of us in the family especially like the weeks when Ima cooks for Ezer Mizion. First of all, because those weeks, she prepares especially tasty food. She says that the families of the sick people have so much sadness, pain, and worry, and our job is to treat them to good food that will cheer them up and give them stremgth
Besides, these deliveries are an experience for us. Al the kids in the family help Ima prepare the food and package it, and then some of us go with Abba, who is a volunteer driver for Ezer Mizion, collect food from other families in our neighborhood who cook for this chessed project, and bring it all to the Ezer Mizion kitchen to be packed for the individual families.
Getting back to the chocolate cookie I recognized on Naomi’s desk: Last Thursday, Ima added to the food package a box full of fresh aromatic cookies, and when I tried to think how the cookie could have gotten to Naomi, I came to the conclusion that the food delivery that left our house came to Naomi’s family. I finished eating the sandwich, but my thoughts continued to gallop. Actually, recently Naomi seemed preoccupied. She participated in games a lot less and she didn’t seem so interested in what was going on in class…Could it be that someone in her family is sick, chas v’shalom? What should I do about it? I only found out about it in this roundabout way, and I’m not sure it’s right…
At home I told Ima what I saw in class. I shared my thoughts and the many questions I had with her.
Ima sat down with me on the couch, stroked my hair, and said softly: “According to what you’re telling me, it definitely could be that someone from Naomi’s family isn’t well. But as long as she doesn’t tell us about it, we need to respect her wishes and not bother her with questions. But it wasn’t by chance that the chocolate cookie revealed her secret to you. Hashem is sending you a message. No, an opportunity. You’re such a mature young lady and such a baalas chesed (person who searches for ways to help) . I’m sure you’ll find a way to cheer up Naomi and make things easier for her, even without her knowing that you’re aware of her secret. That will be the perfect gemillus chessed!
