I was looking for a homemade segulah – some way to acquire a zechus that would help me finish the book I’d been writing, on and off, for the past ten years. So when Rivkah called asking to set a time for some pro bono marketing advice it was hard to say no. Of course, it was also hard to say yes, since I had pressing deadlines that seemingly came before free brainstorming over a cup of tea. I promised her we’d sit down together a few weeks later. Then I piggy-backed on Rivkah’s enormous zechuyos and began davening, asking Hashem to help me get my book and other assignments done, so I would have time available to help Rivkah.
It worked. I joyfully submitted my re-re-re-re-re-revised final-final file for the book and eventually even put up some water to boil in the kettle. Rivkah left our meeting with a promising list of new directions and strategic alliances, but I was only half peaceful. I was happy to have made the time to help, yet I still heard a little voice saying: ‘You have no business helping market someone else when you really should go market yourself.’
Hashem did not let me feel that way for long. The very next day, an acquaintance emailed me, offering an unexpected assignment that was a perfect fit, and that booked me solid for the next month and a half. I helped market Rivkah and Hashem marketed me.
At times when we do something difficult, we immediately see the wave of good it has brought back to us. Other times we only see what a good deed leads to after years, or decades. And sometimes, we are not privy to the ‘end of the story’ at all.
The Blum and Solomon families navigate very challenging and dramatic lives. How else could it be for children whose parents live 6,000 miles away?
Why are the Blum children living with their grandparents in Israel while their widowed mother Tamar is alone in New York? They were only supposed to go for a visit. Will their grandparents’ unlimited hospitality be good for them in the long run?
When Tamar makes the ultimate sacrifice for her employer, will she be left to pay the price for her unusual heroism?
When Ruthie tries to cut Mimi out of her life, will it destroy Mimi or save them both?
Why doesn’t Ari Solomon know who his father is? When he finds out, and is forced by the Mossad to reunite with him, can any good can come out of it?
Journey along with the families of Common Denominator and savor their days. Watch your heart beat a little faster, as you wonder what happens next. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could daven for the characters in a novel? Then we could ask for a ‘happily ever after,’ every time…
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