Jacob the Baker: Gentle Wisdom for a Complicated World (Jacob the Baker Series) Read Online Free Page A

attention, and action—these were Jacob’s thoughts in the small kitchen over his morning tea.
    When he finished, the circle of the empty cup stared back at him, its rim running endlessly.
    Jacob drifted, cradled himself into the silent center space of the cup and found peace.

JACOB’S RIDDLE
    O ne night, while he slept, Jacob’s mind stepped onto Jacob’s ladder and posed a riddle.
    “To what heights can a person aspire?” he asked himself.
    “To the Number ONE,” he heard himself answer.
    “And after that?”
    “And after that, Moses came down the mountain knowing less than ONE would leave the world with nothing, and more would leave the world in pieces.”

WE CAN’T HEAR WHAT’S BEING SAID WHEN OUR FINGERS ARE IN OUR EARS
    T here was a terrible banging on Jacob’s front door. From the intensity of the hammering and shouts, it became clear to Jacob he had been unaware of the noise for some time. This awareness did not disturb him. He appeared rather to enjoy it.
    When the door was opened, a man with a puffy red face shouted at Jacob, “What were you doing?” Two others stood behind the inquisitor.
    “Thinking,” said Jacob, giving very little notice to the man’s anger.
    “Thinking?” repeated the man as if he were measuring Jacob’s sanity.
    “Yes,” said Jacob, who now closed the door behind him and headed off to work.
    The three agitated, middle-aged men stood blankly facing each other, and then, determined not to be left behind, they began after him.
    Moments later, Jacob stopped without warning and then, to himself as much as to them, answered the question they had asked earlier.
    “I was thinking about how many doors there are and how seldom we use them.”
    Then, again, he set off.
    In order to catch up and talk with Jacob face to face, the men had to increase their pace to almost a run. When they did approach him, they were too out of breath to speak.
    Jacob stopped and waited.
    “Thank you,” said the men, half-bent over, their hands on their hips.
    When the men captured their breath, they also revived their anger. The leader tried to bring all his authority to bear in his voice.
    “Look Jacob! I’ve seen you for a long time. You’re just Jacob the baker. Now everyone wants to ask you questions, and the children come to learn from you. What do you tell them?”
    Jacob was missing the warmth of the huge bakery oven. The sunrise was painting orange cracks in the gray sky.
    He searched his mind for a door these men might pass through and then spoke.
    “I will be glad to tell you what I have been teaching the children,” he began, “but first you must all agree to put your fingers in your ears.”
    The men did as they were told and stood as a jury directly opposite Jacob who again began speaking.
    After a few minutes, the men waved and shouted, trying to draw Jacob’s attention.
    “Jacob,” they said, “we can’t hear what’s being said when our fingers are in our ears!”
    “That,” answered Jacob, “is what I have been telling your children.”

UNDERSTANDING ISN’T WISDOM BUT HOW WISDOM IS OPENED
    A rich man came to Jacob and sought his advice.
    “Why must I give to the poor?”
    “Because they are responsible for your freedom,” said Jacob.
    The man was astonished. “How does giving to the poor bring about my freedom?”
    “You see,” said Jacob, “either the key to a man’s wallet is in his heart, or the key to a man’s heart is in his wallet. So, until you express your charity, you are locked inside your greed.”

CHARITY IS WEALTH’S HIGHEST REWARD
    T here was a wealthy man who only contributed to charity with great reluctance.
    The poor in the community prepared to take the man to court and charge him with theft.
    On a brittle cold morning, the man confronted Jacob.
    “What have I stolen?” he asked, his voice shaking.
    “The dignity of the poor,” said Jacob.
    “How did I steal the dignity of the poor?”
    And Jacob answered. “By giving only to the