Friendship: The King and the Storm

There once was a king who loved to go hunting. One day the king gathered his friends and advisers to go hunting. They followed many trails and paths through the woodland.

In late afternoon the skies grew dark and the skies were streaked by lightning and the thunder roared as heavy rain fell in torrents. The wind blew strong and the king's friends and advisers scattered in all directions leaving the king alone. The king was afraid as he had never been alone before in his life, but he was determined to find his way out of the forest. So he began to walk. He had no idea where he was going and was quite lost.

The sun began to set and it became dark as night creatures came out. The king was terrified as he had never been in the dark by himself before, but he kept walking through the forest. After some hours he saw the distance a light and hiked toward it, as he got closer he saw it was a tumbledown shack.

The man ushered him into a roaring fire to warm himself. The man said, “You must get out of those wet clothes” and offered the king a coarse woolen tunic. The king put it on and smoothed it down and thought to himself, “this is the must comfortable clothes I’ve worn in a very long time.”

The man came to his guest and said, "I don't have much, but I can offer you kasha." The king ate the kasha, and it tasted finer that any dish served to him in the palace. He savored each spoonful.

As the king finished eating, the man noted, "You must be tired. You sleep in my bed and I will sleep upon the floor." The bed was nothing but a mattress stuffed with straw. This simple, plain bed was so comfortable that the king had the soundest sleep he'd ever had.

The storm passed sometime during the night. The skies cleared and the wind calmed.

The king was awakened by the smell of cooking food and fresh brewed tea. He ate and sipped the tea and felt the calm and happy.

About midmorning there was a knock at the door of the tumbledown shack. The man answered the door and the king overheard an advisor at the door.

"Have you seen the King?" “No, I have not." “Will you help us find the king for this is very grave for the kingdom?" “I will help by all means”, said the man.

Hearing this, the king came to the door and told the advisor he was safe. The advisor told the king, “Your majesty I have brought a carriage for you, guards and an escort to bring you back to the palace." "I won't go with you" "Your highness the kingdom can not endure without you." I will not go with you" Your majesty the throne can not remain empty." "Go back to the palace and I will see you there"

The king returned to his tea and conversation with the man. He left the tumbledown shack and returned to his palace in the man's buckboard. They rode into the capital city and up to the very gates of the palace.

The king insisted the man come into the palace and wait by the throne room doors. He quickly ran and changed into his royal robes. He went into the throne room and beckoned that the doors be opened. The man entered the great hall and began to walk toward the king and the king waved him forward. He came before the first step in front of the throne and there were whispers and chatter throughout the room. The king waved him forward, and he went up to the first step before the throne. The whispers became louder, but the king waved the man closer. The man went up to the second step before the throne and the king asked him to stand before him on the highest step and stand in front of him and the king then told the man to stand by his right hand.

One of the king's advisers burst forth and exclaimed, "Who is this man that he should stand at the king's right hand?" "He is my friend" the king answered. "He has no noble blood, education, wealth or standing. He is a nobody. He's a beggar and his clothes are an offense to the king! Why should he stand at the king's right hand?" The King again answered "he is my friend." The noise became louder as everyone was talking. The king stared from one side of the throne room the other and silence fell throughout the room.

The king began, "you who call yourselves my friends and advisers scattered and left me by myself because of some wind, rain, thunder and lightning. So this is the love you show your friend? (2 Samuel 16:17) A friend is not one who only shares the food, laughter and celebration with one another, it is the one who helps a friend who has fallen. A friend will tell you when you are wrong and stand by you when they don’t agree with you. A friend will nurse you when sick and console you when you are sad, and yes they will indeed share in your celebrations. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity (Proverbs 17:17).”

This man knew not who I was yet he treated me royally. He would treat any one who came to his door with the same honor, dignity and respect. This indeed is a true friend. Was he is not afraid to act upon what was in his heart." No one dared to speak a word in the throne room that day and the king continued, "From this day forward you who call yourselves my friends and advisers are banished from the palace.

The king appointed the man to be his only adviser as it says “One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend” (Proverbs 22:11).

1. If you had to write a moral for this story, what would it be? What do you think this story means?
2. Why do you think the man went out of his way to see to the needs of his guest?
3. What impressed the king so much that he also wanted the man to be his friend and advisor?

The Torah of Friendship

Yehoshua ben Perachyah said: "To live a good life you need to do three things: find a teacher, gain a friend for yourself, and judge all people in a good way." (Pirke Avot 1.6)

1. Which of these three things is most important? Why is it the most important?
2. Is there a connection between these three things? Is there a way that they all go together?
3. Make your own list of 10 things that friends should do for one another.

Excerpt from Teacher's Guide

II The Meaning of the Story

Goal: Students can answer questions about the "moral of the story."

Method:The teacher can ask these questions to the class and ask for answers, or the teacher can have students work with each other in small groups and share their answers with the whole class. Some good answers to expect:

1. If you had to write a moral for this story, what would it be? What do you think this story means?Friends are always with you, while some who say they are friends are only around for happy occasions. Answers will vary.

2. Why do you think the man went out of his way to see to the needs of his guest? He believed he was doing the right thing. Answers will vary.
3. What impressed the king so much that he also wanted the man to be his friend and advisor? The man wanted nothing in return for his kindness and helped the king without knowing who he was.

III The Torah of Friendship

Goal: Students will successfully interpret and answer questions from Jewish texts relating to speech and lashon hara.

Method: This activity — designed to be completed by students in chevrusa (learning partnerships) or as a class discussion.  The questions after the texts are thought provoking and therefore have no “correct” answers.

Text: Yehoshua ben Perachyah said: "To live a good life you need to do three things: find a teacher, gain a friend for yourself, and judge all people in a good way." (Pirke Avos 1.6)

1. Which of these three things is most important? Why is it the most important? Answers will vary
2. Is there a connection between these three things? Is there a way that they all go together? Answers will vary.
3. Make your own list of 10 things that friends should do for one another. Have students share items from their lists.

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