There was not a cloud in the sky and the bright sun was beating down on the Cohen Family as they pulled into the dusty parking lot.
"Wow!" Sara said as she got out of the car. "Look at that plane!"
"Yes," her younger brother said, showing off his knowledge. "That is a Sopwith Camel, famous for its maneuverability. It was one of the main planes used by the British during the First World War."
It had been Mrs. Cohen's idea to take the family to the model air show at Duxford War Museum.
"Oh Mummy," David was really excited. "Please, please, I found a beautiful working model of a Spitfire, it's not very expensive."
After looking at it, some discussion, and much pleading and promising, Mrs. Cohen had to admit that it might be worth buying. But it was not cheap.
"David will do all the washing up for a month," she said, starting to count the promises that he'd made all too fast, without thinking.
"You know what," said David's older brother Ben, "we could build our own model plane!"
"How could we do that?" David asked wide eyed. "They seem so complicated and detailed."
"Okay," Ben said, "let's look at the planes and see how they are made."
The two boys peered at the Spitfire.
"You see," Ben said, "they all have a body to protect the delicate parts from the outside, a motor which drives it, and a battery or fuel to drive the motor. If you have those three components, you are pretty much set to go."
David liked that idea, it felt better to make your own plane with your own design. And it did not mean a heavy commitment such as washing up and similar chores! Feeling more relaxed, he remembered something about the week's Torah reading.
"You know, this reminds me of what we learned in our weekly Torah reading class," David said. "The Midrash speaks about the Well of Miriam which came because of Miriam's merit, and that's why it stopped giving water when she passed away. The protective Clouds of Glory were due to Aaron's merit, and the Manna came because of Moses' merit."
"What on earth has that got to do with a model plane?" asked Ben.
"Well," said David, "the Torah protects us, giving us the power to be proud of who we are and withstand situations that threaten our Jewishness. That's like the Clouds of Glory, like the body of the plane. Secondly, the Torah drives our daily lives like the motor, that's like the Manna giving us food. Some planes have a big engine, others a small one, some people learn more Torah, others less. Like the Sages say that the Manna had different qualities for different kinds of people. Ordinary people had to cook it, but for a great person it was ready to eat."
"Oh, yes, I remember that," said Ben. "So that's the way Torah study is different for each person, like eating the Manna."
"Yes, and thirdly, the Torah is like water which reaches everyone everywhere, like the water from the Well of Miriam. That's why Torah is so important and part of every Jewish person's life. Whatever engine it has, every plane needs fuel of some kind. So the water dimension of Torah is like the fuel which keeps the engine going in my model plane."
"That sounds amazing," said his brother. "The Torah certainly is eternal and helps us get places. You'll see, our model Torah plane will zooooom."
