This wry 1965 collection of 14 Helm stories returns readers to that delightful fantasy town in Eastern Europe. You know, that place all the world's fools dropped when an angel flying over it accidentally tore the sack in which he was transporting them? From that day to this, we have heard of their foolishness, um, excuse me, their wisdom.

It's hard to say which of the 14 stories is the funniest. I like "The enchanted goat" (don't worry, he isn't really) and "Because of a blintz" in which Yossel and his silly wife Sossie run into some trouble over little rolled pancakes filled with sour cream.

But my favorite (and I think my children agree) is "The holes in the bagels." Mayor Gimpel, his grandson Abba and another Helm worthy travel from Helm to Vilna, the capital of Lithuania. After a night in a fine hotel, the three men assemble to discuss the fools in this city. (Now remember, this is in the Jerusalem of Lithuania, famed for its scholars and rabbis.)

"One is more stupid than the other," says Abba. "Worst of all, they have no sense of humor. As I wandered through the city, all I found was noise, hurry and bustle. There is not a shred of reason or logic in their behavior."

Needless to say, the wise men of Helm prove themselves foolish several times over. But the funniest idiocy in this tale follows their first encounter with bagels.

"Look at them," said Shloime. "Did you ever see baked goods like this? It is shaped like a millstone, with a hole in the middle and a ring of dough around the hole. But never mind the shape. Taste it!"

The next day, all three Helmites went back to the bakery and ate a dozen bagels each. When they could eat no more, they asked the baker to teach them how to make them. Rueben turned to Shloime and asked, "I'd like the baker to go over it again from the beginning. Especially, I'd like to know how he gets the hole in the middle."

Well those holes cause more fun before the tale is done. But to find out how, and a lot more besides, read a story a night. They'll last for two weeks. Then, like a good man of Helm, you can start over again. Alyssa A. Lappen

My grandfather wrote this book-I was raised on these stories, and loved them as a child. I now read them to my children and love to share all the morsels of a distant jewish culture, my roots, and theirs. I encourage all who wish to infuse a flavor of the world of the shtetl and the lives of Eastern European jews of past to read thos and his others, including my favorites, The wise Men of Helm, and the Wandering Beggar.