Part II The Cardinal’s Secret will be posted on 5 October 2021

Over 400 years ago there lived a nobleman who held a very important position in the Spanish royal court. He was the chief advisor to the King, who held him in high regard. For the King’s counsellor was so wise and knowledgeable that there wasn’t any matter on which the King did not seek his advice.

For many years the counsellor served the King faithfully. But as he grew older, he felt his duties becoming increasingly difficult. So he asked the King to allow him to retire.

“My dear friend,” replied the King, “if you find me someone who is as gifted as you, capable of replacing you, I will release you from your duties.”

The counsellor had no choice but to stay on.

One day the counsellor suddenly fell ill. The King immediately ordered his personal physician to treat his dear, beloved counsellor. But all the doctor’s efforts seemed to fail. The counsellor’s condition deteriorated from day to day, and he seemed to be at death’s door.

The King then sadly sent for his personal priest to hear the counsellor’s last “confession,” for he had been a devout Catholic all his life. The cardinal entered the room of the dying man, lit candles, and asked everyone else to leave the room. After the cardinal had carried out all he had to do, he took a last look at the counsellor, whom he, too admired and loved, and left the room looking very sad and mournful.

The doctor now returned, expecting his patient to breathe his last at any moment. But to his unbelieving eyes he beheld a different person! The unconscious counsellor was actually moving his lips as if whispering a prayer! Beads of perspiration glistened on his pale face and he began to breathe deeply; he opened his eyes and asked for a drink of water.

From then on, the patient began to make an amazing recovery. He got better every day, and a few days later he was even able to get out of bed. The King visited him and told him how relieved and delighted he was that his dear friend had recuper¬ated in such a wonderful manner.

When the counsellor had fully recovered, he sent word to the cardinal, asking the clergyman to visit him.

The cardinal came promptly, and the counsellor said to him, “First of all I want to thank you for praying for me when the doctors had given up all hope for my recovery.”

“If my prayers helped,” replied the cardinal, “I am sure it was due to the fact that you had served the King and country so loyally.”

“But I have the distinct feeling that your prayers, in particular, helped me; especially the short, strange prayer, not in Latin, nor in our Spanish tongue, which you recited repeatedly…”

The cardinal paled and started to stammer, saying “The Almighty accepts prayers in any language; it is only important that the intention be sincere and the prayer come from the heart.”

“But,” persisted the counsellor, “I am especially curious to know what that prayer was which you repeatedly whispered into my ear. Was it some form of magic?”

“G-d forbid!” exclaimed the cardinal.

“So what was it then?”

“There are certain things which a clergyman has to keep secret,” answered the cardinal.

“That’s just an excuse. Tell me the truth,” the King’s counsellor demanded.

“The cardinal wiped the perspiration from his pale face and remained silent.

“Listen, my friend,” said the counsellor earnestly. “When I lay unconscious, my soul hovering between life and earth, the prayer that I heard you recite repeatedly sank into my brain. I had never heard such a prayer from you before, but I had heard the same words come from the lips of those secret Jews, the Marranos as they were being burned at the stake. With the last breath they called out the words Shema Yisrael…”

The cardinal remained silent, but he listened intently as the counsellor continued:

“I have given this matter much thought. I have come to the conclusion that you are one of the Marranos! Not only are you secretly practicing the Jewish religion, but at the same time you are dishonoring the priestly cloth you are wearing…”

The cardinal’s face turned ashen. He seemed utterly crushed. The counsellor pressed his point relentlessly:

“As you know, it is the duty of every true Catholic to inform the Inquisition of any suspicious behavior of the secret Jews who are supposed to be practicing Catholics, but secretly continue to live in the faith of their ancestors. If you will tell me the whole truth and promise that from now on you will behave as a true Catholic should, especially as a priest, I will not inform about you to the Inquisition.”

For a while the cardinal remained silent. Then he quietly replied:

“It is true that I come from a family of secret Jews. When I was twelve years old, my father told me this secret. He told me further that in a year’s time I would be `bar mitzvah,’ and would from then on be obligated to carry out all the mitzvahs of a full-fledged Jew. He warned me about the terrible danger in which secret Jews have to live in Spain under the watchful eyes of the agents and spies working for the Inquisition. But, he said, we were Jews and had to face this danger. He further told me that he himself would prepare me for my bar mitzvah. This he did every day in a secret room in the cellar of our house, where we spent an hour in the morning and an hour at night. Here I began to put on tefillin. Later, when I became fifteen years of age, my father told me he was going to have me enrolled as a student in the Royal Seminary for the priesthood. He explained that as a priest I would have opportunities to help my Jewish brothers. I would have free access to every home and family without arousing suspicion. I would thus have the opportunity to encourage my Jewish brethren to keep firm their Jewishness as much as possible. There would also be the possibility of my winning the confidence of the inner circle of the Inquisition, and then I could do even more to help my brethren, warning those who were under suspicion, or about to be caught in the clutches of the Inquisition. All this, in fact, I was actually able to accomplish during these many years. The Almighty protected me from all danger…”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

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

Please share this story with family and friends and let us know what you think or feel about the stories in a comment or two. Like us on Facebook or tweet us on Twitter

If the stories are not shared they will be lost.

Please share this story with others