rld there is a Garden of Eden, for Jews, of course.
In the Garden of Eden there are trees with the finest fruits, and rivers
of oil. Diamonds and rubies are to be found there in the streets. Stoop
down and pick them up and fill your pockets. And there good Jews study
the Holy Law day and night, and enjoy the holiness.

That is what Abramtzig tells. And Moshetzig's and Dvairke's eyes are
burning. They envy their brother because he knows everything. He knows
everything, even to what goes on in the heavens. Abramtzig swears that
twice a year, on the nights of "_Hashono Rabo_" and "_Shevuous_," the
sky opens. It is true he himself never saw the sky opening, because
there is no sky near them. But his comrades saw it. They swore--may they
see all that is good!--And they would not swear to a lie. How can one
swear to a lie? It's a pity they have no sky in their street, only a
long, narrow blue stripe, like a long, narrow blue ribbon. What can one
see in such a tiny scrap of sky, beyond a few stars and the reflection
of the moon? In order to prove to his little sister and brother that the
sky opens, Abramtzig goes over to his mother, and pulls her by the
skirt.

"Mother, is it true that in the very middle of '_Shevuous_' night the
sky opens?"

"I will open your head for you."

When he got no satisfaction from his mother, Abramtzig waited for his
father, who had gone off to the market with a treasure of boxes.

"Children, guess what present father will bring us from the market,"
said Abramtzig. And the children tried to guess what their father would
bring them from the market. They counted on their fingers everything
that was in the market--everything that an eye could see, and a heart
desire--cakes and buns and sweets. But no one guessed aright. And I am
afraid you will not guess aright either. Peisa the box-maker brought
from the market this time neither cakes, nor buns nor sweets. He brought
the children grass--curious, long, sweet-smelling grass.

And all three children gathered around their father.

"Father, what is it--that?"

"It is grass."

"What is grass?"

"It is a bunch of greens for '_Shevuous_.' Jews need grass for
'_Shevuous_.'"

"Where do they get it, father?"

"Where do they get it? H'm! They buy it. They buy it in the market,"
said their father. And he strewed the green, sweet-smelling grass over
the freshly-swept floor. And he was delighted; it was green and smelt
sweet. He said to the mother ga