Story 35 of 100
The Consultation.
“Look, Rabbi, I have to make a decision, and it’s an important one, so please, I implore you — help me!”
“Of course, Moishe, what can I do?”
“Rabbi, my family wants me to marry this woman, a widow, she’s very rich, so I, and by extension, my family, will be very well off.”
“So, what’s the problem? Marry this widow.”
“But I’m in love with another woman.”
“All right, marry the woman you love.”
“But she doesn’t have two pennies to her name! I will have to work twice as hard as I do now to support myself and my family and her family.”
“I see. Well then, marry the rich widow.”
“But Rabbi, the widow’s not much of a looker. She’s so skinny, I think I’d be afraid to make love to her so I don’t break her. And one of her eyes isn’t always focusing on me when we’re talking, it’s wandering all over the place. Plus, there’s a mole on her chin, looks like a spider is trying to crawl out of it.”
“That’s not so good. Then marry the other woman.”
“Yes, she is lovely, but so poor. We’d have to live with either her parents or my parents for a while, and that’s no way to start a family.”