I am going thru boxes of papers etc., tossing, recycling, saving and came upon the following, published in Preservation News [by the National Trust for Historic Preservation] and identified as a "Note found on the back of an old tea box":
A rabbi spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. "I will show you hell", said the Lord, and they went into a room that had a large pot of stew in the middle. The smell was delicious, but around the pot sat people who were famished and desperate. All were holding spoons with very long handles that reached to the pot, but because the handles of the spoons were longer than their arms, it was impossible to get the stew back into their mouths. Their suffering was terrible.
"Now I will show you heaven," said the Lord, and they went into an identical room. There was a similar pot of stew, and the people had identical spoons, but they were well-nourished and happy, talking with each other.
At first the rabbi did not understand. "It is simple," said the Lord. "You see, they have learned to feed each other."
