This is Part 1 of a 4 part Jewish fairy tale from the Middle East

In a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess who never spoke to anyone. She was so silent that many people assumed she was mute. Her father, the king, was certain that she could speak, but that she had chosen, for reasons of her own, to remain silent. The king saw that his daughter would constantly study and believed she did not speak because the fence to wisdom is silence (Avos 3:17). For this reason, when suitors came to ask for her hand in marriage, the king permitted them to meet her on the following condition: “You have one evening to spend with my daughter. If in that time you succeed in getting her to speak, even if it is only one word, then she shall be your bride. But if you fail—you will be hanged on the gallows at dawn.” Still, there had been many young men who boasted that they could win the heart of the princess and open her lips, but she kept silent in their presence, as verified by a witness who remained with them, and in the end, they lost their lives.

Now in another country there lived a prince who was both handsome and wise. One day this prince said to his father: “I wish to set out to wander in the land, to learn the ways of man and to amass wisdom and knowledge.” The king replied: “You may set out, if you wish to, my son. For surely you shall be a better ruler once you have become more familiar with the ways of the world. Go, and peace be with you but I ask that you return before the end of a year.”

So, the prince set out on his travels with his father’s blessings. His journeys were long, but in his wanderings he learned many things and became skilled in many tasks. Because of his travels and his desires to learn, he never stayed in any one place very long, for he wanted to see as much of the world as he could before it was time to return from his year long journey. In this way, he arrived at the kingdom of the silent princess, and when he heard of the king’s challenge to make the princess speak, he desired to seek her hand for himself.

The prince came before the king and spoke with him for a long time. The king was impressed with the wisdom of the young man and he admired him, and tried to warn him against the danger. The prince accepted the grave condition, even though his life was at stake.

That evening he joined the princess in her chamber, in the company of a faithful witness. The prince, the princess, and the witness all sat in the room and were silent, for the prince did not even attempt to strike up a conversation with the princess, and this astonished her, for all the previous suitors had kept trying to make her speak.

After an hour’s silence, the prince turned to the witness and said: “Let us speak, in order to pass the time, for tomorrow I will be hanged.”

The witness replied: “I am not permitted to speak to you or to say any­thing. I am only a witness whose job it is to listen.”

Then the prince said: “And if I were to ask you something, would you reply?”

“Perhaps I would and perhaps I wouldn’t,” said the witness.

“Well, in that case,” said the prince, “listen carefully.

This is part 1 of 4

part 2 will be posted tomorrow

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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