"Do not eat apples before the day of the Lord. Wait till the Lord in His love has made them ripe; until the seeds are black."
"What does she mean by that?" I thought to myself.
"Respect your father and mother," she continued. "I have no father or mother," I said.
"Then pray for the peace of their souls."
"Maybe they are still alive."
She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at me with a pitying smile. Then again she began shaking her head and continued in her singsong:
"The Lord God is good; He is righteous toward all and covers all with His rich bounty."
"That is just what I doubt," I said.
I saw that she started, her arms sank, and she remained silent, while her eyes continued to sparkle. Then she controlled herself and sang on, quite low:
"Remember that prayers have wings which fly even faster than birds and reach the throne of the Lord. No one has yet entered heaven on his own horse."