Two men are waiting on a train platform late in the afternoon. One is younger, clearly in a hurry. The other is older, calm, and completely unbothered. The younger man glances at his phone, frowns, then turns to the older man and asks politely, “Excuse me, do you have the time?”
The older man says nothing, staring straight ahead.
A few minutes pass. The younger man shifts his weight, checks the empty tracks, and asks again, a little louder this time. Still no response.
Finally, thoroughly annoyed, the younger man blurts out, “I don’t understand. Why won’t you answer me when I ask you for the time?”
The older man sighs deeply and turns to him. “You see, if I tell you the time, we’ll start talking. Then the train will come, you’ll sit next to me, and we’ll get to know each other. Before I know it, I’ll invite you to my house for Shabbat dinner. You’ll meet my daughter, you’ll like each other, and next thing I know, you’re engaged.”
He pauses, then adds, “And tell me—why would I want a son-in-law who can’t even afford a watch?”
