In God's Hands

by Lawrence Kushner, Gary Schmidt, Matthew J. Baek (Illustrator)

A Charming tale to remind us all that our kindness works miracles. “When the sun sets and stars fill the sky, the square in the little town grows quiet and still. The cool air of distant hills mingles with the sweet scent of baking bread. The moon rises and glows softly. It’s the sort of place where miracles could happen.” David and Jacob live in the same little, ordinary town, but it’s almost as if they’re from different worlds. David is so poor he can barely feed his family. Jacob is so consumed with staying rich he thinks about nothing but money. But the two men have one thing in common: they both believe that miracles are big, magical things that can only happen somewhere else, to someone else. But when Jacob wakes up from a nap in synagogue one day, sure that God has demanded twelve loaves of bread from him, all this changes in amazing ways you’d never expect. A delightful, timeless legend based on Jewish tradition, In God’s Hands tells of the ordinary miracles that occur when we really, truly open our eyes to the world around us.

Genres: Picture Books, Religion, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 27, 2005

Reviews

[Todd Strader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple, poignant parable wonderfully told. God works in mysterious ways and sometimes we are part of the plan unaware. I especially liked the way the illustration for God's breath or divine wind representing the divine will (at least that is how I interpreted it) was woven into every page.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story of how we are God's hands in helping others, even when we don't realize it.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author takes pains to tell us readers that David and Jacob are ordinary men who live in the same little, ordinary town. And yet this is going to be a story about miracles.

Here is where I see the weight of the rabbi's job. Having to explain his teachings to EVERYONE. This tone reminds me of The Four Children whose learning styles are built into a Passover seder: the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child, and the child who doesn't know how to ask.

The miracles in this story are different for David and Jacob. But both center around 12 loaves of bread, 12 challas.

Thanks to a wise rabbi, there are two happy endings to this story. At least.

FIVE STARS

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of feel-good sentiment here about how "each of us has the power the make the world a better place - working ordinary miracles with our everyday deeds." My only reservation is that this might lead some to think that there aren't any miracles that are supernatural.

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of two men, one rich and one poor. The rich man believes God is asking him to make loves of khale and the poor man believes God is making khale for him and his family. In the end they learn that one has been helping the other and both become the richer for it!

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of God's most consistent methods of operation: inspiring people of good will to help each other. Loved this story.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like this story, though I was a little disappointed that the message seemed to be that miracles are more human than divine. I'd still read it with my kids, but probably with some follow-up explanation.

[Margaret Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi Larry Kushner retells story that he also tells in his book The Book of Miracles. The rich congregant wakes up convinced that G-d has told him to bake 12 loaves of challah as a gift to G-d. He does so, but where shall he put them. He settles on the ark in the synagogue. Later the poor David comes in an prays that he has nothing to feed his family. He opens the ark and low and behold, there are 12 loaves of bread. It's a miracle! This goes on for weeks and weeks. Maybe months and months. The rich man bakes the bread, the poor man discovers the bread. And one day the rabbi spies the exchange...find out where the miracles really are.

Recently we used this with our littlest kids...and we hid Hershey kisses in the ark. It was great fun and really poignant.

Edit: This past weekend, we again used it with our littles. This time, to emphasize acts of lovingkindness, we had the kids bake cookies, one to eat and one to donate. The donation plate got hidden in the ark for the Shabbat morning crowd. Very effective. BUT one little kid said "I'm not sure about this book." He felt the pictures were too dark and scary.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, is a wonderful fiction story from the Jewish culture. It is about two men named David and Jacob. One is rich and one is poor. One believes he must bake bread of the Lord, and one is must get bread to feed his family. It emphasizes giving to the poor and having faith in a higher power. This book can be used to teach problem and solution in a literacy classroom. It can also be used to teach irony. Students will like the text because of the beautiful pictures and humor. An example of humor is when Jacob does not believe that God is really telling him to make the bread, so after his first batch disappeared, he told God he scrimped on the eggs. The author of this book has written a great deal of books on the Jewish culture. It would be interesting to read them also to further learning of the Jewish culture.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rich man, Jacob, and a poor man David are the main characters in this book. Jacob is always thinking of ways to make more money and David is constantly wondering how he is going to feed his family. One day Jacob wakes up in the middle of his church service (he usually sleeps through it) and feels called by God to make 12 loaves of bread and take them to the church. He does and David is lead by God to the church and finds the bread. Each man thinks that the work is entirely of God and one day the Rabbi calls both men in and tells them he saw Jacob leave the bread and David come collect it. The men are shocked and say that even though one baked what the other ate it truly was by God's hand. They became great friends. This is a beautiful story about faith and friendship that is a must read for children.

[Hannah Grosse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This encouraging tale of the loaves of challah, and the rich and poor men, is truly a wonderful story. My only concern would be that it downplays God's ability to do miracles. I know God works through people, and that He can do anything he wants, however he wants to do it. But especially with the words of the rabbi in the story, I never really understood whether or not Kushner wanted us to believe it was or was not a miracle. I know there are many debates out there surrounding miracles, such as what counts as a miracle or how miracles work, and I know that the entire point of a miracle is that it is unexplainable. I am just slightly confused on what stand this book is taking among all the different viewpoints.

[Tahya Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for Christian families. I do not recommend reading it in school because it is about God and some parents might not want their children listening to that. If you are Christian, I would totally recommend it as a night time story. I think it is good for kids to hear it at a young age and show them the power of God and how it is good to give even if it might seem crazy. I feel like you could read this book to any age kid, but it will be more beneficial to read to kids who are at the stage of comprehending what they read - so 3rd or 4th grade and up. The pictures are fantastic in this book and a great read!

[Chad VanDosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first children's book I have read that dealt with God and religion. I enjoyed it. It helps children understand that God doesn't do crazy miracles by himself, but he uses people to accomplish miracles. He uses people to be God's hands to help other people which turns out to be a miracle to them. It gives children an easy way to be God's hands and help other people when they can.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful picture book. God very often works his miracles through us for the sake of others. Are we willing to give and receive in His name? Sweet story, great illustrations. Wish our library had more of this author/imprint.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely book in which a rich man and a poor man discover the true nature of the miraculous. Beautifully illustrated as well.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional Jewish folktale