A king was traveling along the road, leading a large group of advisors and knights. Their journey led them to the edge of a field surrounded by a fence. Since they were pressed for time, the king ordered that the fence be torn down so they could pass through.

The field was owned by a simple hard working villager. He did not know the king at all and thought that the men who had broken the fence to his field were a group of hunters. He became angry and threw stones and dirt at them; one of the stones struck the king in the head.

The simple villager was immediately seized by the king’s men and brought to trial. It did not take long for the court to reach a decision. The farmer was sentenced to death for his crime of rebelling against the king.

Seeing that the villager had entirely no grasp of just how serious his act had been, the king had mercy on him and annulled the verdict.

The villager would not go unpunished, however, as the king ordered him to clean the streets of the capital city.

The man was first instructed to clean the streets that were quite a distance away from the king’s palace. Next he cleaned the areas immediately surrounding the palace, and ultimately the king’s courtyard. With each area that he cleaned, the villager began to understand the scale of the kingdom and just how powerful and awesome the king truly was. Having arrived at this understanding, it also dawned on him to what degree he had wronged the king and just how severe his crime had been.

When he had concluded his task, he turned to the minister in charge and requested that he bring him before the king so that he would be able to ask him for his forgiveness.

A man who sins does not have any understanding of the greatness of G-d and therefore stumble and sins on occasion. Had he understood how powerful and awesome the Holy One, blessed be He is, he would plead and request for forgiveness for his soul.

May you be inscribed for a year of blessings, sweetness, success and health

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)

Rachmiel Tobesman is a motivational speaker and Maggid (spiritual Storyteller). He is available for speaking engagements or storytelling, Click here to contact us

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