Once upon a time, there was a Jewish boy named Max who lived in a small village. He was proud of his religion and loved to learn about it. One day, Max wanted to do a mitzvah (good deed) for his community, so he decided to fix the mezuzahs (small boxes containing prayers) on all the doors in the village.

Max went door-to-door, fixing mezuzahs and saying the Shema (a prayer) as he worked. As he walked, he heard a beautiful sound coming from a nearby church. It was the shofar (a horn made from a ram's horn), being blown by a Roman Catholic priest.

Max was curious, so he went inside the church to see what was happening. The priest explained that they were celebrating the Sabbath (day of rest) and asked Max to join them. Max was hesitant at first, but then he saw that the priest had a Torah (Jewish holy book) in his hands and was reading from it.

Max was amazed and asked the priest how he knew so much about the Torah. The priest smiled and explained that he had a love for all religions and was learning Hebrew so he could read the Torah in its original language.

Max and the priest became good friends and would often celebrate the Sabbath together, each in their own way. They showed that regardless of religion, we can all come together and learn from each other. And that’s the end of our story.

Reflections

1. Why did Max want to fix the mezuzahs in his village?
2. What was the priest doing inside the church when Max heard the shofar blowing?
3. How did Max and the priest become friends?
4. What did they learn from each other?
5. Can you think of a time when you made a new friend who was different from you?