The Maccabee Kids: Honey Cakes for Heroes

By Neil Heilpern

In ancient Israel, a Jewish brother and sister want nothing more than to share their mother's honey cakes with the Maccabee fighters who teach them how to rely on God to make it through life's challenges. But they risk capture by occupying Syrian soldiers, who bully them simply for being Jewish. Will they be caught, or will they manage to reach the Maccabee encampment safely?

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543936278

Book preview

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Chapter 1 –

Trouble at the Well

Tziporah skipped and danced as she and her older brother Avraham entered the town square, swinging their empty buckets and singing a happy tune from her birthday celebration a few days earlier. It didn’t matter that all the buildings were covered with a fine dust from the desert winds and the danger they would soon face wasn’t even in her thoughts. As far as she was concerned, she was now ten years old, the colors of the buildings seemed so bright and everything was right in the world.

Avraham enjoyed Tziporah’s merriment. The more his sister laughed and giggled, the bigger his smile became. Then he would start giggling, causing her to burst forth with new laughter. When the children reached the end of the short line of people waiting their turn to draw water, he placed his own wooden bucket on the ground and started clapping his hands.

Remembering their game, Tziporah put down her bucket and began clapping with him. Back and forth, they softly touched each other’s palms with their own, and then loudly clapped their own hands together.

The town of Modin had only one well, surrounded by a short wall of crusty rocks to keep people from falling in. Everyone shared the well and took turns drawing the cool refreshing drink from the underground spring that brought sparkling water from the hills to this spot under their village.

No one else was laughing, like they used to when greeting each other at the well. Old wrinkled faces looked down, staring at dusty worn sandals. The children weren’t paying attention to the heavy sighs of the elders. For the last several years the Syrian army had given the Jews very little to laugh about.

The conquering Syrian King, Antiochus, had decreed that Jews must worship Greek gods and bow down to statues of Zeus. The Jews were not allowed to do Jewish things any more. Many people were punished or sent away because they sang a Jewish song or lit the Shabbat candles. Some were even beaten or killed.

Old Hagra – a neighbor who used to smile at the children but now always seemed to frown – was in line, waiting for her turn to draw water from the well. Every time Avraham and Tziporah clapped their hands loudly, Hagra’s head jerked back in uncomfortable surprise. Her shoulders tightened, drawn up closer to her ears. She didn’t like such surprise noises. The old woman wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips tightly, making her wrinkles seem so much bigger.

Hagra squinted her eyes, as if something was hurting her whenever she looked at Tziporah and Avraham. She shook her head from side to side. The old woman’s hands arose and she held them against her ears so she couldn’t hear the singing and laughing. A tear or two formed in the corners of her eyes and she wiped them off.

Finally, she screamed out loud at the children.

Be quiet, you two. Stop making so much noise. Go away.

She was so stern and so sudden that Tziporah tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground, scraping a knee.

Tziporah and Avraham became very quiet in an instant. They had been used to being told to do things in a harsh way before, but that was usually from the gruff looking foreign soldiers who bossed everyone around.

They kept their place in line, picked up their buckets and moved ahead a little at a time until it was their turn. The only noise they made was the creaking sound of the handle as they raised their buckets up from the cool, dark well. It was time to return home for their Shabbat dinner, so they each grabbed a bucket with both hands, turned and left the town square.

The sun was getting lower and they had to help their mother prepare before sundown. After that, it would be the Friday night of Shabbat and they were not allowed to do any more work. Their ancient holy text said God rested on the seventh day, and people had to rest also.

Chapter 2 –

Stopped by the Bully Soldiers

W e better hurry home, said Avraham. We only have two hours left before Shabbat begins and Ima needs our help with the bread and honey cakes.

They stepped up their pace, imagining the kitchen and their mother’s marathon cooking experience to prepare all the meals for the Sabbath. Doing any work was forbidden from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, the period of Shabbat. It was a time to take the mind off everyday matters and reflect on God’s loving Presence. If people worked all