“No,
Leah!” I hissed at my little sister, who
was pulling my hand. She whined
something that I couldn’t hear. She was
probably just upset at me for dragging her away from her dolls to come to the
marketplace. I stood on my toes and
tried to see the famous traveling Rabbi in the throng of people. Around me I heard many people discussing
whether this Rabbi could be a prophet, or possessed, or maybe even the
Messiah. So many different stories and
opinions had reached my ears about this man that I knew I had to see him for
myself. I had to know who and what he
really was. So here I was in the
marketplace, trying to see past the turbaned heads of the men in front of
me.
Horse hoofs
sent up small dust clouds as a Roman centurion rode by. I shrank back against a wall to avoid another
centurion marching past. Looking down to
make sure Leah was still with me, I gasped.
She wasn’t there. “Leah!” I called as I pushed past a woman in an
orange headcovering. “Excuse me, have
you seen my sister?” I asked a man
standing nearby. “She’s about this
tall,” I gestured with my hand, “blue dress?”
He shook his head. My heart was
beating hard now. I’d lost my little
sister! I ran up the side steps of a
house and looked out over the crowd.
A flash of blue gave me a temporary
moment of hope, but it was only the shawl of a tiny old woman selling
fruit. I couldn’t see a little girl in a
blue dress anywhere. Maybe she went home to her dolls! That must be it! Still panicky, I flew down the steps and
shoved through the mass of people until I could get out in the open. I stopped for a moment to figure out the
best way home.
A short
distance away, under a shade tree in a corner, a group of children clustered
around a man who was laughing, his head thrown back in merriment. Among the children was a little girl in a
blue dress. “Leah!” I ran over and grabbed
her, pulling her into my arms. Kneeling
in the dust, I hugged her tightly as the relief in my heart expressed itself in
tears. “I’m so sorry I lost you!”
I stood up as I heard a voice behind
me saying “What are all these children doing here? Go away, leave the Rabbi alone!” The Rabbi stood up, holding a little boy in
his arms. So this is the famous Rabbi, surrounded by small children with dirty
faces? “Let the children come to me,” the Rabbi was
saying, “The kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.” The
kingdom of Heaven belongs to children? The
other man looked puzzled too, and walked away talking quietly to one of his
companions.
Leah tugged
on my hand again, and started towards the Rabbi. “Leah, that’s the famous Rabbi I told you
about. You can’t just go talk to
him.” I whispered. I glanced up towards the man and to my
surprise, found that he was looking at me.
He beckoned and Leah released my hand and skipped over to him with the
exuberance that small children possess.
He picked her up and set her in his lap.
“Leah. That’s a beautiful
name. It matches your beautiful
eyes.” Leah giggled, and he smiled at
her then looked up to smile at me. A
small smile spread across my face too.
“And you’re Hadassah,” the Rabbi said to me. I couldn’t decide whether it was a question
or a statement. But how could he know my
name?
Something in
his eyes drew me towards him, and I approached.
“Yes, my child?” “Rabbi?” my
words started tumbling out, “I have heard many people say that you are the
Messiah. Is it true?” He answered my question with a question of
his own. “What do you think,
Hadassah?” “I think…that many people
think the Messiah would not have time to sit and talk to children.” I was surprised by my boldness and felt my
cheeks flush. But he just laughed. “You are right, Hadassah. Many are surprised that I take time to talk
to children. But I tell you the
truth, the Father has a special place in his heart for the children.” I thought about this for a moment. “But are you the Messiah, Rabbi?” He did not speak, but his eyes twinkled.
Leah patted
his cheek and he turned his attention to her.
“I don’t know if you’re the Messiah, but I know you’re my friend. Aren’t you?”
“Yes, Leah. I am your friend,” he
said quietly, “but I have to go now.
There are many other people who need me today.” Leah looked sad as she wrapped her little
arms around his neck. He hugged her and
set her gently on the ground. To my
shock, he embraced me as well.
“Good-bye, Hadassah. And don’t
worry. We’ll meet again.” One more time, he smiled that wonderful smile
that somehow seemed to make the sky shine brighter. As he walked away, his words played back in
my head, “The Father has a special place
in his heart for the children.” Could
the Messiah be someone who plays with children, after all?