Diamond Earrings
A poignant story with a special moral to it. Chasing the amenities of the material world, we’re all like little children playing with costume jewelry ...
The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was just about five years old.
Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand at the dime store on the Natanya Mall, she saw them, a pair of glistening rhinestone earrings in a pink foil box, just waiting for a little princess with pierced ears.
"Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
"Ten shekels, sweetheart; in America, that’s more than $2.50. If you really want them, you can earn five shekels by giving me some extra help preparing for Shabbat and that way you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another five shekels from Grandfather Yitzchak…"
As soon as little Rivkie got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 80 agorot. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores, mopped the floor and folded her little brother’s undershirts that her mother had laundered and ironed. On her birthday, Grandfather Yitzchak did give her a beautiful book of Torah stories and another new five-shekel coin. At last she had enough money to buy the earrings.
Rivkie loved her earrings. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, to the synagogue, to the kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went had a bubble bath. Her mother said if they got wet, they mightbe ruined.
Rivkie had a very loving father and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story and say “Kriat Shma”. One night as he finished the story, he asked Rivkie, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your earrings."
"Oh, Abba! Not my earrings! But you can have my Kalla Doll with the long flowing white gown, or my stuffed rabbit, the one with the pink tail. Remember, Abba? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."
"That's okay, sweetheart, Abba loves you just the same." They said Kriat Shma together, he tucked her in, and kissed her good night.
About a week later, after saying Kriat Shma together, Rivkie's father asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your earrings."
"Oh please, Abba, not my earrings. But you can have my baby doll… The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her little feetsie pajamas."
"That's okay, Rivkel’e. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Abba loves you."
And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Rivkie was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, Bedouin style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.
"What is it, Rivkie? What's the matter?"
Rivkie didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy.
And when she opened it, there was her little rhinestone earrings. With a little quiver, she finally said to her father, "Here, Abbal’e, this is for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Rivkie's father reached out with one hand to take the dime store earrings, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a pair of solid gold diamond earrings and gave them to Rivkie. He had them all the time… He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.
That's exactly how it is with our Heavenly Father. He's patiently waiting for us to give up the cheap imitations in our lives so that He can give us the real treasure.
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