Something From Nothing: A Jewish Folktale

The Jewish folktale *Something From Nothing* has no known historical written record and most likely originated as a Yiddish folk song. After reading a version featuring a grandson and his grandfather, my daughter and I were inspired to reimagine the story using women as the central characters.

This beloved folktale follows the journey of a cherished gift that continues to evolve throughout the story. More than that, it is an intergenerational tale celebrating family, love, creativity, and the enduring bonds between generations.

Please join us for this heart-touching story.

Transcript

Hello, And welcome to today's Read Aloud. Today's Read Aloud is special because it is a folktale written by me, Garuda Rita Harris Knisley Harris, And my daughter, Katherine Elaine Knisley. It is inspired by a Jewish folk tale with no written record, Only an oral tradition, Possibly a song. When Scarlet was a baby, Her grandmother Garuda made her a beautiful blanket. Her magical blanket kept her cool in the summer and warm in the winter. But as Scarlet grew older, The beautiful blanket grew older too. One day, Her mommy said to her, Scarlet, Look at your blanket. It has become too small for you have grown too tall. It is time to toss it away. Garuda can fix it, Scarlet said. Scarlet's grandma flipped it inside and then out. Ah, Now is the time to reimagine, Reuse, And renew. As her scissors went clip, Clip, Clip, And her needle wove to and fro, To and fro. There is just enough material here to create. A circle dress. Scarlet loved her circle dress. She would twirl and the edges would rise floating around her. And in those few seconds, Scarlet felt as if she could fly away like a bird. But as Scarlet grew older, The circle dress grew older too. One day while at the park, Her mother With her mother, Scarlet began to twirl, But her circle dress caught a branch, And the free-flowing dress ripped. Her mother said, Look at your dress. It's torn and a bit forlorn. It's time to toss it away. Garuda can fix it, Scarlet said. Scarlet's grandma flipped it inside and then out. Ah, Now is the time to reimagine, Reuse, And renew. As her scissors went clip, Clip, Clip, And her needle wove to and fro, To and fro. There is just enough material here to create. Pair of cool culottes. Scarlet loved her culottes, For they had secret pockets to hide her treasures. But as Scarlet grew older, The cool culottes grew older too. One day her mother said to her, Scarlet, Look at your culottes. There must be holes in your pockets. As you have dropped your locket, It's time to toss them away. Garuda can fix it, Scarlet said. Scarlet's grandma flipped it inside and then out. Ah, Now is the time to reimagine, Reuse, And renew. As her scissors went clip, Clip, Clip, And her needle wove to and fro, To and fro. There's just enough material here to create a long scarf. Scarlet loved her scarf because it could be used in many different ways. Scarlet wrapped her head on the cold blustery days and it made her feel safe and warm. But it did even more than that. But as Scarlet grew older, The scarf grew older too. One day in her backyard, Scarlet swung her scarf around a branch, Attempting to climb her favorite tree so she could see what the bird saw. When a rip tore through the scarf, Her mother said, Oh, Scarlet, Look at your scarf. It ripped in two. It will no longer do. It's time to toss it away. Garuda can fix it, Scarlet said. Scarlet's grandma flipped it inside and then out. Now is the time to reimagine, Reuse, And renew. As her scissors went clip, Clip, Clip, And her needle wove to and fro, To and fro. There is just enough material here to create. Handy handkerchief. Scarlet adored her hankie and used it for all kinds of things, Not just blowing her nose. But as Scarlet grew older, The hanky grew older too. One day while walking through the forest, She spotted a patch of red ripe berries and decided to bring some home to her ma. Scarlet's ma looked at the berries and Hanky and said, Thank you for the berries, But they have stained it red and it's unraveling thread. It's time to toss it away. Garuda can fix it, Scarlet said. Scarlet's grandma flipped it inside and then out. Ah, Now is time to reimagine, Reuse, And renew. As her scissors went clip, Clip, Clip, And her needle wove to and fro, To and fro. There's just enough material here to create. A beautiful bow. Scarlet cherished her bow as it would hold her hair out of her eyes on windy days and made her feel special. But as scarlet grew older, The bow grew older too. One day while walking on the seawall with her ma, A sudden gust stole the bow away and Scarlet watched it slowly sail into the mysteries of the water below. Her ma put her arm around Scarlet and let out a sigh and said, I'm so sorry, Scarlet. It is time to say goodbye. Even Garuda can't make something from nothing. That night at home, Scarlet's mom tells her the history of the bow. Scarlet responds by grabbing a pen and paper and begins writing it all down. Scritch, Scratch, Scritch, And says, There's just enough material here to create A beautiful story. The end. Thank you for listening. Namaste.

Reviews

What a perfect story! Makes me think how wasteful we can be with things these days! Garuda this is special and hope you write more. 🙏✨💞💫💕