A Little WisdomTalmud stories for everyday life
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120 · 12 panels

Room Under the Awning

At noon outside the lending center, people stood in the shade where the boxes had been.

Inspired by a source · Creative adaptationNo sign-up · All stories free
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Supply boxes sat under a dark teal awning attached to the brick wall.
Story

In the midday sun, people waited their turn outside the lending center.

Supply boxes sat under a dark teal awning attached to the brick wall.

Jin looked up at the edge of the awning. The shade ended just in front of the boxes.
Jin

The boxes are in the shade.

Jin looked up at the edge of the awning. The shade ended just in front of the boxes.

It wasn’t yet the turn of the visitor in lavender.
Story

One visitor stood in the sun, keeping the doorway clear.

It wasn’t yet the turn of the visitor in lavender.

Through the window, Jin spotted a low shelf where the boxes might fit.
Jin

There’s an empty shelf inside.

Through the window, Jin spotted a low shelf where the boxes might fit.

Jin pointed out the shade over the boxes and the place where people were standing.
Jin

If we move the boxes inside, people can wait in the shade.

Jin pointed out the shade over the boxes and the place where people were standing.

The attendant agreed and pointed to the empty shelf.
Ara

Can we move these boxes onto the shelf inside?

The attendant agreed and pointed to the empty shelf.

Jin and Ara each picked up a small box and took it inside.
Jin

We’ll each carry a box inside.

Jin and Ara each picked up a small box and took it inside.

The supplies had a place, and there was room under the awning outside.
Story

The attendant arranged the boxes on the shelf inside.

The supplies had a place, and there was room under the awning outside.

Beside the open door, Jin pointed to the spot against the wall under the awning.
Jin

You’re welcome to stand in the shade while you wait.

Beside the open door, Jin pointed to the spot against the wall under the awning.

They waited against the wall. The doorway was still clear.
Story

The visitor in lavender stepped into the shade.

They waited against the wall. The doorway was still clear.

The attendant called the next person from the doorway.
Story

The visitor in green came into the shade too.

The attendant called the next person from the doorway.

Sunlight still fell across the lane.
Story

The boxes were on the shelf inside. The people waiting were under the awning.

Sunlight still fell across the lane.

A thought from the Talmud

Onkelos draws on a psalm to explain that God stands guard outside the homes of his people and watches over their comings and goings.

The source idea in our own words · Not a direct quotation

Avodah Zarah 11a:2–5 · Read the source ↗

A lesson for today

At first, the awning shaded the lending center’s supply boxes. Jin and Ara found an indoor shelf for them with the help of the attendant, making room for people to wait under the awning. The same space can serve a different purpose when we think about who needs it. What we already have may be enough to make things a little easier for someone.

A modern interpretation for this story

A question to take with you

Who benefits from the space we look after or set aside?

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About the source and this adaptation

Avodah Zarah 11a:2–5 tells how the Roman emperor sent soldiers three times to bring Onkelos back after he converted to Judaism. As he walks with the last group, Onkelos touches a mezuzah and starts a conversation. A mezuzah is a case containing passages from the Torah, traditionally fixed to a Jewish doorpost. Onkelos brings up a king and the servants who guard him, then draws on Psalm 121:8 to explain that God watches over his people’s comings and goings. In the account, the last group also converts and the emperor sends no more soldiers. The wisdom line paraphrases section 5. Jin, Ara, and the neighborhood lending center are modern fiction created with the help of AI.

Read the source ↗

AI-generated artwork · Creative adaptation

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