There once was merchant who is very wealthy in many ways. He had a wife whose natural beauty shone bright every day. The rabbis of old wrote about such women when they said “The noblest of all ornaments is modesty. (Rokeach, 13^th cent.)”

The merchant traveled all over the world and trusted his wife without question. She wisely conducted his business at home while he traded in faraway lands.

The wealthy merchant was aboard a ship which carried his wares, when suddenly the sky grew dark and the sea became violent as a storm struck and huge waves pounded the ship. Everyone on board was afraid that the ship would sink in the storm. Merchants, travelers and sailors went to different places on the ship to pray that they be saved from life-threatening storm. The wealthy merchant prayed to the Holy One, blessed be He that in the merit of his wife’s wisdom, modesty and holiness that he be allowed to return to his loving wife and home. A stranger stood nearby and was amazed to hear the merchant praying and mentioning the merits of his wife, and commented, “women are easily swayed and most are untrue”. The wealthy merchant answered, “A woman of valor who can find? For her value is far above that of rubies” (Proverbs 31:10). The stranger countered, “Beauty has beguiled you, and passion has perverted your heart” (Susanna 56). The wealthy merchant laughed and replied, “you do not know my wife. It is as it was written so long ago ‘The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain in fortune.’ (Proverbs 31:11) It is because of my good wife that I am a successful merchant.” The stranger answered with a sneer, “I shall go and seduce her. What sign do you require of me?” The husband answered that she wore a fine ring on her hand, and if he brought it, then the husband would know that he had indeed seduced her. They risked all their wares on this bet.

The stranger went to seduce the wife of the wealthy merchant and could not even come near her because he failed to understand that “nothing is more precious to the Holy One then modesty” (Pesikta Rabbasi ch. 45). He returned several times but she paid him no attention. At length he bribed her maidservant to steal her ring from her, and then took the ring to the wealthy merchant. He gleefully took all the wares of the wealthy merchant as was agreed according to their bet.

The wealthy merchant returned home empty-handed. When the woman heard that her husband had returned, she prepared herself and put on a fine dress and happily went out to meet him, with all their long-established words of love and affection. Her husband did not even embrace her, but turned away from her and sent her away from him on the ship which had brought him across the sea.

He disguised himself, changed his manner of speech and behaved as a stranger so that she should not recognize him, and acted as the ship’s captain. The woman spent several days on board ship without food and drink, and begged the captain to give her some food. “Kiss me and I shall give you whatever you wish,” said he, but she refused .

The woman lived on dried bread crusts and water and when land was spotted from the ship, she begged to be let go.

The ship came to land. The woman went ashore and searched for food and found two trees. Being hungry, she reached up and took the fruit of one of the trees and began to eat. Her hand became leprous and she began to cry. She then went to the other tree and ate a fruit from that tree the leprosy was miraculously healed. She went and filled her bag with fruits from both of the trees and began to walk in the hopes of finding a town.

 

After walking for three days, she came to a large city where everyone seemed to be sad. She asked a woman she saw why everyone was so upset. “The king has been stricken with a terrible disease and if a cure is not found soon he will surely die. The woman disguised herself as a man and went to the royal palace. She told the guards by the gate that she was a doctor and that she might be able to cure the king of his disease. She was let into the king’s chamber and examined the king and saw that he had leprosy on his hands and face. She called to a servant and told them to boil some water and bring it to her quickly. She pulled from her bag one of the wonderful fruits that still had some leaves attached to it, she crumbled the leaves into the hot water and cut the fruit into pieces. She told the king to eat fruit and to drink the tea and then they waited. In an hour, the king’s face began to clear and in two hours leprosy had left his body. The king was very happy and rewarded her with many riches.

Woman was endowed with a special intelligence (Nidah 45b) and so the woman went to the seashore where the two fruit trees grew. She built a house and began to cure people that came to her with various diseases. Many months later her husband came and did not recognize her, as he was stricken with the disease that had taken most of his sight. She examined him and told him she might be able to cure him. She asked him what sin he was guilty of because that was the source of his disease. The merchant spoke and said that he was once happily married to a woman he thought was wonderful and modest, but he found out that she was not truly virtuous. The woman asked him, “did you ever speak to your wife to hear what she had to say?” The merchant thought and then told the doctor that he had proof that his wife was not what he believed. The woman told him to close his eyes and listen carefully and she told him because of his blindness was that he spoke ill of his wife and believed false gossip. As she washed his face and eyes, the man began to cry and when he opened his eyes she told him that she was his wife. His wife and told him that they can rebuild their house in trust and love.

After all, “A pious wife, remaining modestly within her domestic circle, is like the altar, in atoning power for her household” (Tanchuma VaYishlach 6).

The husband investigated the matter, and found out that the stranger had lied about her, and he was brought to judgment and was forced to return all of the wealthy merchant’s property and banished from the city.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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