A Price Above Rubies Page #2

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Personally, I'd recommend

something light and airy...

to complement the charming atmosphere

of your home.

Charming means "small," right?

I assume you'll be hanging

curtains in the living room

as well as in the kitchen...

which opens up

a whole range of choices.

For instance, you could decide

on an atmosphere of integration...

and unify the space

with a single theme...

or you could separate

the rooms visually.

Different looks, different atmospheres,

different states of mind.

America!

Yes, God came to America.

And also he asked the American Goyim,

"Do you want my Torah?"

And also they asked,

"Tell us what is in it first."

"Honor thy father and thy mother."

"Nah! Respect our parents?

I don't think so.

Get that thing. What do you call it?

Torah? Get it out of here?"

So, God came...

to Israel.

"Israel," He asked us...

"Jews, do you want my Torah?"

And what did they answer?

"Naaseh ve nishmah!"

Quiet down. You're wrecking

your auns new apartment

before she's moved into it.

In one case,

the apartment is a whole, unified.

In the other, the living room is the

living room, the kitchen is the kitchen.

You're cooking all day.

You're exhausted.

You walk out of the kitchen and presto,

is like you're in another world.

One of us here is completely insane

and I think is you.

But you're gonna have company real soon

if I have to listen...

to one more word of this meshugas.

- Aunt Sonia, I think the baby's hungry.

- Come here, sweetheart.

Shh, shh.

Shh, shh.

Shh, shh.

Listen to me.

Sit down!

Are you all right?

I know it can hurt sometimes.

It doesn't hurt.

Here. Is too, um...

Mendel?

Didn't you pray already?

I wasn't praying.

I was learning a little Mishnah.

- Anything good?

- Yes, is all good.

- Can't we leave it on? Just for a while?

- Sonia.

Enough, Sonia.

Enough!

Sonia, enough!

- Enough what?

- Just enough.

- Is indecent.

- Making love to your wife is indecent?

Making love to your wife

like that is.

We're not alone, Sonia.

We're under the eyes of God.

The Talmud teaches a man to love

his wife, and I try. God knows I try.

But for a man is supposed

to be different. Is supposed

to be a mitzvah, a holy act.

And I'm supposed to think exalted

thoughts in order to sanctify it.

And I'm supposed to enjoy this,

I'm supposed to enjoy myself knowing...

you're up there thinking about Abraham

and Isaac and the Rebbe while...

God forbid! God forbid you talk

that way about the Rebbe!

Sonia, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I raised my voice to you.

I'm sorry.

Can I play a little?

Of course.

A little's okay.

Amen.

You don't have to eat it. Just put it

in your mouth and chew a little.

- He's not hungry.

- Are you his mother? No.

So how do you know

he's not hungry?

So God spared the Moabites.

The reason being...

- Mendel.

- That Ruth's family

was living among them.

Wait. He's giving a dvar Torah.

Is nice. Please listen.

- Is just a story.

- Is still a dvar Torah.

Why didn't God allow Ruth's

family to survive an attack?

He coulve done that.

The answer to the question is

of course God coulve done it.

But a young girl needs a mother.

And a mother needs a husband.

- And a family needs a house.

- What else?

Maybe a VCR and a video recorder?

And they need someone

to make their clothes.

Why don't you shush everyone up

so your son can finish?

- He's a man. He can make himself heard.

- But nobody's listening.

- He won't eat.

- Who are you to tell me what to do?

- He's not gonna eat.

- Obviously you're

a better mother than I am.

It shows us how family is

so important, even the evil

Moabites were spared by God...

because they were needed

in order to bring up Ruth.

- Yasher.

- Yasher coach.

Yasher coach.

Keep it up and you'll be a great scholar

like your Uncle Mendel.

Please, I'm not so great just yet.

Modesty is becoming

unless is false.

All I hear at the yeshiva these days is

"Mendel said this, Mendel said that."

Like the Rambam came

to learn by them.

While we're on the subject

of the yeshiva...

the other day a young boy,

one of my students...

asked me a question

I couldn't really answer.

His father says is okay to steal

as long as you steal from Goyim.

His teacher tells him

stealing from anyone is a sin.

So if he agrees with his teacher,

he's disrespecting his father.

But if he agrees with his father,

he's honoring a thief...

and in danger

of becoming one himself.

- Is a tough question.

Only because you're a scholar.

If is just an opinion and the boy

disagrees with it, thas all right.

You can respect those

you disagree with.

But if his father

really is a thief...

then the boy should keep

his nose in his own business...

so he doesn't have to judge

what he doesn't know about.

Hey, those little fingers

are gonna get chopped off...

if they wander

where they don't belong.

Tsipi, please take care

of your brother.

- Here.

- Oh, please, Sonia,

tonight you don't need to work.

- You should be inside

with Mendel and the baby.

- No, is okay, is okay.

Is such a wonderful meal.

I have to do something.

And you have such a beautiful home.

Thank you.

Baruch haShem. The kids are healthy,

they have what to eat.

Thas whas important.

Here.

Do you have a second?

Relax.

Is not for you.

I just want your opinion.

My principal buyer

came across it.

Is an antique brooch from Paris,

circa 1880, from Querelle.

Thas an eight-carat emerald

set in gold.

My wife's birthday is coming up,

so I thought I'd surprise her.

- Is beautiful!

- Five thousand bucks!

What a bargain, huh?

Yeah.

- You did great.

- Bullshit.

I understand your father,

may his memory be a blessing...

was the finest gemologist

in the state.

I also understand you picked up

a thing or two from him.

Querelle never designed

a base like this.

I can't tell you what the date on it is,

but it is not 1880.

I also think if you check on this stone,

you'll find is just a composite...

a layer of emerald fused with

glass and then backed by foil

to give it all that brilliance.

Is excellent work.

But I wouldn't price it

at a dime over 800 bucks.

Why didn't you go

into the business?

Because my parents didn't want me

mixing with unsavory characters.

They wanted me to marry

a great scholar, and live

a decent, spiritual Jewish life.

Did you?

Did you marry a great scholar?

Well, that I'm not qualified

to answer.

But I know I married a tzaddik.

A holy man? Don't you think our Mendel's

a little young for such distinction?

Age has nothing

to do with it.

Either you're born with the heart

of a tzaddik or you're not.

And your heart?

Is it in your heart to be

the wife of a tzaddik?

All right, dessers on the table.

Sonia.

Sonia?

Gottenyu!

You're red as a beet.

And hot like an oven.

You're burning with fever, poor thing.

Why didn't you say something?

Sit, sit on the bed.

You're having a panic attack.

Breathe.

Slowly breathe.

Your muscles are like iron knots.

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