Part II The Reward will be posted Tuesday 31 March

All around them was the beauty and splendor of the valley. At their feet stood the mighty Euphrates River, majestically stretching from horizon to horizon. There they stood, Mr. Parnas and his ever faithful servant, Yosef. “Yosef, my dear man, you have served faithfully in my family for many years now. Over the years you have worked hard and long on our behalf. I know that many times you had to set aside your own wants and needs because your help was necessary on the estate.

 

“Yosef, I know too that the great wealth which this family possesses has at times overwhelmed you. Perhaps it was difficult to continue working to protect our wealth when your family was not gaining equally from your efforts. I believe you quickly chased away the momentary envy that may have crossed your mind.

“That is why I have always trusted you, and that is why I wish to reward you today. Look around you, Yosef. Look at the beautiful fertile land that surrounds you: hills, valleys, lush green meadows. I would like to share this wealth with you, Yosef; however, I want you to earn the land that will be yours. You will determine how much or how little is sufficient and, therefore, will not have cause to question it in the future. Rather the land will be more precious to you, as it will be acquired through your efforts.”

There was a glisten in Yosef’s eyes. He loved Mr. Parnas. Mr. Parnas had always been so kind, and now Yosef realized with a tinge of embarrassment that Mr. Parnas even understood his secret feelings. It was true. Sometimes it was difficult to continue working for what was not his, even though Mr. Parnas would hint at a reward that would come some day.

“Yosef,” continued Mr. Parnas, “we stand here, the two of us alone, at the great Euphrates River. I want you to look north. What do you see?”

“Why, Master, I see beautiful hills and valleys just like you spoke of.”

“And to the south, what do you see there?”

“I see flowing streams and fields, golden with harvest.”

“And east and west?”

“There I see orchards, heavy with fruit, and gardens, well- tended, yielding delicious produce.”

“Yes, Yosef, and you shall have part of all that. We possess thousands and thousands of acres in almost every direction. Today I will share it with you. Here is what I suggest, Yosef. It’s early in the morning now, just after sunrise, and I brought you here with one purpose in mind. I want you to begin walking, or running if you like, but go as far as you want. Every step that you take will be a step that will represent permanent ownership of that land.

“If you travel one half mile north, then all of the land from here, the foot of this river, until one half mile north will be yours; its boundaries east and west will be as far as your eye can see. If you choose to travel further in this short day, then more land will be yours.”

Then Mr. Parnas reached for a little pole which had a red handkerchief tied to the end of it. “This, Yosef,” he said, “is your flag. I want you to take this and run with it and go as far as you desire; and when you reach that place, put the flag in the ground and then come back to me. All that land will be yours.

“But there is one thing, Yosef, I want you to think about before you begin. When you pass through all this beautiful land, I want you to think carefully about how far you want to go. Then just before midday, I want you to put the pole in the ground and come back to me. You have only until sundown to report back to me here, at the foot of this mountain, and tell me where the flag is. Then we will go out the next day and mark off the boundaries, and all the land will be yours. But you must come back before sundown. Do you understand?”

“Yes, of course, Master, I understand.”

“Wait, just one minute,” said Mr. Parnas. And like a loving parent who wants to ensure his child’s success, he repeated, “I want you to take this very seriously. This will affect the rest of your life. Remember, you are to put the flag in the ground and then turn around and come back before sundown! I wish you the best of luck.”

What a moment! Yosef looked all about, almost embarrassed to run. He took a few tentative steps, ever so carefully and slowly at first. Then he turned around again to look at Mr. Parnas who was shooing him on.

Suddenly, Yosef began to sprint. Thirty yards away, Yosef suddenly tripped. He looked back, chuckled at his master, wiped himself off and then continued to run.

Within a short while, Yosef was out of sight. When he reached the top of a large hill, he looked back, but his master was only a dot on the horizon. The beautiful valley that lay ahead of him seemed to stretch on forever.

“I’ve come so far; look what is now mine! How can I ever thank Mr. Parnas,” thought Yosef. “I could stop here and live with my family on this beautiful spot of land forever. There I could plant fields of my own crops, build a beautiful, little house .”

But then a nagging thought crossed Yosef’s mind, a thought that was going to pester and gnaw away at his better judgment. “But there is so much more yet ahead of me. I could be even wealthier,” he reasoned.

Yosef picked up the flag, held it high and decided that he would run a little further. Ahead of him was a whole array of hills. Yosef’s head was spinning with new ideas. “Why at the top of that hill, I could have my lookout tower; that very next hill could be the site of my windmill!” The possibilities seemed endless.

Finally, when it seemed that three quarters of the morning had passed, Yosef stopped to rest at one of the beautiful creeks and took a drink. “One day,” he envisioned, “I will sit here with my children and grandchildren and fish at my creek. It would be nice to own the land on both sides of this creek so that I could build a little summer hideaway for my grandchildren on the other side of the river.

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)

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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