SO, MAYBE YOU COULD S'PLAIN ME LUCY???

Ok, quick, I need your help. It all has to do with Baruch. Baruch? Yes, Baruch.

See, in order to stay in my writing group, I need to keep writing. So, once I finished my novel, Emma Shelby is No More, and sent it off to my two wonderful friends, E and J to edit...bless you forever, I had to start on my next book.

Not a tragedy. I love writing. And have wanted to tell this next tale for a couple of years. Well, there I was, hands poised over the keyboard ready to type my first sentence in my new book, working title 55 Jacob's Ladder, when all of a sudden Baruch appeared:

Every Friday afternoon, Baruch waited at the curb and listened for the sound of the cars coming to a halt. He knew that as soon as one of the drivers noticed his cane, they would all stop and impatiently idle until he made it safely to the other side. Everyone is in such a hurry, he thought as he waited.

Friday always was a short day as Jerusalem gets ready for the Sabbath. And no place in the city was busier than the Mahaneh Yehuda Market on a Friday. If Jerusalem was the heart of Israel, then Mahaneh Yehuda was its beat.

Armed with his white cane, Baruch was anxious to brave crossing Agrippas Street and get into the shuk. Just as he was about to venture off the edge, he felt a hand touching his elbow.

I had no idea who Baruch was and what role he would play in my story. But he just walked onto the page and into my heart. Now the entire story has changed and he has added depth and colour to my tapestry. I love Baruch.

Well, so what does this have to do with my needing your help? Baruch loves to quote old proverbs and sayings. And here is one of them: 'Ha possel b'mumo posel'.

Now, I always thought that meant something like, 'The hunchback never sees his own hunch'. Like we can see YOUR flaws but not our own.

Any ideas? Am I right? After Googling it, I ended up with a bunch of French sites and even though I studied French in high school for years and was pretty damn good at the time a few drops of water have passed along the Jordan since then and sigh and alas, the old gray mar, she ain't what she used to be.

Another translation I got was: 'The one who judges another is judging himself.'

I like my hunchback one better.

Any ideas? I would sure appreciate any insight you could give me as well as any of your favourite proverbs and/or sayings for our Baruch.

P.S. He's a special old fellow...looks a bit like B.G. (Ben Gurion).

Again, thanks for your help.

P.P.S. This week, tfu tfu tfu, I will finish the final edit of Emma, and will be sending it off to my to my brother Dovidle, and to my agent/friend/brother/mentor...you know who you are! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.