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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cThis year we\u2019re not going to allow even one mishloach manot<\/span><\/i> (food gift) in the house,\u201d Shira announced as Purim<\/span> approached. \u201cAll that candy is bad for the children\u2019s teeth, and Passover<\/span> is coming! How can we clean the house if there are pretzels under the couch and cookie crumbs in the playroom?\u201d<\/p>\n Stan sighed. He could never understand what was so bad about the children enjoying a little candy. It was true that Passover was coming, but his wife had been talking about it since Rosh Hashanah<\/span>. Actually, the minute Passover was over she had started saying, \u201cDon\u2019t go into that room with chametz<\/span><\/i> (leavened food)!\u201d<\/p>\n But Shira was determined, and when Purim arrived, she was ready.<\/p>\n \u201cHappy Purim!\u201d the neighbor called as she knocked on the door and entered holding mishloach manot<\/i>. Shira was standing in the kitchen surrounded by the mishloach manot<\/i> she had packed. On the table, there was cellophane for wrapping more mishloach manot<\/i>, and cards decorated with colorful clowns.<\/p>\n When the neighbor left, Shira took the candies out of the mishloach manot<\/i>and repackaged them, so they could be sent to other neighbors.<\/p>\n Late in the afternoon, Shira was finally able to relax and smile. There wasn\u2019t a trace of candy to be found in the house. She had checked off every name on the list of people to whom mishloach manot<\/i> had to be sent. Everymishloach manot<\/i> that came into the house had been repackaged and sent to someone else. Only two handfuls of chocolates remained, one for the children and one for their parents.<\/p>\n The festive Purim meal was cooking, and a wonderful smell filled the house, when there was another knock at the door. Who could it be?<\/p>\n \u201cHello! Happy Purim! How nice! Thank you for coming. Just one minute. I have something to give you!\u201d Shira ran to the kitchen and said goodbye to the chocolates. The Feinbergs! Who knew they\u2019d be coming? She was sure they had gone to visit their grandparents. Apparently not! And now Shira was left with an enormous mishloach manot<\/i> full of the foods she so feared: crumbly cookies, a whole package of toffees, crackers. Oy!<\/i> What was she going to do now?<\/p>\n \u201cStan, could you come here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m busy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s urgent! Really urgent. Please come to the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n Stan came in. One glance told him all.<\/p>\n \u201cAn extra mishloach manot<\/i>, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. We have to get it out of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just one mishloach manot<\/i>\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d he began, but Shira cut him off.<\/p>\n \u201cOne? There\u2019s enough here for thirty families. We can\u2019t keep this in the house. Do you have any idea what we can do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s think. We\u2019ve already given to all the neighbors, all the teachers and your cousin. Who else is left? No one.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen let\u2019s give it to someone we didn\u2019t plan on giving to. Someone we don\u2019t usually give to. Someone like\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNu<\/span><\/i>. Think.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone, someone\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. I have a great idea! Howard the Hermit! I\u2019m sure the Feinbergs didn\u2019t give him mishloach manot<\/i>. I\u2019ll give him the whole package. Just take their card out and stick in one of ours.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a genius! I hope he\u2019s home.\u201d<\/p>\n Howard the Hermit lived across the street. No one knew who had given him the name \u201cHoward the Hermit,\u201d but everyone agreed that it suited him to a T. He almost never spoke, and he was always a little disheveled. Nobody ever visited him. The children didn\u2019t like him, and he didn\u2019t relate to the children. He came and went without attracting any attention. Sometime he muttered under his breath. Even Stan didn\u2019t really know him. Sometimes they\u2019d pass each other in the street, but that was all.<\/p>\n Stan made sure that the Feinbergs were nowhere in sight, took themishloach manot<\/i> and made his way to Howard\u2019s house. He was a little apprehensive about meeting him. Who knew how he\u2019d react? Would he yell? Smile? Or would he mutter under his breath?<\/p>\n Stan knocked.<\/p>\n A voice called out from the other side of the door. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I have no money for you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHoward\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. uh\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. I don\u2019t want money,\u201d Stan stuttered. \u201cIt\u2019s me, Stan, from across the road.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne minute.\u201d<\/p>\n Stan sensed that there was an eye at the peephole studying him. After a quiet moment, the door opened wide.<\/p>\n \u201cGood afternoon! Happy Purim! I\u2019ve come to give you mishloach manot<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n Stan blushed and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re the first one to bring me mishloach manot<\/i> this year.\u201d Howard nodded his head as if he were trying to remember something. \u201cIn fact, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve received any mishloach manot<\/i> for at least five years.\u201d<\/p>\n Stan wanted to say that he was sorry. He wanted to apologize for the neighbors, to say that they were just embarrassed to come because they didn\u2019t really know Howard, and that from now on he would try to be a little nicer, and maybe invite him over for a Shabbat<\/span> meal, and\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.<\/p>\n But Stan didn\u2019t say anything.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is very nice of you,\u201d said Howard, who suddenly didn\u2019t seem so odd. \u201cI really appreciate it. Could you wait here one moment?\u201d<\/p>\n A minute later Howard appeared with a beautiful package of tropical fruits and a bottle of good wine. \u201cThis is for you. I prepared it last night in case someone came with mishloach manot<\/i>, so that I\u2019d have something to give in return.\u201d<\/p>\n Stan wanted to cry, but he didn\u2019t let himself. \u201cThis is beautiful. You have good taste.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you. Have a happy Purim.\u201d Howard smiled widely and closed the door.<\/p>\n Source: Chabad.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Rabbi Mendy Kaminker is the editor of Beit Chabad<\/a>, the Hebrew edition of Chabad.org.\u00a0Translated by Esther Rabi.\u00a0Artwork by Sefira Ross<\/a>, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.\u00a0More from Mendy Kaminker<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0RSS<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n