"Isn't that girl in your class?" the twins' mother asked her daughters. "Why don't you go and say hello to her while I pay?"
The twins were in Sainsbury's, shopping with their mother, when whom should they meet but Galit Rose. Debbi and Leah looked at each other.
"Well, she is in our class, but we're not really friends with her. Nobody likes her. And she's always really rude to everyone," Debbi explained.
"Oh wow, what a wonderful chance you two have to do a really good deed, Mitzvah, and you're just missing out on it. What a shame!" their mother said.
"What Mitzva? Leah asked.
"The Mitzva of "Love your fellow as yourself." It's actually one of the commandments given in this week's Parsha".
"Oh Mom!" Debbi groaned. "It can't apply to people like Galit. She's just impossible to like. Believe me, Leah and I have tried to be friends, but she won't even let you be nice to her."
"That's just the point. It's not very difficult to like nice people. The challenge of this mitzva is to apply it even to difficult people. The commandment doesn't exclude anyone - obviously we have to love everybody, whatever their personality."
The twins' mother looked at her daughters' faces. She could see that it was not going to be so easy!
"Someone like Galit is a big challenge," she continued. "But that's what life is all about - facing challenges! And I think once she'd see that you really want to be friends with her, she'd open up."
The girls looked at each other again. "Well, maybe we could try," Leah admitted. "It can't really hurt, I suppose..."
A few days later the family was at supper. "Mom," asked Debbi, "could someone come and do homework with us after school tomorrow and stay for supper?"
"That shouldn't be a problem. Who's coming?"
"Can you guess?"
"Could it be Galit?"
"Yes, you were right, Mom. She's become really friendly - and not just to us, to others as well. And she's really funny and knows how to draw hilarious pictures of people. Thank you for your advice."
The twins' mother smiled gently.
