`The Seder Visitor'
a Pesach Short Story

•
By D. SCHOCHAR

THE

LINDMANS had been hec-
tically busy preparing for
Passover, but finally the work
was all over. Now Mr. and Mrs.
Lindman, and especially the Mrs.,
would be able to sit back and en-
joy the holiday. Yes, there were
a few things to be done yet.
"How many wine cups shall I
place on the table?" asked Sara.
"Why ask such a foolish ques-
tion," said Mrs. Lindman. "There
are three of us. So place one cup
for each. Three times one is
three."
"Not on Passover, when it
comes to wine," interjected Mr.
Lindman. "Wine has a peculiar
mathematics on Passover," he
continued. "In the first place,
everyone is supposed to drink
four cups of wine, and in the
second place, there must be an
extra cup for Elijah, who is to
visit us tonight."
"Are we going to have a
visitor?" asked Sara.
"Of course. Any nice dinner,
especially on Passover, is better
for a visitor," said Mr. Lindman.
"But Elijiah, who is he? Is he
real?" asked Sara.
"For a girl going to high
seta]," said Mr. Lindman, "you
talk very strangely. Don't you
know the facts of life?"
"I know all about the facts of
life, about the bees and the flow-
ers.
I know the story of the
stork is a myth. I've read all
about that,"
"Well," laughed Mr. Lindman,
"you don't seem to know very
much about the Jewish facts of
life. Sit down and let papa brief
you on them."

"DID I NOT TELL

GREETINGS ...

E. A. ALDRICH
COAL CO.

14335 Second

TO. 8-5311

Iron & Metal Co.

1551 Caniff—GTRR Siding

TO. 8-2830 •

FROM SOUTH AFRICA

■

411•1••• ■•■••■■••■••■•■••■•■ •••

Passover Greetings

CENTRAL
FELT, INC.

your

CHICAGO—The Hebrew Theo-
logical College has accepted as a
candidate for the Rabbinical de-
gree Solomon Kirsh of Yoeville,
Johannesburg, South Africa.

GREETINGS ...

Michigan Scrap

• 4: •

In the rapid expansion of the city of Tel Aviv, the construction of

vast housing projects to accommodate new immigrants is re-
ceiving top priority. Here, a workman gathers lime near a
block of almost completed apartments.

`Forward' to Hail
Birth of Israel

this edition will be turned over
by the "Forward" to Israel insti-
tutions.

and

TEXTILE
SUPPLIERS,
INC.

2620-2626 John R St.
Detroit

Do you need a speaker for your
NEW YORK—To commemor-
ate the first anniversary of the organization? Call the Jewish
State of Israel, the "Jewish Daily Chronicle, WO. 1-1040.
Forward" will issue a special edi-
tion, "Salute to the State of Is-
rael," in which renowned jour-
GREETINGS
nalists and feature writers from
throughout the world will be rep-
resented with special articles, es-
MICHAEL OALSKY, Prop.
says and poems.
The entire profit of congratu-
52 Cadillac Square, WO. 4-9449
13215 Harper, LA.
lations and messages printed in

American Army and Navy Stores

8 - 94616

PASSOVER GREETINGS . . .

PASSOVER GREETINGS

TURNER-BROOKS Inc.

,

Mr. and Mrs.
Irving Hermelin
and Family

4281 PASADENA AVE.

FLOOR COVERINGS AND ACOUSTICAL CONTRACTORS
9910 DEXTER
TO. 8-2470

PASSOVER
GREETINGS

4=0

GREETINGS .

DAVID NURSING HOME

5505 Second Blvd.

TR. 3-3430

Greetings

HA UPE In' PLUMBING SUPPLY

19409 JOHN R.

TW. 3-5555

Builder's Steel Supply Co.

4201 WYOMING

CE. 6000

PASSER GREETINGS

CARLSON STUDIOS

DETROIT'S OLDEST and LARGEST
SCREEN PROCESS PRODUCERS

ELIJAH WILL COME

"WELL, IT WOULD be nice to
have such a visitor," continued
Sara, "but I am afraid Elijah will
find it difficult to visit at every
Passover Seder. I suppose we
will pour the cup for him anyway.
It would be nice to think we will
have such a visitor come to see
us tonight."
"No, we must not despair," said
Mr. Lindman. "Sure Elijah will
come. But he never comes until a
late hour. It was at midnight

Going Up in Tel Aviv

that the Jews went out of Egypt
you know. Meanwhile let us eat
and chant the Hagadah."
It was certainly a wonderful
meal that Mrs. Lindman had pre-
pared and the family ate with
great gusto. Meanwhile Mr.
Lindman continued to explain all
of the various parts of the
Hagadah ritual.
Then came the drinking of the
cup to Elijah. "Sara," said Mr.
Lindman, "when we rise to drink
this cup, it is customary for Jews
to open the door to receive Elijah.
So go and open the door. I am
afraid Elijah won't be there, but
we'll open the door for him any-
way."
So Sara went to the door as Mr.
Lindinan intoned the Hagadah
portion. Opening it, Sara beard
a familiar voice greet her. "Hello,
Sara."

IT WAS HER old piano teacher
passing. A lonely woman, she
lived on the next block. At one
time she had had a fair number of
pupils, but now you could count
them on the fingers of one hand.
She was poor and all alone in
the world. It was a pity not to
call her in.
"Oh Miss Jones," she said,
"won't you come in and join us.
We are having Passover Seder
and I am sure you would enjoy
it."
"Well, it's rather late to be
coming in now, isn't it?" said the
lonely woman.
"Oh no, not at all," said Sara.
"Do come in."
"This looks like a wonderful
feast and I am very grateful to
you for inviting me in. I haven't
• • •
been so happy in a long time,"
TROUBLE HEALER
said Miss Jones.
"ELIJAH WAS a grea prophet
"You are making us happy too,"
who lived in ancient Israel After
said Mr. Lindman.'
he finished his mortal career, he
And later, when the visitor had
took on an invisible aspect, ac-
cording to Jewfsh legend. He left, Mr. Lindman turned to his
goes around as a kind of trouble wife and daughter and said, "See,
healer. A person may be financi- did I not tell you that Elijah
ally distressed. Elijah comes to would come!"

his aid. Just at the strategic mo-
ment when all hope seems to be
gone, someone comes and lends
him some money, or provides a
way by which he may earn some
of the needed money,
"A mother may not have heard
from her son, but suddenly Elijah
comes and restores the contact.
"A girl in school grapples with
her studies, somehow she cannot
master her problem, but Elijah
comes along and shows the way
to the solution.
"But the funny thing about this
Elijah is that he never appears
the same person, for Elijah has a
thousand different disguises. And
my daughter, he pays every Jew
a visit on the night of Passover.
That is why there is always ready
a cup for Elijah."
"That's very beautiful," said
Sara. "So he is the man who
goes around doing good secretly."
• • •

Friday, April 15, 110

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

Page Twenty-four

Greetings .. .

ADVERTISING DISPLAYS AND POSTERS

1909 BRUSH ST.

BERRY & SEYBURN

3500 David Stott Bldg.

•

Greetings to All

BORIN LUMBER & SUPPLY CO.

11210 W. Chicago

110. 8676

WO. 2-9114