Tzaki and His Holiday Miracles by Avraham Feder, (illustrated by Lisa Cain, edited by Tzipora Ne’eman), (c) 2012, ISBN 978-1-937887-03-2; 48 pages, $14.99.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — The Middle East is renowned for flying carpets, of course. But have you ever heard of a flying sukkah? A mischievous boy named Tzaki, who tries his hardest to do all the mitzvot, learns during the Yom Kippur War that not only can his sukkah fly, but his etrog beats like a heart, and the other three species of the arba minim also have very special powers.
In these adventure tales, through the power of prayer and some supernatural occurrences, Tzaki is able to use his remarkable sukkah to come to the aid of the Israel Defense Forces in the sands of the Sinai, along the rocky shore of Saudi Arabia, and on a mission through the blizzard covered Alps of Europe. Moreover, young readers are thereby encouraged to think about how familiar objects can be recycled and re-purposed, a helpful spur to their imaginations.
Tzaki finds important uses for the magical sukkah not only on Sukkot, but on Chanukah as well. Author Abraham Feder explains the connection between the two holidays in the course of telling his stories. And if the sukkah can be of use on Chanukah, why not also on Pesach?
Some important aspects of this book, that parents will appreciate, is that although Israelis are threatened by various kinds of bad guys, Tzaki does not resort to violence to save the day. As in the Sukkot story when the sukkah and the four species are invested with special powers, so too do Chanukah and Pesach have symbols and foods that Tzaki, who is divinely guided, can put to good use. Not by might, but by ingenuity, are the skirmishes won.
Can you imagine a dreidel growing into a large gondola that can be carried below the flying sukkah? Or how about Passover matzot that can be broken into pieces so fine that they can mark a trail through the snow?
If you grew up on Superman, Batman or other super heroes–and loved stories when you were a kid in which the villains were easy to identify and the good guys always won–then you’ll understand the appeal that Tzaki may have for the elementary school students in your family. Not only does the boy Tzaki help adults out of jams, but along the way he also teaches young readers about the Jewish holidays.
You may obtain this book via Amazon. It’s something you might want to put as a surprise into your sukkah.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com