He was an orphan who spent a great deal of time in the forest. It seemed impossible for the elders of the village to convince him to stay and study in the Beis Medresh (House of Study). So they decided to put the orphan’s great love of the forest to good use and assigned him the task of leading the children through the forest each day to school. This work changed the boy from a solitary young man to one who joyously led the children, singing along the wooded paths. The songs they sang from their hearts drifted into the highest heavens and were heard by the Holy One, blessed be He.

The Evil One, who leads many astray, grew afraid that the innocent and pure singing of the orphan and the children might free Moshiach (the Messiah) from the chains that hold him back. So he felt he had to bring the singing to an end.

So the Evil One decided to take possession of a woodcutter who made his home in the forest. Now this man had called upon the Evil One to witness his sins many times, for he was not even ashamed of all the terrible things he had done. So the Evil One called down the evil spirit of a sorcerer, whose soul was the darkest of the dark, to take possession of the sinful woodcutter. The Evil One put into the mind of the woodcutter a single thought: to bring to an end the pure song of the children who accompanied the orphan along the forest paths.

This sorcerer, who now possessed the woodcutter’s body, knew a spell that turned a man into a werewolf. So three days before the rising of the full moon, the sorcerer said the words of that spell, knowing that on the night the moon was full he would turn into a beast.

Now the orphan led the children to school shortly after sunrise, and they returned home in the late afternoon. During the winter it had already grown dark when they started to walk home. It was that on the night of a full moon the orphan led the children through the snowy forest. When suddenly, out of nowhere, the most terrible beast imaginable leapt out at them, howling in an unearthly voice, and frightening all the children. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the werewolf dashed off into the dark woods, and the children, one and all, started crying. Even the orphan was shaken, but still he gave thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He for having saved them from that terrible wolf. He also calmed the children and led them home.

Now many of the children were so upset that they were afraid to go to school the next day, or the next, just as the Evil One had hoped. In fact, a few of them started having nightmares of the worst kind. They cried out in their sleep and shed many tears. Many of their parents decided that they themselves must lead the children through the forest, for they thought the task too dangerous for the young orphan.

The orphan was very sad about this, for he knew that the singing of the children was the purest form of prayer. He grew angry that such a beast should be in that forest, driving out those who would walk along the wooded paths. He hoped he could find this wolf’s den, so that hunters might be able to get rid of the fearsome beast. When the orphan returned to the place where they had seen the beast, he found the huge wolf tracks and followed them through the forest. Suddenly, the wolf tracks disappeared, and in their place he saw the tracks of a man.

The orphan was much amazed by this. He realized that the wolf must be supernatural — a werewolf. He grew even more angry that something so evil should be in the forest. Then the orphan followed the tracks until they led him to the hut of the woodcutter. The orphan knew that woodcutter was not a pious man, but he had never imagined that he was a werewolf.

The orphan hid himself in the woods and watched the woodcutter for many days. Once in a while, the man left his hut, but the orphan never saw him cutting wood. Yet smoke was always seen rising up from the roof. The orphan wondered how this was possible, for the hut was too small to store much firewood. One day as he watched, a flock of birds happened to fly above the hut, and those passing through that smoke fell dead to the ground, one after another. This surprised the orphan, so he crept up and touched one of the fallen birds. Then he pulled his fingers back in horror, for the bird had been burned to a cinder in a single instant. That was when he realized that the fire, too, was unnatural. And he shuddered at the thought of the evil source of those flames.

Now three weeks had passed since the attack of the werewolf, and during that time the orphan had not been seen at the Beis Medresh (House of Study) even once. The rabbis again began to worry about him, and they asked the parents of the children to give the orphan another chance. He was delighted when he learned that the parents were again willing to let him guide their children along the forest path.

Once the orphan knew that the wolf was actually a werewolf, he knew that the beast posed a danger to them only on the night of the full moon. He decided that he would rid the forest of this evil. So, three days before the full moon rose, the orphan had a dream he would never forget. In the dream an old man came to him who said his name was Eliyahu haNovi (Elijah the Prophet). He revealed secrets of how the evil beast could be defeated once and for all. When the orphan awoke, he remembered every detail of this dream and he was sure that he would succeed, for that is what the Holy One, blessed be He wanted.

On the day of the full moon, the orphan led the children to school as usual, shortly after sunrise. That day he sang with more feeling than the children had ever heard, and when they joined in, their song reached to the highest heavens, sailing above even the prayers offered up that day. The angels gathered those songs together and wove them into a garland for the Holy One to wear as he sat on his Throne of Glory.

After the orphan had brought the children to school, he himself returned to the forest. He went to the very place where the wolf had attacked them, and built a fire. He waited until the fire had burned down, and when all that remained of it were embers, he banked them with ashes, leaving little holes for air. Then he returned to the House of Study in time to lead the children home. Once again, they sang in the sweetest voices ever heard. The Evil One shuddered at their purity and swore to silence their song forever.

Now the orphan and the children arrived at that place in the forest just be¬fore dark, and he quickly uncovered the embers and fanned them into a great blaze, warming them on that cold night and casting a great light. Then the orphan told the children to stand by the fire, and he used his walking stick to draw a circle around them in the snow. As he did, he whispered some words that the confused children could barely make out. Then he turned to the children and told them that no matter what happened, they were not to run outside that circle, for within it no harm would come to them. After that he began to sing, and the children, despite their fear, sang with him.

By then it had grown dark, and the full moon was seen rising in the sky. As soon as it shone upon them, the children heard the most terrible howling from the forest. One and all they began to cry out in fear, for they recognized the howling of the werewolf. The orphan told them not to be afraid, for Heaven would protect them as long as they remained within that circle. When the children saw how calm the orphan was, they stopped crying, though they still shivered with fear.

Then the orphan took his walking stick and put the end of it into the fire. Now he was very fond of that staff, and the children were stunned, for they could not imagine him burning it. But the staff did not burst into flame. Its end just glowed brightly when the orphan lifted it up. At that very moment they heard the sound of branches breaking nearby, accompanied by another terrible howl, this time so close that the children started to scream. That is when the orphan suddenly swung his walking stick around and around, so that it seemed as if a burning circle hovered there. When the terrible were¬wolf leaped toward them, he was surrounded by that glowing circle. It grew smaller as the wolf passed through it, and those who dared to open their eyes saw a great miracle take place: for as the wolf passed in one side and out the other, he turned into the woodcutter. And although this happened quickly, several students later insisted that they had seen a half-man, half-wolf, suspended in that flaming circle, before the body of the woodcutter crashed to the ground and began to smoke. Before long it burned to ashes, and then even the ashes disappeared. And Israel knew that somewhere that evil soul was being punished for what it had done and that it was burning in the fires of brimstone.

So the orphan gathered the children together and led them back home beneath the light of the full moon, which seemed to cast a path before them. The Evil One knew the bitterness of defeat and in the palaces of heaven there was great celebration.

When the people found out how the orphan saved their children, they wanted to thank him. But that night he disappeared, for that is the way of the Lamed vov (the Hidden Ones)

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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