A man, out for a walk in the woods came across a bear. Frightened for his life, he ran as fast as he could to escape and hid in a cave. He was horrified to find that the bear followed him into the cave, trapping him. He closed his eyes and recited “Shema Yisrael” in anticipation of his final moments. When he is finished, he opens his eyes and is surprised to see the bear in front of him with his eyes closed – also praying!
The man thinks to himself, “how lucky am I to be cornered by what must be the only Jewish bear! He’s frum (Yiddish for observant; kosher)! We’re mishpocheh…and I’m not Kosher. I’m saved! He then listens more carefully to the bear’s prayer: “…hamotzi lechem min Haaretz.”
Remember this when you're hiking the AT this year! 😊