In a little town somewhere in Europe
Just about a hundred years ago
Lived a simple man his name was Yankel
And this is how his story goes
Yankel couldn't learn a blatt gemara
Why he barely knew to read and write
Deep in his heart he loved to do the mitzvos
But somehow he never seemed to get things right
He didn't know his brachos, couldn't say shma by heart
He'd daven shmoneh esray with his feet spread wide apart
Everyone would laugh and snicker when he passed them by in shul
Here comes Yankel am ha'aretz could there be a bigger fool
All the children would make fun of Yankel
Teasing him as if he were a child
But he never ever lost his temper
On his face there was always a smile
Now the Rabbi tried to learn with Yankel
So the young man would know how to cope
In one ear but then out the other
The Rabbi gave up there simply was no hope
His ivreh was atrocious, the place he'd always lose
He'd show up on Yom Kippur wearing shiny polished shoes
Everyone would laugh and snicker when he passed them by in shul
Here comes Yankel am ha'aretz could there be a bigger fool
Stubborn Yankel he just kept on trying
They all told him it's a hopeless cause
But he kept saying one day I'll know how to
Learn the torah and keep its laws
Now one night the Rabbi fell asleep in shul
Only to wake up when he heard a sigh
It was Yankel by the aron kodesh
And there were teardrops running from his eyes
He was saying "Master of the world I know you hear my prayer
And I accept my fate in life your judgments always fair
Yet one thing I must ask you, where else am I to turn
Could I not serve you so much more if I knew how to learn?"
The rabbi sent Yankel to learn in yeshiva
They all thought he'd lost his sanity
He'll be back in a week for certain
All the Rabbi said was wait and see
Yankel's now a famous scholar it just took a few short years
For the gates of heaven never close, they never close for tears
And everyone stands to shake his hand as he passes them in shul
Here comes Yankel talmud chacham how could we have been such fools