The Car That... Couldn't!

There was once a little red car that couldn't go. It sure wanted to go. "Umph! Umph!" He would try very hard. "I think I can! I think I can!" he said. But he just couldn't.

A big blue dump-truck passed by the little red car and went, "Honk! Honk! G‑d gave us such a beautiful day! Why don't you come and drive beside me?"

The little red car really wanted to go with him. "Umph! Umph!" He tried very hard. "I think I can! I think I can!" he said. But he just couldn't.

A big silver train, puffing out a big grey cloud of smoke, passed by the little red car. And as it did, it called out, "Chooooo! Chooooo! G‑d gave us such a beautiful day! Why don't you come and drive beside me?"

The little red car wanted to go so much. "Umph! Umph!" He tried extra hard. "I think I can! I think I can!" he said. But he still couldn't.

Just then a boy came by. He was wearing a yarmulke on his head, and carrying his book bag on his way home from school. He saw the little red car trying so hard to go. "Umph! Umph! I think I can! I think I can!" he heard the car keep saying. So the boy turned to the car and said, "Oh, little red car, you'll never go fast that way. You think you can do it all by yourself, but you forgot all about G‑d! It's G‑d that helps us do everything!"

Then the little red car remembered that it was G‑d that made the dump truck go and the silver train go, and G‑d even made the little boy go too. He thanked the helpful boy, and then he just started laughing. "Hee! Hee! Hee! Ha! Ha! What a joke!" He was laughing so much because he really had forgotten. He thought they were doing everything all by themselves!

And so, the little red car tried EXTRA hard. But this time, instead of saying, "I think I can! I think I can!", the little red car said, "G‑d can help me! G‑d can help me!" - and ZOOM! ZOOM! - off he went.