There were two men who very close friends, and their souls were intertwined together. Sadly, a great war separated them and they had to live in two different kingdoms. Once one of them came to his friend’s city and the king was informed by his friends and advisors and believed the visiting man was a spy because he came from the kingdom of his enemy.

The king ordered that the man be arrested and brought before him. Since the king’s advisors and friends accused the man of being a spy, he was condemned to death. When he saw that there was no escape from the king’s sentence, he fell before him and asked for one act of mercy. “What is it?” asked the king, and the man answered: “Your majesty, I was a great merchant and I gave all my goods to men on trust and never wrote any documents; and my wife and children do not know who they are. If I die without informing them who my customers are and do not write documents with them, my children will be paupers. Now permit me to go and do this, and I shall return.” “Who will believe that you will return?” said the king. “Your majesty,” he answered, “my friend and companion who lives in this city will be security for me.” So the king asked his friend: “Will you be security that if he does not return by the time I set for him, you will die?” “Yes, your majesty,” said he. “I offer my life as security for the life of my friend and companion.” “Upon my soul,” said the king, “I don’t believe that such a friendship can be so strong. I must see whether this great thing can be.” He gave the merchant a month’s time to leave and return.

On the last day of the month the king waited all day to see whether the man would come. The sun was setting and the merchant had not yet returned, so the king ordered that his friend should be brought from prison to have his head cut off. They took him out into the main street, walked him up to the block, forced him to his kness and the sword was at his neck when there suddenly came a noise in the city: “See, the merchant has returned.”

The merchant came and saw his friend about to be slain. He helped his companion rise from his knees and placed the sword on his own neck, but his friend also took hold of it. The two friends began to argue as one said: “I must die.” Then the other said: “I must die for you!” The king saw that this final deed was more astounding than the earlier one. He and his friends and advisors were greatly amazed. He ordered the sword to be taken away from both of them and pardoned them and rewarded them very much for he had learned a great lesson from them. That “there are friends that one has to his own hurt; but there is a friend that sticks closer than one’s nearest kin.” (Proverbs 18:24). The king stood up and asked them: “I have a request of you, since there is so great love and friendship between you, let me join you as a third. Your friendship is more valuable than all the gold in the royal treasury, besides ‘he who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure’ (Sirach 6:14) ‘” From that day forward they were the king’s companions.

And it was in this spirit that our sages of blessed memory said in Pirke Avos (1.6): “Acquire yourself a friend.”

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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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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