A Poor Boy’s Blessings At Sea

Posted on Monday, 21, January, 2013Friday, 26, July, 2024 by Rabbi

Once upon a time a certain boy went to sea aboard a ship. On the ship were people of 70 different nations. A violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up (Jonah 1:4) as giant waves crashed down on the ship. The wind, the torrents of rain and the waves the washed over the deck of the ship caused even the bravest to fear for life.

The people cried to the captain, “come save us from this distress.”

It did not help in the least, in fact the storm grew more violent. The people tore the hair of their heads in the hair of their beards and begged the captain to save them from the storm.

When they saw that the captain could not help them at all, they said to one another, “there is no value in our trust and admiration of the captain and his skills.” Look at this young boy, when he saw the storm beginning he had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. (Jonah 1:5) The men went down to him and said:

“look at the distress and danger around us, how can you sleep? Come call upon your G-d, maybe He will save us so that we shall not be lost.”

The boy stood below the ship’s deck and prayed to the Holy One, blessed be He, saying, “I pray to You, L-rd of the universe. Let your power and might and great name be known this day and remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to whom You talk and now let all the people admit that You are a G-d of truth and let them know that you are a merciful and gracious G-d.”

Prayer

The Holy One, blessed be He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. (Psalm 107:29), and caused a gentle wind to fill the sails.

When they came to land, each of them brought himself food, and they said to the boy, “buy yourself food as well.” “What are you asking of a poor boy like me?” Said he. “I have no money or wealth with which to buy.” You are not poor,” said they, “but very rich, but all of us people are poor for we cried to powers that did not respond but you, wherever you go, your G-d answers you.”

“You are indeed very foolish” Said he to them. “It seems to me that your gods who hang around your neck are very far away. But my G-d who seems to be far away from me when he is near at hand, as a Psalms says, ‘the L-rd is near to all who call upon him’ (Psalms 145:18) Moses also said (Deuteronomy 4:7), ‘for what great people is there that has a G-d so close to them as the L-rd our G-d is whenever we cry to him.'” At this, they all began to declare, “your lips speak the truth.”

All blessings begin with “Blessed are You” – as though man were addressing an intimate friend. (Sefer Raziel haGadol , 13^th cent.) Blessed be he who comes in the name of the L-rd. (Psalms 118:26)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Rose Honey instead of Hot Lead

Posted on Sunday, 30, December, 2012Thursday, 22, September, 2022 by Rabbi

One may ask: “If a person has done many things that are bad and hurtful, can they ever be forgiven?” The Holy Word teaches:

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return to Me; for I have redeemed you. Seek you the L-rd while He may be found; call you upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 44:22, 55:6)”

It is told that there was a certain man who had been wicked all his life, and he was well aware that it would be very hard for his repentance to be received in heaven. On one occasion he jokingly asked Rabbi Moshe ben Shem-Tov de Leon of blessed memory (1250-1305 c.e.) whether there was any hope for such a great sinner. The holy rabbi thought for some time and answered: “When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned” (Leviticus 5:5). The holy rabbi listened to everything the man had to say and then sadly ruled, “The only remedy and atonement for you is to accept the punishment of death as an atonement for your transgressions.

Then the wicked man asked him: “If I do accept a sentence of death, shall I have a share in the Garden of Eden?” “Yes,” said the holy rabbi; and the wicked man pleaded: “Swear to me that my place will be near you!” Then Rabbi Moshe ben Shem-Tov de Leon swore to him that he would be near him in the Garden of Eden. When the man heard this, he took a deep breath and expressed, “I prayed to the L-rd my G-d and confessed: “O L-rd, the great and awesome G-d, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands (Daniel 9:4) hear my words that come from the depths of my heart.” The sinner with his broken heart gathered up his courage and followed him to the central shul (synagogue).

Once there, the rabbi ordered that hot lead should be brought to him. They brought the lead, and he puffed air at it with the bellows until the lead was boiling. Then he sat the wicked man on a bench and tied a cloth over his eyes and said to him: “Confess all your sins to our G-d and accept your death as a return for the sins with which you have angered your Creator all your life.” At this, the man burst into a great and exceedingly bitter gush of tears as he proclaimed, “I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.” (Psalm 38:18). Round about him stood many of the community’s elders and sages. And then the rabbi said to him: “Open your mouth wide, and I shall fill it with boiling lead.” And the man opened his mouth very wide in the presence of all the people who stood round about him, in order to accept the fullness of death and so gain life in the World to Come.

At this, the said rabbi took a spoonful of warm rose honey and dropped it into his mouth and said to him: “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13) May your many sins depart from you and your transgression be atoned!”

The man, his heart sincere and broken began to cry at once in bitter grief: “Holy rabbi! For the honor of our Maker, the King who is King above all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He slay me now indeed, so that I may not see the evil of losing my soul; for why should I live. My sins have mounted higher than my head, from the sole of my feet to the crown of my head, there is no sound place in me; so what have you done to me? Why have you deceived me?”

The holy rabbi answered him: “We are taught: “The L-rd is near to all those who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth” (Psalms 145:18) For He cleanses a soul from sin, when he makes confession. (Psalms of Solomon 9:12) and “the spirit of man is the lamp of the L-rd, searching all his innermost parts.” (Proverbs 20:27). As long as the lamp of your spirit burns, there is time to make repairs. Do not dread and have no fear, for G-d has already seen all your deeds and has forgiven you. No go forth live by the Holy Words of the L-rd and sin no more.”

Thereafter the man never left Rabbi Moshe ben Shem-Tov de Leon’s house of study and spent his days in fasting and true repentance.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3) Please share this story with others

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Wisdom and Three Partners

Posted on Tuesday, 4, December, 2012Thursday, 22, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding….Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy is every one who holds her fast.

Proverbs 3:13, 17-18

Three close friends lived in a certain city. Together they decided that each one of them would travel to a different land and study a particular wisdom of that land. They agreed that upon concluding their studies, they would reunite and demonstrate what they had learned.

They did exactly that. Each one traveled to a distant land and pursued a different field of study.

After several years, the designated time arrived and the three friends came to the appointed meeting place. They were ecstatic to see each other once again, and once the initial joy had passed, they began to show off what they had learned.

“In the land that I was in,” said one of the friends, “I met an expert craftsman who taught me how to fashion powerful binoculars that enable one to see extremely far distances…”

“I,” said the second friend, “met a remarkable coachmen who taught me how to construct a wagon capable of traveling at great speeds. It can travel the lengthy distance of several miles in the blink of an eye!”

“And I,” said the third friend, “met an elderly doctor who taught me how to concoct an amazing medication capable of healing every type of illness!”

As they were admiring each other’s wisdom, the first friend displayed the binoculars he had made.

The friends took turns gazing through the powerful binoculars. Amazingly, they were able to see the capital city, which was a very long distance away. Looking inside the city, they observed a great commotion taking place. People were running through the streets in a panic, expressions of anguish and suffering etched upon their faces.

Adjusting the binoculars slightly the friends were able to discern the reason behind the commotion: The king’s daughter had taken ill, and the doctors had given up hope of finding a remedy. A proclamation therefore went out calling upon anyone capable of lending assistance. In addition, whoever succeeded in curing the king’s daughter would receive an enormous sum of money as a reward.

“It is a pity that I am not in the capital right now,” said the friend who had been taught the art of healing. “Had I been there, I would have presented the king’s daughter with a remedy that would cure her instantly. However, I am too far away…”

“That is not a problem in the least,” remarked the second friend. “Why, the coach that I built could get you to the capital in a matter of minutes.”

The three friends boarded the remarkable coach, and, indeed, they arrived in the capital in the blink of an eye. They stopped at the palace gates and immediately presented the king’s daughter with the amazing remedy.

Lo and behold, upon tasting the medicine, her condition improved considerably. Before long, she underwent a total recovery!

At that point, however, the friends began to argue as to which one of them was entitled to the hefty reward that the king had offered.

“If not for my binoculars,” said the first friend, “you would never have known that the king’s daughter was sick.”

“So what?” answered the second friend. “If not for my coach, it would have taken you a month to get to the capital city”

“You are both correct,” said the third friend. “But what good would it have done you to know that the king’s daughter was sick? And once you would have gotten to the capital — what would you have done then? Truthfully, it was only my medication that made all the difference!”

The king listened to their claims and after consulting with his sagacious advisors, turned to the men and exclaimed, “It is certainly true that if we are to judge on basis of what transpired in the past, it would be rather difficult to determine which one of you deserves the reward. But if we take the future into account…Let us see,” continued the king, “From now on, we will have absolutely no use for your wondrous binoculars. The same thing applies to the spectacular coach. We may very well require more of this unique medicine, however. Therefore, the reward shall be granted to the provider of the medicine!”

There are three partners in the creation of a human being: the Holy One, blessed be He, a father, and a mother. Yet when we desire to know which one of the three a man must obey and respect the most, we must realize that once a child is born, his parents have fulfilled their part of the partnership. Yet we are forever dependent on the Holy One, blessed be He, as He continuously provides us with life!

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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The Palace Owner Who Became a Beggar I

Posted on Tuesday, 20, November, 2012Thursday, 22, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Many years ago, in a great city before G-d, there dwelt a certain man who was an outstanding scholar and very wealthy and charitable and was praised by all. In due course the lights went out at noon and the wheel of fortune turned for him. He lost his property and grew so poor that he had nothing left but his body. But the man accepted the judgment and left his city and set out and wandered through many lands.

On one occasion he lost his way for several days and had no food left and was weary and so starved that he thought his end had already come; and he prayed to the Holy One Blessed be He. While doing so, he saw that he was standing in front of a magnificent palace surrounded by a beautiful orchard. In this palace lived a most wealthy man who was also a great scholar; and he had built himself this palace in the outskirts of the city so as not to be troubled by the city affairs and business. In this palace he also had his House of Study, where wise men studied the holy words of Torah (Scriptures). The poor man entered the House of Study, and the students quickly discovered that he was a learned man and at home with the Torah (Scriptures). They began to ask him many questions, and he answered each one of them according to the Holy Word. News traveled quickly and many students told the wealthy man what a great scholar the wayfarer was and he also came to his House of Study. He turned to the poor traveler and began to question him, and several hours passed in this manner.

When the time for the morning meal came, each of the students went to his home to eat, and the rich man also went to eat, but did not invite the poor traveler. It should be added that the rich man’s household was also conducted on a large scale but its doors were closed to the poor, who received neither food nor even a single copper coin. The rich man looked on the poor as slaves, not as children of the Holy One, blessed be He.

When the rich man finished eating, he went on discussing Torah (Scriptures) with the traveler until the time came for the noonday meal. Again he did not invite him to join, though the finest foods had been prepared. The poor traveler began to faint from hunger. He could feel that he was starving, and he tried to go to the city to find something to eat but fell to the ground and died, all swollen with hunger. The townsfolk found a dead man, and they took him and purified him and buried him without knowing who he was. The earth covered his body together with the rich man’s sin. But the Holy One, blessed be He knows all secrets and would sooner have the wicked become righteous than have him perish without leaving his wicked way; and He did not wish that the matter should be forgotten.

On one occasion the rich man sat at night in his House of Study, praying the midnight prayers mourning the destruction of the holy city of Jerusalem, though he was hardhearted, he was very religious and G-d-fearing. Hearing footsteps, he began to tremble, for he knew there was nobody with him, and he raised his voice and shouted: “Who goes there?” He was prepared to defend himself from the stranger in the dark.

Then he heard a voice: “Move away and do not touch me or you will perish.” He focused his eyes and then he saw a terrifying sight. The poor scholar was standing in front of him just as he had appeared, but he was wearing the shrouds of the dead. The rich man began to tremble and wished to run away, but the dead man said: “Stay here, for I have something to say to you. If you go, you risk your life.”

And then the dead man told him: “I am the poor man you studied the holy words of Torah (Scriptures) with. You forgot the holy words, “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns …. do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.” (Deuteronomy 15:7). Not once did you invite me to eat or share a meal, and I died of starvation in the street. I was buried and then I was brought before the Heavenly Court and it was said, ‘He who refuses a beggar the aid which he has the power to give, is accountable to justice.’ (Josephus, Against Apion ii: 27). There they have decided that I shall not come to my rest until I summon you for trial. “It would be fitting,” the dead man went on, “to have you perish in order to stand trial with me, but I have brought it about that instead you will take my place on earth and right the great wrong you have done to me and many like me, since you began and until this day. This you must do: Tomorrow come to the nearby forest where I shall wait for you and tell you the form your teshuvah (repentance) must take.”

Having said his say, the dead man vanished, and the rich man found himself alone in his House of Study, trembling with fear. With a heavy heart, he left the House of Study to go home and went to bed and began thinking of the vision again, turning this way and that on his bed like a sick man.

The Two Brothers

Posted on Tuesday, 14, August, 2012Thursday, 22, September, 2022 by Rabbi

There once was a wealthy man who had two sons living in a distant city. One of the sons was a successful businessman who had grown very wealthy; the other, a penniless pauper. It had been many years since the two brothers had last seen their father, and their reasons for this varied according to their personal situations. Due to his business dealings which were extremely time-consuming, the first brother was simply unable to spare the time to visit his father. The second brother, on the other hand, endured day-to-day hardships that did not allow him to leave home.

One day, the wealthy brother decided that enough time had passed since he had seen his father. He therefore resolved to take a short leave of his business and visit him. He approached his brother and suggested that he accompany him on his lengthy journey.

Upon hearing his brother’s words, the poor brother thought to himself, “This is a golden opportunity for me. As a rule, I hesitate to go around the city collecting charity, for this would be an embarrassment to my distinguished brother. However, now that we will be taking leave of our city I will be able to go from door-to- door in order to raise money”

The brothers set out on their long journey, each one with a different motive in mind. The first brother wished to see his father, while the second wanted to collect alms in places where he would not be recognized.

At the same time, their elderly father was sitting in his home and thinking, “I have two sons in a distant city who do not have the free time necessary to pay me a visit. I yearn to see them, but what can I do?” He immediately decided, “I will travel to them instead!”

And so he did.

Traveling on the road, the brothers met up with their father However; while the wealthy brother was overjoyed to meet his beloved father, the poor son lamented his lost opportunity.

A holy person’s sole intention when he eats is to maintain his body in order to serve the Holy One, blessed be He. An impious person, however, eats in order to satisfy his cravings.

If a person wishes to discover which category he belongs to, it is not very difficult to determine. Let him simply observe his reaction if he becomes satisfied before having finished his portion. A holy person feels great joy over having fulfilled his purpose in eating; an impious person, on the other hand, suffers terribly…

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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A Time to Remain Silent

Posted on Saturday, 4, August, 2012Thursday, 22, September, 2022 by Rabbi

The holy rabbi was in the habit of strolling through the streets of the village every night. During his walks he listened as many “lifted up their voice, and cried, and the people wept that night” (Num. 14:1) praying from their broken hearts to the Holy One. Blessed be He.

One night after hearing a heartfelt prayer from a small house, the holy rabbi went to the house of a certain bank manager who had left the ways of his father. The banker considered himself a modern man, not someone held back by old and outdated ways.

The holy rabbi knocked on the door and was greeted by a servant, who was a bit confused. The servant could not understand why the holy rabbi would come to the house of the bank manager, but invited him in.

The host received his distinguished guest with all the respect and politeness. The holy rabbi, for his part, took the seat that was offered him and sat for quite some time without saying a word. Considering that it would disrespectful to ask the holy rabbi directly for the purpose of his visit, the host whispered his question to the attendant, but was made none the wiser.

After sometime, the holy rabbi bid the banker farewell, and rose to leave. As a mark of respect, the host accompanied him in silence all the way to his home, but at the last minute, when he was about to leave, his understandable curiosity got the better of him, and he turned to the holy rabbi: “Holy rabbi, pardon my question, but it would hardly have been proper for me to ask when we were in my home, so I am taking the liberty of asking now. Why did you honor me with a visit?”

“I went to your home in order to fulfill a mitzvah,” answered the holy rabbi, “and, thank G‑d, I was able to fulfill it.”

“Which mitzvah?” asked the bank manager.

The holy rabbi explained: “We are taught in the TaNaCh (Scriptures), ‘Who is a mighty one like unto You, O L-rd?’ (Ps. 89:9). Who is like You, mighty in self-restraint? Though You heard the insults and reviling of a scoundrel, yet You kept silent! Gittin 55b-57a; Genesis. Rabbah. 10:7. Our sages teach that ‘Just as it is a mitzvah to say that which will be heard, so is it a mitzvah not to say that which will not be listened to. For there is ‘a time to keep silence, and a time to speak’ (Ecclesiastes 3:7)

Now if I remain in my house and you remain in yours, what kind of a mitzvah is it that I refrain from telling you ‘that which will not be listened to’?

“In order to fulfill the mitzvah properly, one obviously must go to the house of the man who will not listen, and once there refrain from speaking to him. And that is exactly what I did.”

“Perhaps, Holy rabbi,” said the bank manager, “you would be so good as to tell me what this thing is? Who knows, perhaps I will listen?”

“I’m afraid not,” said the holy rabbi. “I am certain that you will not.”

“Why do you believe that I will not listen to what you have to say?” asked the banker.

The holy rabbi answered: “You have said you are a modern man and not bound by the old ways of our beliefs. We are taught that ‘the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. (Amos 5:13).

The longer the holy rabbi refused, the greater grew the curiosity of the banker to know his secret, and he continued to press him to reveal “that which would not be listened to.”

“Very well,” said the holy rabbi at length. “A certain penniless widow owes your bank a great deal of money for the mortgage of her house. Within a few days your bank is going to sell her house by public sale, and she will be out on the street with nowhere to go. I had wanted to ask you to overlook her debt, but didn’t—because of the mitzvah of ‘not saying.’”

“Be realistic rabbi,” the bank manager answered in amazement. “Surely you realize that the debt is not owed to me personally, but to the bank, and I am only its manager, not its owner, and the debt runs to several hundred, and if so…”

The holy rabbi interrupted him: “It’s exactly as I said all along—that you would not want to hear. Even if I could ‘give you counsel, you will not listen to me.’ “(Jeremiah 38:15)

With that, the holy rabbi ended the conversation and entered his house.

The bank manager also went home—but the holy rabbi’s words found their way into his heart and gave him no rest. He remembered back many many years when he began in business and his father advised him to always remember that “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow” (Deut. 10:18). The banker paid all the money owed by the widow to save her house out of his very own pocket.

While thinking of his father, who left for the World of Truth many years earlier, the banker began to explore the ways of faith and became an observant man.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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A True and Righteous Judgment

Posted on Tuesday, 8, May, 2012Wednesday, 9, August, 2023 by Rabbi

The ancient kings used to put on plain, dirty, mended clothes, to disguise themselves from their subjects, and would then go forth to see what was being done in their country. As the ancient law taught, “You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; you shall not respect the person of the poor, nor favour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour.” (Leviticus 19:15)

Once, the king of Marrakesh and his viceroy went forth, disguised in torn and tattered garments. It was night, and they went to the marketplace to ask for alms from the Moslems who frequented the place. But no man gave them anything. They met one Jewish peddler, whose merchandise was old clothes, boots, and bottles, and he gave them one old coin. They had barely had time to thank him for his kindness when they heard an Arab woman say: “Jewish peddler! Come here! I have something to sell you!”

The Jewish peddler went to her, and immediately the woman tried to seduce him. “This we may not do for it is forbidden by the Torah (Scriptures) we live by and isn’t it forbidden by the Koran!” The woman let out a loud cry, and the Jewish peddler ran away.

The woman raised her voice and began to accuse the Jewish peddler falsely. “This Jewish peddler came to seduce me. He insulted me and attacked me.” The king and his viceroy heard the cries: “Come here Moslems and see what Jewish peddlers can do!^“

Soon people who heard the cries of the woman gathered and attacked the Jewish peddler. Who can tell what might have been the fate of the unfortunate peddler had the king and the viceroy not come forward and suggested: “Leave him alone! Do not kill him, ^“ Some answered, ^“This Jewish peddler is an evildoer and should be burned alive in the market place. Take him to the king for judgment. Let all the Jewish peddlers witness his burning and let them learn from his misdeeds!” The king reminded all present, “Justice, justice shall you pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20) from the king.

The Jewish peddler was led to the king’s palace for trial. In the mean-time he was placed in prison.

On the day of the trial a large crowd of people, men, women and children, gathered to see how the infidel would be tried for having insulted an Arab woman.

The king opened the trial saying: “Tell me all about the matter, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

The woman began, saying that the Jewish peddler had attacked her and wished to violate her.

“Have you any witnesses?” the king asked her.

And the entire multitude shouted: “We are the witnesses! We saw all that came to pass! All that the woman has said is true.”

“I believe you,” the king said. “But tell me, do I see rightly at this moment, camels laden high with merchandise in the heavens? Do I see rightly?”

The people stared up into the sky and shouted: “It is true, our lord the king! There are camels laden with merchandise in the heavens.”

^“Count me the camels,^“ the king commanded them.

The entire multitude looked up into the heavens. One shouted five camels, another seven and a third ten. Every man declared a different number.

“It is well,” said the king. “Let it be as you have said.” And then, turning to the Jewish peddler, he said: “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and count the camels.”

The Jewish peddler stared into the sky but, of course, could see nothing.

“I believe what you have said, my lord the king,” he said. “I believe that you have seen camels laden with merchandise in the heavens, but I cannot see anything.”

The king turned once again to the multitude. “Look up into the heavens again. See if there are any stars there, though it is the full light of day. I pray you, count them for me!”

All those that were gathered there raised their eyes to the heavens and cried out: “It is true! There are stars in the heavens!” And one said “Five stars” and the other “Seven stars” and a third “Ten stars”. Each one of them declared a different number.

Then the king turned again to the Jewish peddler: “You, too, look up in-to the heavens! How many stars can -you see?”

The Jewish peddler did as he was bidden and looked up into the heavens, but he could see nothing.

“My lord the king,” he said. “I believe what you have said. But I am not able to see even a single star.”

The king took out of his pocket the worn penny he had been given by the Jewish peddler, when he was disguised and roaming the marketplace together with his viceroy. “Look at this coin,” he said to the Jewish peddler. “Is it of silver or of copper?”

Said the Jewish peddler: “It is of silver, my lord. It is good silver. It may well have been mine, a coin that I spent.”

^“You are right,^“ said the king. ^“It was yours. This coin you gave in charity to two poor men, just before this incident occurred.” The king continued, “These are the things that you shall do: speak the truth with your neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates.” (Zech 8:16)

Then the king and his viceroy brought the perjured witnesses to judgment. Each one of them was given many years in the royal prison and the woman who had falsely accused the Jewish peddler they sentenced to death for lying, gossip and dishonor ti Islam and trhe king. The Jewish peddler they found innocent.

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)

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The Rabbi and the Sheikh

Posted on Sunday, 29, January, 2012Saturday, 24, September, 2022 by Rabbi

There was a holy rabbi who lived in the city of Damascus. He was a righteous man, perfect in his faith, and so well versed in all the seven wisdoms that there was no one to compare with him in that generation except a certain Ishmaelite sheikh who had a complete knowledge of the six wisdoms. The Ishmaelite surpassed the wise rabbi in one way: Anyone who had a sick person in his family used to go to the sheikh and beg him to pray for the sick. The sheikh would pray alone for about half an hour and would then say: “This one will live and that one die.” When the holy rabbi heard this, he was astonished and asked: “Can this Ishmaelite sheikh really be more holy and pure than I am, for the Books of Life and Death to be revealed to him? Do I not serve the L-rd and engage in His Holy Word and commandments all day long? Why could not I be like this Ishmaelite?”

So the rabbi called the beadle of the community and charged him: “Go to the sheikh and tell him: The rabbi has heard of your good name and wishes to visit and greet you, if you will permit him.” Now this Ishmaelite was greater than all the princes, and all the great princes used to send him gifts so that they would merit seeing him; they would come and prostrate themselves before him to obtain his blessing, while he never emerged from his palace and never showed himself to the ordinary people at all.

The beadle of the community went to the sheikh and repeated all that the rabbi had said to him, and the sheikh replied: “I have also heard what a wise man your holy rabbi is and wish to see him. Go and tell him that he may certainly come without delay.”

The beadle went back to the holy rabbi and told him the words of the sheikh; and he left to see the sheikh.

As soon as the sheikh saw him, he saw a new friend. The sheikh welcomed the rabbi with much honor and courtesy, gave him a seat and asked about his health. As they spoke, the sheikh asked the rabbi: “I have heard that you are a wise man, do you know anything about mystical wisdom?” The rabbi answered: “The Holy One, blessed be He has granted me a little of that knowledge.” The sheikh and the rabbi shared much wisdom and grew close to one another. They would meet once every week.

When the rabbi visited the sheikh they would speak of matters of wisdom until the sheikh realized that the rabbi was fully versed in all the seven branches of wisdom. Then he requested the rabbi to teach him that branch which he did not know. The rabbi answered: “I shall teach you if you teach me another branch of wisdom.” And the sheikh asked: “Which one is that?”

The rabbi answered: “I refer to your ability to pray for the sick so that the Books of Life and Death are open to you. That is a branch of knowledge I do not possess. If you instruct me concerning this, then I shall teach you the branch of knowledge that is hidden from you.”

The sheikh sadly replied, “You ask something very difficult and I cannot possibly reveal this to any creature in the world.” “Nor is it possible that I can reveal the wisdom and knowledge that is hidden to you” responded the rabbi. “Be it as you say, but it will be too difficult for you, and I fear that you will not be able to perform it” added the sheikh. The rabbi thought for a moment and assured the sheikh, “I am prepared to undertake even the most difficult task, and I shall do whatever you tell me.”

“Very well go home, and prepare yourself for a fast of two consecutive days. While you are fasting, immerse yourself every morning and evening and be very cautious in your deeds and in the meal that follows take care not to eat meat or drink wine. After you have eaten, go and immerse yourself again and put on white linen” instructed the sheikh.

When the rabbi heard the words of the sheikh, he eagerly replied: “I shall do what you say.” “Then go in peace, and come back on the third day and I shall tell you this great secret.” The rabbi went home and did all the sheikh had told him. He immersed himself and put on white garments; he did this during the two days of his fasting. He continued to fast on the third night, too. After he finished praying next morning, he went to the sheikh, who hurried to meet him and said: “Enter, blessed of the L-rd, for from your face it is clear that you have done all I told you.” “I am still fasting,” said the rabbi. “You are doing well,” said the sheikh, “and now come with me and I shall show you this secret.

So the rabbi followed the sheikh to a certain chamber, the key of which he never entrusted to anybody. The sheikh opened the door and both entered together, closing the door behind them so that no other person might approach. In the room there was another doorway by which they entered into a most beautiful orchard. In the middle was a cistern full of fresh water which came from the rivers Abana and Pharpar (see II Kings 5:12). Beside this pool was a bench on which were prepared two robes, one for the rabbi and the other for the sheikh. The sheikh said to the rabbi: “Let us take off our clothes and immerse ourselves before we approach the hallowed place.” So they took off their clothes and both immersed themselves within the pool. Then they changed their clothes and went together to the far end of the orchard, the rabbi wondering all the while what would happen. When he raised his eyes, he saw a most beautifully constructed building with pure silver doors on which all kinds of fine drawings, the like of which is not to be found in royal palaces. When the sheikh went to open the doors of this building, he told the rabbi: “Take care to enter this house in fear and trembling, and whatever you see me do, do the same.” Then he opened the door, and the rabbi saw a magnificent hall and facing it a small and most beautiful shrine, in front of which was a curtain embroidered with wondrous jewels and pearls. The sheikh entered the hall trembling and prostrated himself seven times towards the shrine. The rabbi trembled exceedingly and wondered whether there could be some idol or other pagan object of worship there. He closed his eyes, and said the words of the Psalm (16:8): “I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

Then he too prostrated himself as the sheikh had done, and a great awe descended on him.

And the sheikh said to him in a low voice and a broken heart: “Approach this shrine and open it, and there you will find what you seek.” The rabbi at once approached and opened the doors of the shrine, which were made of purest gold and encrusted with precious stones. Within the shrine he saw a most perfect and most beautiful tablet on which was engraved the shape of the Menorah in a very beautiful fashion. Above it was written in Hebrew: “I have set the Lord always before me!” And the letters of the Name of the L-rd were very large indeed. When the rabbi saw this, he rejoiced very much because he had not prostrated himself for no purpose. He stepped backwards and prostrated himself, and they both went out together.

Then the rabbi said to the sheikh: “You told me that I would find what I am seeking there, yet nothing more was revealed to me than what I saw.” The sheikh answered: “Brother, you should know that those large letters which you saw are the Name of that One who spoke and the world came about. When somebody comes to entreat me to pray for a sick person in his home, I immerse myself and in fear and trembling I enter this building you have seen. There I pray before the shrine, and after the prayer is over I open its door. If I see that the letters of the Holy Name are bright and shining, I know that the person will live. But if I see cloud and mist around the Name, I know that he must die. Now consider my affection for you, my brother, if I have revealed to you what I have never revealed to any other man.”

When the rabbi returned home he wept bitterly, saying: “Woe unto us for every day we pray, yet an Ishmaelite knows the holiness of the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He. This sheikh has achieved all this great honor, yet he fears and dreads the hour when he enters into the presence of the Holy Name. Alas, as for us, what shall we answer and say, since we ought to do far more than this and indeed be filled with trembling when we utter the Name of the L-rd.”

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You, O L-rd, my Rock, and my Redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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The Iron Wedding Necklace

Posted on Monday, 23, January, 2012Saturday, 24, September, 2022 by Rabbi

….our daughters as corner-stones carved after the fashion of a palace. (Psalms 144:12)

Many years ago, in the city of Chevron there was a holy caretaker who was in charge of the keys that opened the gate of the Cave of Machpelah. He was a poor widower who had an only daughter who was kind-hearted and beautiful. The time came when young girl reached marriageable age and was betrothed to a fine young man.

The poor caretaker worked hard to save money for all of the needs of his daughter’s wedding. He bought her a fine assortment of clothes and household things for her wedding day. In the midst of his happiness, The caretaker remembered that the traditions of their community demanded he provide his beautiful daughter with a gold necklace to wear at her wedding. Sadly, he did not have enough money left to buy such a beautiful necklace for his beloved daughter. The holy caretakers heart was heavy that he would disappoint his daughter and he became very sad. The golden necklace was a matter of great pride among the women throughout the city of Chevron, and poor girls lacking the proper dress had been known to cry bitterly for shame on their wedding days, some girls even ran away because they were so embarrassed. The holy caretaker was beside himself about what to do. He didn’t tell his daughter anything, for he did not want her to be sad.

As the wedding day approached, one night the caretaker’s daughter had a dream that she was standing at the gate of the Cave of Machpelah preparing to enter so that she could pray. Because every day, morning and evening, the Jewish people say, “In the cave of Machpelah, ‘Hear, O Israel [our father].’ What you commanded us we still practice: ‘The Lord is our G-d, the L-rd is One.’ ” (Deuteronomy 6:4) (Pesachim 56a; Genesis Rabbah 98:4)

In the dream, she was, holding the keys to the gate when an old woman with long flowing hair dressed in white came up to her. The old woman’s face shined with light that warmed the girl to her very heart. The woman raised her hand and touched the caretaker’s daughter’s hair and she said to her, “This big chain, with these keys to this holy place, should be your necklace at your wedding. This necklace holds a hundred times more merit than any necklace of gold and jewels.”

Then the old woman disappeared. The caretaker’s daughter awoke and, remembering her dream, decided not to tell anyone about it.

The wedding day finally came, and the caretaker’s face was gray with sadness about not having a fine gold necklace for his daughter. Many of his daughter’s friends came to help her get ready for the wedding. After she was dressed in her wedding clothes, she called her father over, asking him if she could speak with him alone. With a warm smile on her face, she said, “Father, dear father please give me the keys to the Cave of Machpelah. They will be my wedding necklace. They have much more merit than any gold or jewels.”

The caretaker was surprised by his daughter’s request as he ran to get the keys and gave them to his daughter. Wearing the iron chain with the keys of the Cave of Machpelah, The caretaker’s daughter was radiant. People said she was more beautiful with the necklace of iron than brides of the past with gold and jewels.

From that day, Hebron’s brides wore this special “Necklace of Iron” instead of gold and jewels at their wedding.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Good Fortune and Bad Fortune (Part I)

Posted on Tuesday, 10, January, 2012Saturday, 24, September, 2022 by Rabbi

Once upon a time there was an old man who was a widower with two sons who had been brought up without the love of their mother. When the sons were grown up (the older twenty-two years old and the younger eighteen) their father dreamed a dream in which he was told that within seven days he would die. The father called his two sons and said to them, “Within a few days I shall die. I pray you put me on a mare and let her go as she wishes, while you follow her. Wherever the mare stops, there you will bury me.”

The older son did not even want to listen to what his father was saying about his death and went away. But the younger son remained, weeping bitterly. “Remember what I say to you, my son!” the father said to the younger son. “After you have done what I have commanded you to do, you must obey your older brother. Whatever he commands you to do, you must do. For you, my son, are better than he. You must not disobey him.”

A few days after the death of the father the older brother came and said to his younger brother, “Our father is dead. Now you must give me all the money that there is in the house. And all that is in the house is mine.”

The younger son said only, “Whatever money there is in the house is yours.”

Some days passed and the older brother came again, “This house in mine,” he said. “I wish to sell the house!”

Then the younger brother replied, “Brother, as there is a G-d above us, help me at least to find a place where I may sleep. Do not leave me without a roof over my head. Do not sell the whole house!”

But his brother said to him, “There is room outside! You can sleep there, and do not speak to me any more.”

“It seems this is the will of the Holy One, blessed be He,” the young man said. “Do as you wish.” He left his home, and his brother sold the house.

Some time later the older brother returned to the city. All the inhabitants were afraid of him and showed him great respect, for he was very wealthy and they feared that he might do them evil. But in their hearts they hated him.

The older brother entered the place where his younger brother was sleeping, and said to him, “How are you, brother? There is a secret matter between us. Tell me, my brother, you say, “There is a G-d above.’ Whom does He desire, you or me? The evil or the good?”

The young man feared his brother greatly and said, “G-d wishes the evil.”

“I must ask people about this matter,” the older brother said. And he called one of the passers-by. “Come here! Whom does G-d love more, the good man or the wicked?”

This man too feared him and answered : “G-d loves the wicked more!”

“Now I have won,” said the older brother. “And now seeing that G-d loves me I will put out my brother’s eyes.” And without delay he did as he had said and threw his brother’s eyes away.

The blind younger brother wandered through fields and through deserts, but all the time he said, “This is the will of the Holy One, blessed be He. He is G-d in heaven above, and earth beneath,” (Joshua 2:11) and in this way he wandered and wept, feeling his way in the darkness.

One day he chanced to be in a forest and stumbled into a, tree. In that forest there were many wild beasts and poisonous snakes, but they did him no harm, for a cloud went before him and behind him and protected him. The young man placed his head between his hands, and suddenly he found himself up above on a tree.

In the tree were two doves, sisters, one of them blind. All the time the young man could hear them talking to each other and he could understand what they were saying. The dove that could see said to the dove that was blind, “Take a leaf of this tree, pass it over your eyes and you will see again.”

And indeed the young man heard how the sight of the blind dove was restored and how it flew away. So the young man also took a leaf of the tree, passed it over his eyes and prayed: “The earth, O L-rd is full of Your mercy (Ps. 119:64) L-rd, L-rd, G-d merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, (Ex.34:6) heal me, O L-rd and I shall be healed.” (Jer. 17:14) Suddenly he could see everything. The light of his eyes had been restored. The young man took off his shirt and filled them with leaves from the miraculous tree. Then he climbed down and said to himself, “If I go back on this road, that is where my brother is. I will go in a direction where no man knows me.”

The young man came to a city, where he found out that the king had a young daughter, who, though very beautiful, was blind. The king had decreed that whoever could heal his daughter so that she could see would have her hand in marriage and receive half the kingdom as dowry, but if the man who sought her failed to cure her, then his head would be cut off.

The young man went to the palace to save the daughter of the king. The guards laughed at him, “You have no clothes. You have nothing. How will you, a beggar, cure her of her blindness?”

The young man smiled and said nothing, but the guards denied him entrance to the palace. The young man told the guards: “G-d created medicines out of the earth, and let not a wise man reject them. (Ecclesiasticus (ben Sira) 38:2)). I will, with the help of heaven, cure the king’s daughter.”

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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Please share this story with others

The people cried to the captain, “come save us from this distress.”

It did not help in the least, in fact the storm grew more violent. The people tore the hair of their heads in the hair of their beards and begged the captain to save them from the storm.

“look at the distress and danger around us, how can you sleep? Come call upon your G-d, maybe He will save us so that we shall not be lost.”

The Holy One, blessed be He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. (Psalm 107:29), and caused a gentle wind to fill the sails.

All blessings begin with “Blessed are You” – as though man were addressing an intimate friend. (Sefer Raziel haGadol , 13th cent.) Blessed be he who comes in the name of the L-rd. (Psalms 118:26)

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

One may ask: “If a person has done many things that are bad and hurtful, can they ever be forgiven?” The Holy Word teaches:

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return to Me; for I have redeemed you. Seek you the L-rd while He may be found; call you upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 44:22, 55:6)”

At this, the said rabbi took a spoonful of warm rose honey and dropped it into his mouth and said to him: “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13) May your many sins depart from you and your transgression be atoned!”

Thereafter the man never left Rabbi Moshe ben Shem-Tov de Leon’s house of study and spent his days in fasting and true repentance.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3) Please share this story with others

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Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding….Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy is every one who holds her fast.

Proverbs 3:13, 17-18

Three close friends lived in a certain city. Together they decided that each one of them would travel to a different land and study a particular wisdom of that land. They agreed that upon concluding their studies, they would reunite and demonstrate what they had learned.

They did exactly that. Each one traveled to a distant land and pursued a different field of study.

After several years, the designated time arrived and the three friends came to the appointed meeting place. They were ecstatic to see each other once again, and once the initial joy had passed, they began to show off what they had learned.

“In the land that I was in,” said one of the friends, “I met an ex­pert craftsman who taught me how to fashion powerful binoculars that enable one to see extremely far distances…”

“I,” said the second friend, “met a remarkable coachmen who taught me how to construct a wagon capable of traveling at great speeds. It can travel the lengthy distance of several miles in the blink of an eye!”

“And I,” said the third friend, “met an elderly doctor who taught me how to concoct an amazing medication capable of healing every type of illness!”

As they were admiring each other’s wisdom, the first friend dis­played the binoculars he had made.

“It is a pity that I am not in the capital right now,” said the friend who had been taught the art of healing. “Had I been there, I would have presented the king’s daughter with a remedy that would cure her instantly. However, I am too far away…”

“That is not a problem in the least,” remarked the second friend. “Why, the coach that I built could get you to the capital in a matter of minutes.”

The three friends boarded the remarkable coach, and, indeed, they arrived in the capital in the blink of an eye. They stopped at the palace gates and immediately presented the king’s daughter with the amazing remedy.

Lo and behold, upon tasting the medicine, her condition im­proved considerably. Before long, she underwent a total recovery!

At that point, however, the friends began to argue as to which one of them was entitled to the hefty reward that the king had offered.

“If not for my binoculars,” said the first friend, “you would never have known that the king’s daughter was sick.”

“So what?” answered the second friend. “If not for my coach, it would have taken you a month to get to the capital city”

“You are both correct,” said the third friend. “But what good would it have done you to know that the king’s daughter was sick? And once you would have gotten to the capital — what would you have done then? Truthfully, it was only my medication that made all the difference!”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Listen to more stories told by the Master Storyteller, Rabbi Rachmiel Tobesman – The Treasures of the King, the Princess and the Peat Digger, Seven Jewish stories, on iTunes and Amazon or Coins, Candles and Faith, eight stories of faith on iTunes and Amazon

Having said his say, the dead man vanished, and the rich man found himself alone in his House of Study, trembling with fear. With a heavy heart, he left the House of Study to go home and went to bed and began thinking of the vision again, turning this way and that on his bed like a sick man.

One day, the wealthy brother decided that enough time had passed since he had seen his father. He therefore resolved to take a short leave of his business and visit him. He approached his brother and suggested that he accompany him on his lengthy journey.

The brothers set out on their long journey, each one with a different motive in mind. The first brother wished to see his father, while the second wanted to collect alms in places where he would not be recognized.

At the same time, their elderly father was sitting in his home and thinking, “I have two sons in a distant city who do not have the free time necessary to pay me a visit. I yearn to see them, but what can I do?” He immediately decided, “I will travel to them instead!”

And so he did.

Traveling on the road, the brothers met up with their father However; while the wealthy brother was overjoyed to meet his beloved father, the poor son lamented his lost opportunity.

A holy person’s sole intention when he eats is to maintain his body in order to serve the Holy One, blessed be He. An impious person, however, eats in order to satisfy his cravings.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Listen to more stories told by the Master Storyteller, Rabbi Rachmiel Tobesman – The Treasures of the King, the Princess and the Peat Digger, Seven Jewish stories, on iTunes and Amazon or Coins, Candles and Faith, eight stories of faith on iTunes and Amazon

The holy rabbi was in the habit of strolling through the streets of the village every night. During his walks he listened as many “lifted up their voice, and cried, and the people wept that night” (Num. 14:1) praying from their broken hearts to the Holy One. Blessed be He.

One night after hearing a heartfelt prayer from a small house, the holy rabbi went to the house of a certain bank manager who had left the ways of his father. The banker considered himself a modern man, not someone held back by old and outdated ways.

The holy rabbi knocked on the door and was greeted by a servant, who was a bit confused. The servant could not understand why the holy rabbi would come to the house of the bank manager, but invited him in.

“I went to your home in order to fulfill a mitzvah,” answered the holy rabbi, “and, thank G‑d, I was able to fulfill it.”

“Which mitzvah?” asked the bank manager.

Now if I remain in my house and you remain in yours, what kind of a mitzvah is it that I refrain from telling you ‘that which will not be listened to’?

“In order to fulfill the mitzvah properly, one obviously must go to the house of the man who will not listen, and once there refrain from speaking to him. And that is exactly what I did.”

“Perhaps, Holy rabbi,” said the bank manager, “you would be so good as to tell me what this thing is? Who knows, perhaps I will listen?”

“I’m afraid not,” said the holy rabbi. “I am certain that you will not.”

“Why do you believe that I will not listen to what you have to say?” asked the banker.

The holy rabbi answered: “You have said you are a modern man and not bound by the old ways of our beliefs. We are taught that ‘the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time. (Amos 5:13).

The longer the holy rabbi refused, the greater grew the curiosity of the banker to know his secret, and he continued to press him to reveal “that which would not be listened to.”

“Be realistic rabbi,” the bank manager answered in amazement. “Surely you realize that the debt is not owed to me personally, but to the bank, and I am only its manager, not its owner, and the debt runs to several hundred, and if so…”

The holy rabbi interrupted him: “It’s exactly as I said all along—that you would not want to hear. Even if I could ‘give you counsel, you will not listen to me.’ “(Jeremiah 38:15)

With that, the holy rabbi ended the conversation and entered his house.

While thinking of his father, who left for the World of Truth many years earlier, the banker began to explore the ways of faith and became an observant man.

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Listen to more stories told by the Master Storyteller, Rabbi Rachmiel Tobesman – The Treasures of the King, the Princess and the Peat Digger, Seven Jewish stories, on iTunes and Amazon or Coins, Candles and Faith, eight stories of faith on iTunes and Amazon

The Jewish peddler went to her, and immediately the woman tried to seduce him. “This we may not do for it is forbidden by the Torah (Scriptures) we live by and isn’t it forbidden by the Koran!” The woman let out a loud cry, and the Jewish peddler ran away.

The woman raised her voice and began to accuse the Jewish peddler falsely. “This Jewish peddler came to seduce me. He insulted me and attacked me.” The king and his viceroy heard the cries: “Come here Moslems and see what Jewish peddlers can do!“

The Jewish peddler was led to the king’s palace for trial. In the mean-time he was placed in prison.

On the day of the trial a large crowd of people, men, women and children, gathered to see how the infidel would be tried for having insulted an Arab woman.

The king opened the trial saying: “Tell me all about the matter, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

The woman began, saying that the Jewish peddler had attacked her and wished to violate her.

“Have you any witnesses?” the king asked her.

And the entire multitude shouted: “We are the witnesses! We saw all that came to pass! All that the woman has said is true.”

“I believe you,” the king said. “But tell me, do I see rightly at this moment, camels laden high with merchandise in the hea­vens? Do I see rightly?”

The people stared up into the sky and shouted: “It is true, our lord the king! There are camels laden with merchandise in the heavens.”

“Count me the camels,“ the king commanded them.

The entire multitude looked up into the heavens. One shouted five camels, another seven and a third ten. Every man declared a different number.

“It is well,” said the king. “Let it be as you have said.” And then, turning to the Jewish peddler, he said: “Lift up your eyes to the hea­vens and count the camels.”

The Jewish peddler stared into the sky but, of course, could see nothing.

“I believe what you have said, my lord the king,” he said. “I believe that you have seen camels laden with merchandise in the heavens, but I cannot see anything.”

The king turned once again to the multitude. “Look up into the heavens again. See if there are any stars there, though it is the full light of day. I pray you, count them for me!”

All those that were gathered there raised their eyes to the heavens and cried out: “It is true! There are stars in the hea­vens!” And one said “Five stars” and the other “Seven stars” and a third “Ten stars”. Each one of them declared a different number.

Then the king turned again to the Jewish peddler: “You, too, look up in-to the heavens! How many stars can -you see?”

The Jewish peddler did as he was bidden and looked up into the heavens, but he could see nothing.

“My lord the king,” he said. “I believe what you have said. But I am not able to see even a single star.”

The king took out of his pocket the worn penny he had been given by the Jewish peddler, when he was disguised and roaming the mar­ketplace together with his viceroy. “Look at this coin,” he said to the Jewish peddler. “Is it of silver or of copper?”

All blessings begin with “Blessed are You” – as though man were addressing an intimate friend. (Sefer Raziel haGadol , 13^th cent.) Blessed be he who comes in the name of the L-rd. (Psalms 118:26)

“In the land that I was in,” said one of the friends, “I met an expert craftsman who taught me how to fashion powerful binoculars that enable one to see extremely far distances…”

As they were admiring each other’s wisdom, the first friend displayed the binoculars he had made.

Lo and behold, upon tasting the medicine, her condition improved considerably. Before long, she underwent a total recovery!

The woman raised her voice and began to accuse the Jewish peddler falsely. “This Jewish peddler came to seduce me. He insulted me and attacked me.” The king and his viceroy heard the cries: “Come here Moslems and see what Jewish peddlers can do!^“

“I believe you,” the king said. “But tell me, do I see rightly at this moment, camels laden high with merchandise in the heavens? Do I see rightly?”

^“Count me the camels,^“ the king commanded them.

“It is well,” said the king. “Let it be as you have said.” And then, turning to the Jewish peddler, he said: “Lift up your eyes to the heavens and count the camels.”

All those that were gathered there raised their eyes to the heavens and cried out: “It is true! There are stars in the heavens!” And one said “Five stars” and the other “Seven stars” and a third “Ten stars”. Each one of them declared a different number.

The king took out of his pocket the worn penny he had been given by the Jewish peddler, when he was disguised and roaming the marketplace together with his viceroy. “Look at this coin,” he said to the Jewish peddler. “Is it of silver or of copper?”