A Little WisdomTalmud stories for everyday life
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027 · 8 panels

A Lesson That Began with a Fish

One favorite shape found a place beside an untouched sheet of paper.

Inspired by a source · Creative adaptationNo sign-up · All stories free
Read at your own pace.
Jin and Ara put the supplies for the adult collage group on the same table.
Jin

Today, everyone can make something with these shared materials.

Jin and Ara put the supplies for the adult collage group on the same table.

The participant without their own supplies sat at the same table.
Jin

It's fine if you don't have your own tools. Please choose from these.

The participant without their own supplies sat at the same table.

While other hands were moving, one person's paper remained blank.
Colleague

I'm not sure what shape I should make.

While other hands were moving, one person's paper remained blank.

Jin set his prepared instructions aside for a moment and sat beside them.
Jin

What usually catches your eye?

Jin set his prepared instructions aside for a moment and sat beside them.

A favorite subject came before a shape they were supposed to make.
Colleague

Fish. I like the way they swim.

A favorite subject came before a shape they were supposed to make.

Jin placed a few small shapes nearby for the participant to choose.
Jin

If you'd like, shall we start by making one of your favorite fish together?

Jin placed a few small shapes nearby for the participant to choose.

The participant glued down the shape they had chosen.
Colleague

I could use this piece for the tail.

The participant glued down the shape they had chosen.

A little fish appeared at a table where everyone could continue at their own pace.
Jin

If you'd like, we can look at the next shape together, too.

A little fish appeared at a table where everyone could continue at their own pace.

A thought from the Talmud

Keep a place for everyone to learn, and approach those who have drifted away with care.

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

Taanit 24a:16 · Read the source ↗

A lesson for today

Along with preparing the same materials, we can listen to the interests of someone who has stopped and offer time beside them. In this story, a favorite fish shape becomes a small way to begin again. The person chooses whether to take part and at what pace.

A modern interpretation for this story

A question to take with you

What interest could I ask about first when someone has drifted away from learning?

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About the source and this adaptation

In Taanit 24a:16, a teacher says he teaches children from poor and wealthy families alike, takes no fee from those unable to pay, and encourages and soothes a child who has drifted from study, using fish to help the child return to reading. This adaptation turns that care into shared materials and individual attention to an adult participant's interests. The source's religious outcome of rainfall is not a guarantee of modern results or rewards. Jin, Ara, the participant, collage, paper fish and all dialogue are fictional.

Read the source ↗

AI-generated artwork · Creative adaptation

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