Once upon a time merchants were traveling when the ship a certain Sage was with them. “Where’s your merchandise?” They asked him; and he answered, “It lies hidden in my safe on the ship.” They searched through the whole ship and found nothing and began to mock him.

When they came to port, the custom officers came on board and took all the ship contained and left nothing there. The Sage came off of the ship and went to the House of Study where he began teaching Torah (Scriptures). The people showed him great honor and invited him to eat and drink with them. Not long afterwards the merchants who had traveled on the ship with him came to and said, “please speak on our behalf to the town folk so that they should have pity upon us, otherwise we shall perish with hunger.” He did so, and because of his intervention much honor was shown to all his shipmates.

From this we can learn that as the book of Proverbs says (3:14):

“For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver and the profit of it is better than fine gold.”

One should never say I am not a scholar like the sage, because I never studied Torah as he did. The Torah (Scriptures) brings a man to wisdom. Do not say that another is brave and I am not brave, for the only brave man is one who subdues his impulses in order to do the will of his Maker. As is written in the Psalms (103:20): “blessed be the L-rd, you His angels, mighty beings, who do His bidding!”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

Click here for more storytelling resources

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