One day the holy rabbi set out on a journey. His students asked where he was going, all he would say was, “Someone needs our help.”
The holy rabbi invited three of his devoted students to join him. They walked down the road discussing Torah and were quite unaware of where they were going. When the sun began to set, the students wondered where they would spend the night. At last one of them asked the holy rabbi, and all he would say was “Der Eybishter vet tsushteln (The One above will provide.)”
Then, just as darkness was falling, the holy rabbi and his students arrived at an inn. The students had never been to this inn before, so they were delighted to find that it was run by a Jewish man and his wife. Now the innkeeper was honored that the holy rabbi was a guest at his inn, and he treated him with great respect.
The holy rabbi and his students joined the other guests for ma’ariv (evening prayers). All together there were ten men, just enough to make a minyan. After that the innkeeper’s wife served a fine meal, and the guests stayed up for many hours discussing the Torah. It was late when the innkeeper showed the students to their rooms. Before the innkeeper left the holy rabbi, he asked, “Rabbi, could I speak to you in private?”
“Surely,” answered the holy rabbi, and he offered the innkeeper a chair. When the man was seated, he told holy rabbi his story:
“My wife and I have been married for ten years, and we love each other very much, but there is one sadness that fills our lives and overshadows everything else.” The holy rabbi looked closely at the man and saw that he did, indeed, seem to be sad. He asked “Yes, what is it ?” The innkeeper answered, “There is nothing in the world that we long for more than a child of our own. Sadly, G-d has not blessed us with a son or daughter. Rabbi, is there anything you can do to help us?”
The holy rabbi answered, “It is late and I am tired. Let me think about this overnight, and in the morning I’ll let you know if there is anything I can do.” The innkeeper was pleased with this reply and took his leave of the holy rabbi. Soon the holy rabbi and his students were all sound asleep, but in the middle of the night, the holy rabbi began to cry out, waking everyone in the inn. They came running to see what had happened.
When they came in, they found Holy rabbi sitting up in bed, with a dazed look. He ignored all those who had gathered there. Instead, he took a book out of his bag, closed his eyes, and opened it, pointing to a passage. Then he opened his eyes, read what was written there, nodded, closed the book, and put it away. Then he turned to everyone gathered there and said, “Everyone can go back to sleep. I will be all right. Goodnight.” Then everyone went back to sleep, except for the innkeeper and his wife, who didn’t get a wink of sleep, for they were very curious to know what the rabbi would tell them.
The next day, after morning prayers, Holy rabbi signaled for the innkeeper and his wife to join him. When they were alone he said, “Tell me, were the walls of this inn built out of saplings that were cut down before their time?” The innkeeper and his wife looked at each other, and the innkeeper said, “Yes, rabbi, it is true. But how did you know?”
The holy rabbi said, “All night I dreamed I was surrounded by the bodies of the dead. I was very frightened. When I awoke and opened that book, the words I read there were ‘Cutting down a tree before its time is the same as killing a soul.’ That is how I learned that it was the souls of the trees crying out to me. So too did I learn why you and your wife can’t have children.”
“Rabbi,” cried the innkeeper, “What possible connection could there be?”
Holy rabbi said, “There is an angel named Lailah, who is the angel of conception. It is Lailah who delivers the soul of the unborn child. But each time Lailah approaches your inn to bring you the blessing of a child, she is driven back by the sighs and moans and cries of the souls of the trees that were cut down too soon.”
“Oh, Rabbi, that is terrible,” said the innkeeper. “Is there anything we can do about it?”
“Yes,” said Holy rabbi. “You must plant trees. Plant twice as many trees as you cut down. Take good care of them and see that none are cut down. If you do this for three years, you will be blessed with a child.”
The couple was overjoyed to hear this and the innkeeper thanked the holy rabbi for revealing this mystery to them. And that very day, even before Holy rabbi and his students took their leave, they began planting trees.
All the trees that the couple planted grew tall and strong. And after three years, Lailah returned to their home. Then the lullaby of the living trees soothed the cries of the trees that had been cut down, so that Lailah was able to reach the couple’s house, tap on their window three times, and bless them with a child. And every year after that the innkeeper’s wife gave birth to another child, until they had seven children, and all of them were as tall and straight and strong as a fine tree.
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)
