Two Men on a Bus: A Lesson for Tisha B'av

Where did the story take place?

What did the man in the story, Elishai, do for a living?

In the story, who sat next to him on the bus? Be specific of how he looked...

What did the rabbi do, specifically, for a living?

When the rabbi heard about Elishai's work, did he think it was important work, or not so much?

The rabbi's story: Review the story of what his family was like, and how this affected him as a child. What happened in the story that took place one Shabbat with the soccer ball? Who kicked it there? What happened?

What did the rabbi ask the boy, and what did the boy answer?

What did the rabbi do for the boy? Summarize the story in your own words. After Shabbat, what did the rabbi give the boy?

What did the rabbi offer to do for the boy after a few times they got together? How did the boy feel about what he was learning? How did this affect the boy in the future? What role did the rabbi play at this boy's wedding, at his son's bris?

Back to the bus: What did the rabbi on the bus (the boy from the story) therefore tell Elishai about his (Elishai's) work? What's the connection that the rabbi saw between his experience as a boy and the work that Elishai was doing?