The village of Lentshin was tiny. It was surrounded by
little huts with thatched roofs or shingles green with
moss. The chimneys looked like pots. Between the huts
there were fields, where the owners planted vegetables
or pastured their goats.
2. In the smallest of these huts lived old Berl, a man in his
eighties and his wife Berlcha*. He was short, broadshouldered
and had a small white beard. In summer and
winter he wore a sheepskin hat, a padded cotton jacket
and stout boots. He had half an acre of field, a cow, a
goat and chickens.
3. The couple had a son, Samuel, who had gone to America
forty years ago. It was said in Lentshin that he became a
millionaire there. Every month, the Lentshin letter carrier
brought old Berl a money order and a letter that no one
could read because many of the words were English. How
much money Samuel sent his parents remained a secret.
They never seemed to use the money. What for? The
garden, the cow and the goat provided most of their
needs. Besides, Berlcha sold chickens and eggs and from
these there was enough to buy flour for bread.
4. No one cared to know where Berl kept the money his
son sent him. There were no thieves in Lentshin. The hut
consisted of one room which contained all their
belongings: the table, the shelf for meat, the shelf for milk
foods, the two beds and the clay oven. Sometimes the
chickens roosted in the woodshed and sometimes, when
it was cold, in a coop near the oven. The goat, too, found shelter inside when the weather was bad. The more
prosperous villagers had kerosene lamps, but Berl and
his wife did not believe in new gadgets. Only for the
Sabbath would Berlcha buy candles from the store.
5. Once in a while when Berl came home from the
synagogue, he brought news to his wife. Berlcha listened
and shook her head. Her face was yellowish and wrinkled
like a cabbage leaf. She was half deaf. Berl had to repeat
each word he said to her.
6. Here in Lentshin nothing happened except the usual
events: a cow gave birth to a calf, a young couple got
married. Actually, Lentshin had become a village with few young people. The young men left for Warsaw and
sometimes for the United States. Like Samuel, they sent
letters and photographs in which the men wore top hats
and the women fancy dresses.
7. Berl and Berlcha also received such photographs. But
their eyes were failing and neither he nor she had glasses.
They could barely make out the pictures. Samuel had
sons and daughters and grandchildren. Their names were
so strange that Berl and Berlcha could never remember
them. But what difference do names make? One Friday morning, when Berlcha was kneading the
dough for the Sabbath loaves, the door opened and a
nobleman entered. He was so tall that he had to bend
down to get through the door. He was followed by the
coachman who carried two leather suitcases. In
astonishment Berlcha raised her eyes.
9. The nobleman looked around and said to the coachman
in Yiddish*, 'Here it is.' He took out a silver rouble and
paid him. Then he said, 'You can go now.'
10. When the coachman closed the door, the nobleman
said, 'Mother, it’s me, your son Samuel-Sam.' Berlcha
heard the words and her legs grew numb. Her hands lost
their power. The nobleman hugged her, kissed her
forehead and both her cheeks. Berlcha began to cackle like a hen, 'My son!' At that moment Berl came in from
the woodshed, his arms piled with logs. The goat followed
him. When he saw a nobleman kissing his wife, Berl
dropped the wood and exclaimed, 'What is this?' The nobleman let go of Berlcha and embraced Berl.
'Father!'
For a long time Berl was unable to utter a sound. Then he
asked, 'Are you Samuel?'
'Yes, Father, I am Samuel.'
'Well, peace be with you.' Berl grasped his son’s hand.
He was still not sure that he was not being fooled. Samuel
wasn’t as tall and heavy as this man, but then Berl
reminded himself that Samuel was only fifteen years old
when he had left home.
Berl asked, 'Why didn’t you let us know that you were
coming?'
'Didn’t you receive my cable?' Samuel asked.
Berl did not know what a cable was.
12. Berlcha had scraped the dough from her hands and
enfolded her son.
'I never thought I could live to see this. Now, I am happy
to die,' Berlcha said. Berl was amazed. These were just
the words he could have said earlier. After a while Berl
came to himself and said, 'Berlcha, you will have to make
a double Sabbath pudding in addition to the stew.'
13. It was years since Berl had called Berlcha by her given
name. Only now did Berlcha begin to cry. Yellow tears
ran from her eyes and everything became dim. Then she
called out, 'It’s Friday! I have to prepare for the Sabbath.'
Yes, she had to knead the dough for the loaves. With such
a guest, she had to make a larger Sabbath stew.
The winter day is short and she must hurry.
4. Her son understood what was worrying her and said,
'Mother, I will help you.' Berlcha wanted to laugh, but a
choked sob came out.
15. The nobleman took off his jacket and remained in his
vest, on which hung a solid gold-watch chain. He rolled
up his sleeves. 'Mother, I was a baker for many years in
New York,' he said, and he began to knead the dough.
16. Berlcha wept for joy. Her strength left her and she
slumped onto the bed. Berl said, 'Women will always be
women.' And he went to the shed to get more wood. The
goat sat down near the oven; she gazed with surprise at
this strange man.
17. The neighbours had heard the good news that Berl’s
son had arrived from America and they came to greet
him. The women began to help Berlcha prepare for the
Sabbath. Some laughed, some cried. The room was full
of people, as at a wedding. After Berlcha lit the candles,
father and son went to the little synagogue across the
street. A new snow had fallen. The son took large steps,
but Berl warned him, 'Slow down.'
18. In the synagogue the Jews sang their prayers. All the
time, the snow outside kept falling. When Berl and
Samuel left the Holy Place, the village was
unrecognisable. Everything was covered in snow. One
could see only the contours of the roofs and the candles
in the windows.
Samuel said, 'Nothing has changed here.'
19. Berlcha had prepared fish, chicken soup with rice,
meat, carrot stew. The family ate and drank and then it
grew quiet for a while. One could hear the chirping of
the house cricket.
20. After the final prayer Samuel asked, 'Father, what did
you do with all the money I sent you?'
Berl raised his white brows. 'It’s here. 'Didn’t you put it in a bank?'
'There is no bank in Lentshin.'
'Where do you keep it?'
Berl hesitated. 'One is not allowed to touch money on the
Sabbath, but I will show you.' He crouched beside the
bed and began to shove something heavy. A boot
appeared. Its top was stuffed with straw. Berl removed
the straw and the son saw that the boot was full of gold
coins. He lifted it.
'Father, this is a treasure!' he called out.
'Well.'
'Why didn’t you spend it?'
'On what? Thank God, we have everything.'
'Why didn’t you travel somewhere?'
'Where to? This is our home.'
The son asked one question after the other, but Berl’s
answer was always the same. They had everything. The garden, the cow, the goat, the chickens provided them
with all they needed. The son said, 'If thieves knew about
this, your lives wouldn’t be safe.'
'There are no thieves here.'
'What will happen to the money?'
'You take it.'
Slowly, Berl and Berlcha grew accustomed to their son
and his American Yiddish. Berlcha could hear him better
now. She even recognized his voice. He was saying,
'Perhaps we should build a larger synagogue.'
'The synagogue is big enough,' Berl replied.
'Perhaps a home for old people.'
'No one sleeps in the street.' The next day after the Sabbath meal was eaten, Berl
and Berlcha lay down for a nap. They soon began to snore.
The goat, too, dozed off. The son put on his cloak and his
hat and went for a walk. He strode with his long legs
across the marketplace. He stretched out a hand and
touched a roof. He had a desire to talk to someone, but it
seemed that the whole of Lentshin was asleep.
22. Samuel returned home. Dusk had fallen. Berl went to
the synagogue for the evening prayers and the son
remained with his mother.
23. In the twilight Samuel put his hand into his jacket
pocket and touched his passport and his chequebook. He
had come here with big plans. He had a suitcase filled
with presents for his parents. He wanted to help the
village. He brought not only his own money but funds from the Lentshin Society in New York. But this village
needed nothing. From the synagogue one could hear
people chanting. The cricket, silent all day, started again
its chirping. Berlcha began to sway and utter holy rhymes
inherited from mothers and grandmothers.
WRITTEN BY
Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-
91) was born in Poland. He was
awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1978. In 1935 he
migrated to America. Singer,
who wrote in Yiddish and
translated his works into
English, has authored many
stories, novels and books for
children. 'The Son from
America' (1981) is taken from
'Collected Stories'
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