Our home- a little nice wooden cabin, was well organized. Yellow sand was spread over the floor. There's a small stone bridge in front of the house and a fairly long bench by it. Across there is a church with a giant bell; its sounds caused much sadness and yearning in the heart of the children.
There are trees all over, beautiful trees with sounds of leaves that tell secrets… this is where I first saw daylight. There I passed my childhood with pious parents who strictly observed the commandments.
As soon as the child begins to understand and tell something- he becomes a Jew full of Mitzvot and worries what a Jew carries on his back for many generations. A big Gemara (Talmud) is placed on the table; father leans over it and it is lit by a small lamp until the late hours of the night. My father's Gemara melody is heard in space- it is full of sadness. For what good is worldly life and it's nothingness when compared to the glorious beautiful life in a world full of goodness. A man should do everything to win it… this world is nothing but a corridor to the beautiful next world, full of light, with eternal holiday- a bright day with no shadow.
I wasn't even five when they first brought me to the Cheder (religous school). On a cold rainy autumn day my grandmother wrapped me in a big sweater (my mother was busy at the shop), put a fresh baked pastry under the wing of my coat, so other children don't see, and lead me to the room of the Melamed (teacher) Nissan… he had a low cabin, almost falling… the little windows are close to the ground. There was a long wooden table in the middle of the room and on both sides there were long benches. The room was full of pupils; some were lying on the floor, others standing on the table and on the benches. The children were playing and exchanging toys.
R' Nissan was a short Jew, fast moving, long beard and his face is always smiling.
R' Nissan sat by me and began teaching me a, b… before me there's a big board with big alphabet letters. Suddenly a coin fell on the board and the rabbi says: "the angel dropped a present for you to make you study with a desire." And added, " be a Jew, my child! Keep the commandments of god, listen to the voice of your parents as good observing people are commanded to."
But it wasn't easy for a child to follow the instructions. So many prohibitions: not walking on the road, no walking in the forest, no singing, no whistling, no loud laugh and no and no and no…. What does it do to joy? Jews are in the galut (exile). They must sit in silence and be sad.
But the big and thick forest winks… how peaceful it is there. There's a great desire to fall on the ground and stay there forever, forever… not far there are gardens with big and beautiful apple trees, vegetables, ripe vegetables that you can feast your eyes with. I admit that I couldn't overcome myself, not once did I fail; I was lost in the forest once, another time walked around the vegetable garden.
More than once I participated in children's mischief; we did some things like tying the leg of a Jew who fell asleep, and then hid so he doesn't know who did it to him. Sometimes we tied his sleeve to the coat… we sinned in such acts many times; sometimes our victims wanted to break our bones.
But this entertained us very much. We laughed at every mischief act we did, we enjoyed them, and no force in the world could stop us. At times I felt remorse, especially after hearing my mother's words of preaching and my father's angry look at my "savage acts" as my mother called it.
And since I felt I have greatly sinned- I used to take the book of psalms and go to the Biet Hamidrash. There I read psalm chapters with much intention. I was relieved after that. I felt that once again I was a good boy. I believed that god forgave me for my great sins.
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