A wealthy rabbi decided to hire a wagon driver to take him to a distant village. The servant was a very poor man, who dressed in rags, his feet were wrapped with burlap because he had traded his shoes for food. He was hungry, and the rabbi noticed that he had nothing to eat for the long journey. Most wagon drivers would sing or hum a tune to pass the time, but this wagon driver was quiet, a sad and sullen look on his face.
When they pulled over to give the old horse a rest, the rabbi shared his bread and jam with the servant. The servant began to weep. “Thank you for your kindness,” the servant said, “It has been so long since I have been treated with dignity.”
The rabbi thought for a moment and then said: “I have an idea.”
“Let’s switch places” said the rabbi.
The rabbi took off his fine coat and hat and gave it to the servant. Then he took off his shoes and gave them to the servant. When the servant removed his rags, the rabbi donned the rags, even wrapping his feet.
The wealthy rabbi drove the wagon into a village. In the village he announced that a great and holy rabbi had arrived to provide advice and blessings to the Jewish community.
The townspeople greeted the servant, who they all thought was the rabbi, with a feast. The servant had soup, fish, and even chicken, something he hadn’t eaten for years. He even had a nice piece of rugelach.
Then the townspeople began to tell the servant about a very difficult dispute in the town. One man began to argue that he was right because of a particular Talmudic passage, the other man said that he was right because of a passage in another section of the Talmud – it was a bitter argument and it divided the entire town.
The servant stroked his chin and
closed his eyes. Then he said:
“My friends, the questions that you ask, they have been asked before in other towns. You may think that they are complicated, but actually they are very easily understood. In fact, I believe that even a lowly wagon driver could answer these questions for you!”
At that point, the rabbi, disguised as the wagon driver, walked in and began to answer the questions of the townspeople.
In the morning, the servant and the
rabbi left the village and switched clothing, but now, the servant began to sing as he drove the wagon.
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)