Grab a seat, a bite to eat and settle right in.
Hugs, snuggles, stories and more.
And so many sweet things in store.
Welcome to Afternoons with Mimi.
Mimi, can I take a break, please?
This is so hard.
I know, my sweet.
Just two more words and then we'll be done with your reading practice.
But why do I have to read myself when I have you to read to me?
Reading is hard on my eyes.
It's tricky for me.
Oh, Neshama, I know.
It was a little tricky for your Ima, too.
Really?
But Ima loves to read.
She's always picking up books for Shabbat.
When she was about your age, your Ema also had some trouble with picking out her letters.
But we worked with our teachers, got her some glasses and extra help and figured out what works for the way she learns.
And we're doing the same for you.
Hmm.
I didn't realize Ema needed reading help, too.
Everyone needs a little help now and then, my sweet.
You don't need me.
Oh, yes, I do.
Remember how much trouble I had getting all of the groceries in the pantry?
Who helped with that?
Oh, me.
Correct.
You knew just how to stack every box to make it all fit perfectly.
And that puzzle at the library.
The butterfly?
It made no sense to me, but you figured it out right away.
Same with the brain teaser Uncle Joel sent me in the mail.
Exactly.
Everyone learns differently, Neshama.
And everyone has their own unique strengths when it comes to learning.
Baba is incredible with math and languages.
Ema is a whiz at making and building things.
And you can see solutions to problems I can't even wrap my head around.
Like the puzzle?
Exactly.
Now, we're so close to wrapping up this reading practice.
Let's try together.
Hmm.
Well, if you sit and help me with this last bit.
Afterwards, can we have a story?
Absolutely.
Scoot on over and let me get a look at this.
After all of that hard work, I think it's time for a treat.
And look what I have.
Halva?
Where did you get that?
There's a new market down the street.
You enjoy while I read the new book that came in the mail today.
Live your dream.
Hmm.
You know, this couldn't have come at a more perfect time.
What do you mean?
Snuggle on up and let me read you a little something.
You'll see.
Live Your Dream.
The story of a Jewish basketball all-star, written by Tamir Goodman, illustrated by Jim Madsen and published by PJ Publishing.
Tamir's ball bounced off the rim.
His brother Reuven grabbed it and dribbled around him.
Swish!
Swish!
Reuben scored the winning points.
Tears streaked Tamir's cheeks.
He had lost again.
Even so, Tamir couldn't wait for the next pickup game.
He thought about basketball day and night.
He wore a basketball jersey to bed.
He dreamed that someday he'd be a professional basketball player.
When Tamir talked about his dream, his mother gave him a special smile.
More than anyone, she understood he was serious.
Each week, Tamir's big family observed Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath.
They enjoyed a special meal on Friday night and attended services at their synagogue on Saturday.
From sundown on Friday night until three stars appeared in the sky on Saturday evening, the end of Shabbat.
Tamir prayed and rested.
In kindergarten, Tamir entered the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore.
When he tried to learn to read, he found it impossible.
Letters seemed to change places like the players on a basketball court.
Left became right, and right became left.
If Tamir couldn't read a word, he substituted a different one in its place.
Because reading was so difficult, Tamir tried to avoid it.
He acted like a clown in class and often asked for a bathroom pass.
The kids at school think I'm stupid, Tamir told his mother and father.
But inside, I know I'm smart.
His parents hired a tutor to help Tamir with his homework each morning before school started.
Harold Katz, the school basketball coach, invited Tamir to study at his house.
Take your time, don't rush, and write the way you speak, Coach Katz advised.
Even though Tamir's reading and spelling improved, he continued to struggle with schoolwork.
Finally, in high school, Tamir was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Your brain is built differently from other people's, the doctor explained.
That's why you have trouble decoding words.
You told me you love basketball.
Dyslexia might be a problem in the classroom, but I'm sure it has helped you on the basketball court.
It was true.
On the court, Tamir could picture in his mind where his teammates were located.
He could tell in seconds who would be open for a pass, even before the player himself knew it.
Tamir worked hard on his basketball skills as a point guard.
In one game, the score was tied.
Tamir grabbed the ball in midair and laid it into the net for the game-winning points.
He pumped his fists in the air as the crowd roared.
In the car on the way home, his father said, basketball is a blessing and you made a great shot.
But remember, it's important to practice humility.
Don't let success go to your head.
Tamir never forgot those words.
His fans eagerly watched Tamir as he dashed onto the court.
They gasped as he drove the ball with lightning speed into the net.
They cheered as he shot a ball backwards and scored.
They leapt to their feet as he made his 35th point.
Little did they know that Tamir couldn't read the scoreboard.
He had to ask his teammates which team was winning.
The more Tamir played, the more his game improved.
He learned that he couldn't control the game by questioning a referee's calls.
It was more important to focus on what he could control, drills, showing respect, and teamwork.
He discovered that if he had a bad game, it should not affect his self-esteem.
It was better to move on and try to play better next time.
At age 17, Tamir was ranked the 25th best high school player in the country.
The top U.S. sports magazine, Sports Illustrated, wrote an article about him.
They called him the Jewish Jordan, comparing him to famous basketball player Michael Jordan.
Major TV sports networks invited Tamir to appear on their shows.
In one week alone, he received 700 requests for interviews.
Tamir had become a celebrity.
It was difficult to deal with all the attention, but he remembered his father's lesson about humility.
Don't let success go to your head.
Talmudical Academy's gym was too small to hold Tamir's fans, so in his senior year Tamir switched to Tacoma Academy, a Christian Seventh-day Adventist school.
It had an excellent basketball team and a large gym.
Best of all, it treated Saturday as a day of rest.
Unlike most other schools, its teams did not play on Friday nights or Saturdays.
Tamir could be part of the team and still observe Shabbat.
Tamir made lots of friends.
He liked his teachers.
He continued to excel at his favorite sport.
Tamir had to make a decision about college.
The University of Maryland had invited him to join their top-ranked Division I team.
Although they tried to change their game schedule to honor Tamir's rule of not playing on Shabbat, they were unable to do so.
Soon afterward, Towson University, which also had a Division I team, offered Tamir a basketball scholarship.
He was thrilled to accept their offer when he learned they'd honor his Sabbath rule.
At Towson, Tamir achieved good grades.
Their basketball team won more games than they had in recent seasons.
But after a year and a half, an amazing opportunity came along that Tamir couldn't ignore.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, the top professional basketball team in Israel, invited him to join them.
His dream had come true.
Tamir moved to Tel Aviv.
Over a period of seven years, he played for four different teams in the Israeli League.
Tamir loved living in Israel.
He was with people who practiced their Jewish faith.
They understood his Sabbath rule, and he could spend time with his Safda, his grandmother.
While playing in Israel, Tamir had several serious knee and hand injuries.
He took time off to recover, sometimes for up to a year, before struggling back to the court.
His injuries, however, finally made it impossible to continue playing professionally.
At age 27, Tamir had to retire.
He was deeply disappointed.
After all, he had lived and breathed basketball his whole life.
Tamir thought about how he had overcome obstacles that had stood in his way.
Then a light bulb went on in his head.
Even though I can't play professionally anymore, I can share everything I've learned with young players.
Tamir quickly got to work.
He set up basketball clinics and camps for children and teens all over the world.
You don't have to be perfect, he tells young players.
Struggles can lead to success.
Just do your best and remember that you're important, even when you don't play well.
Today, Tamir continues to travel extensively teaching, coaching and encouraging children to live their dream just as he has always lived his
The end.
So, he also had trouble with reading when he was a kid, but it didn't stop him.
That's right, kiddo.
As a kid, Tamir is different from his classmates.
But as his story shows us, different can be amazing.
While Tamir struggles intensely with reading and schoolwork, his challenges turn out to be a gift on the basketball court.
His different way of relating to the world lets him see what others don't.
Kind of like someone else I know.
Me!
And he has an awesome life and wrote a book and everything.
Mimi?
Yes, my sweet?
Can we read it again?
Just one more time?
You know it.
Okay.
Live your... Dream!
Very good.
PJ Library wants Jewish stories to be accessible to all families.
If your PJ Library subscriber needs to receive books at a different reading level than you're signed up for, please reach out to us at pjlibraryorg.
For audio books and video read-alongs, please visit our YouTube channel.
Just search PJ Library Official.
Tonight, I'd like to transport you to Night Falls, a mystical place where a luminescent waterfall glimmers in a starlit clearing amongst ancient pines.
You can join me here every Sunday and Tuesday with a podcast of bedtime stories, created to help you fall asleep easily.
There's truly nothing more relaxing than a story told by firelight.
So search Nightfall's Bedtime Stories on your favorite podcast player and gather around the fire for a soothing tale tonight.
