THE LOST PRINCESS

He said: Along the way, I told a story, that everyone who heard had thoughts of repentance. And it is as follows:

There once was a king, who had six sons and one daughter. This daughter was very precious in his eyes. He loved her exceptionally, and took great delight in her. One time, he spoke with her and lost his temper, and the words "May the no good one take you!" flew from his mouth. In the evening she went to her room, and in the morning, no one knew where she was. And her father was very distraught, and he went everywhere looking for her.
The second to the king stood up, for he saw that the king was very troubled, and asked that he provide him with a servant, a horse, and money for the journey, in order to search for her. He searched for a very long time, until he found her. (And following is the account of his search, until he found her). He went from place to place, for a very long time, in deserts, fields and forests. And he searched for her a very long time.
As he was crossing a desert, he saw a path to the side, and thought to himself: "Seeing that I've been going such a long time in the desert and I cannot find her, I'll try this path - maybe I'll come to a settled area." And he went a very long time on that path.
Afterward, he saw a castle, with several soldiers standing guard around it. The castle was very attractive and well-built, and the soldiers were impressively aligned around it. He worried that the soldiers would not allow him to enter. But he said to himself, "I will go and try." So he left the horse behind, and approached the castle. And the soldiers did not hinder him. He went from room to room without disturbance, and came to one reception hall, in which the king sat, wearing his crown. And there were a number of guards, and musicians with their instruments standing before him. It was all very pleasant and beautiful, and neither the king nor any of the others inquired about him at all.
And he saw there delicacies and fine foods, and he approached and ate and went to lie down in a corner, to see what would transpire there. He saw that the king ordered for the queen to be brought. They went to bring her, and there ensued a great commotion and joy. The musicians played and sang a great deal, being that they were bringing the queen. They placed a chair for her and sat her next to the king. And she was the above-mentioned princess, and he (the second to the king), saw and recognized her.
After that, the queen gazed about and saw a man lying in a corner, and recognized him. She stood from her chair and went over to him, nudging him, and asked him, "Do you recognize me?" He answered, "Yes, I do. You're the princess who was lost." And he asked her, "How did you come to be here?" She answered, "Because my father blurted out the words `The no good one should take you', and here, this place, is no good."
So he told her that her father was very saddened, and that he had been searching for several years. And he asked, "How can I get you out of here?" She answered, "The only possible way to take me out is if you choose a place, and dwell there a full year. And the whole year, you must long to take me out. Any time that you have free, you should only long and request and hope to free me. And do fasts, and on the last day of the year, you should fast and not sleep the entire day." So he went to do this.
On the last day of the year, he fasted, and did not sleep, and rose and began the journey back. And on the way he saw a tree, and on it were growing very attractive apples. And they were tantalizing to his eyes, and he approached and ate from them. Immediately after having eaten, he dropped and fell asleep, and he slept a very long time. His servant would try to wake him, but to no avail. Afterwards, he awoke from his sleep, and asked the servant, "Where am I in the world?" And the servant told him the story: "You were sleeping a very long time, several years. And I survived on the fruit." And he was very pained upon hearing this.
So he returned there and found her. And she revealed her great distress to him. "If you had only come on that day, you would have removed me from here, and because of one day, you lost everything. Nevertheless, it is very difficult not to eat, especially on the last day, when the evil inclination is very overpowering. (That is to say, the princess told him that now she would make the conditions more lenient, that from now he would not be expected to fast, for that is a very hard condition to meet.) So now, choose a place again, and dwell there also a year, as before. And on the last day you will be allowed to eat. Only you must not sleep, and must not drink wine, that you should not fall asleep. For the essential thing is not to sleep." So he went and did accordingly.
On the last day, he went there, and saw a spring, with a red appearance and the fragrance of wine. He asked the servant, "Did you see that spring, that ought to have water in it, but its color is red, and its scent is of wine?" And he went and tasted from the spring. And he immediately fell into a sleep that lasted several years - seventy, to be exact. And great numbers of soldiers passed with the equipment that accompanied them. The servant hid himself from the soldiers. After that passed a covered carriage, and in it sat the princess. She stopped by him, descended and sat by him, recognizing who he was. She shook him strongly, but he did not wake. And she started to bemoan, "How many immense efforts and travails he has undergone, these many years, in order to free me, and because of one day that he could have freed me, and lost it..." And she cried a great deal about this, saying "There is great pity for him and for me, that I am here so very long, and cannot leave." After that, she took her handkerchief from off of her head, and wrote upon it with her tears, and laid it by him. And she rose and boarded her carriage, and rode away.
Afterwards, he awoke, and asked the servant, "Where am I in the world?" So he told him the whole story - that many soldiers had passed there, and that there had been a carriage, and a woman who wept upon him and cried out, that there is great pity on him and on her. In the midst of this, he looked around and saw that there was a handkerchief lying next to him. So he asked "Where did this come from?" The servant explained that she had written upon it with her tears. So he took it and held it up against the sun, and began to see the letters, and he read all that was written there - all her mourning and crying, and that she is no longer in the aforementioned castle, and that he should look for a mountain of gold and a castle of pearls. There he would find her.
So he left the servant behind, and went to look for her alone. And he went for several years searching, and thought to himself, "Certainly a mountain of gold and a castle of pearls would not be found in a settled area." For he was an expert in geography. So he went to the deserts. And he searched for her there many years.
Afterwards, he saw a giant man, far beyond the normal human limits of size. He was carrying a massive tree, the size of which is not found in settled areas. The man asked him, "Who are you?" He answered, "I am a man." The giant was amazed, and exclaimed, "I have been in the desert such a long time, and I have never seen a man here." So he told him the whole story, and that he was searching for a mountain of gold and a castle of pearls. The giant answered him, "Certainly, it does not exist at all." And he discouraged him and said that they had muddled his mind with nonsense, for it surely does not exist. So he started to cry bitterly, for he felt certain that it must exist somewhere. And this giant discouraged him, saying that certainly he had been told nonsense. Yet he (the Second to the King) still said that it must exist.
So the giant said to him, "I think it is nonsense. But since you persist, I am appointed over all the animals. I will do this for you: I will call them all. For they traverse the whole world, perhaps one of them will know where is the mountain and the castle." And he called them all, from the smallest to the largest, all the varieties of animals, and asked them. And all of them answered that they had not seen these things. So he said, "You see that they told you nonsense. If you want my advice, turn back, because you certainly will not find it, for it does not exist." And he pleaded passionately with him, saying, "But it absolutely must exist!"
So the giant said to him, "Behold, in this desert also lives my brother, and he is appointed over all the birds. Perhaps they know, since they fly at great heights - perhaps they saw this mountain and castle. Go to him and tell him that I sent you to him."
So he went for several years searching for him. And again he found a very large man, as before. He was also carrying a massive tree, as before. And this giant also asked him as had the first. And he told him the whole story, and that his brother had sent him to him. This giant also discouraged him, saying that it certainly did not exist. And he pleaded with him as with the first.
Then the giant said to him, "See, I am appointed over all the birds; I will call them, perhaps they know." So he called all the birds, and asked them all, from the smallest to the largest, and they answered that they did not know anything about this mountain and castle. So the giant said to him, "You see, it certainly does not exist. If you want my advice, turn back, for it simply does not exist." But he pleaded with him, saying "It certainly exists!"
So the giant said to him, "Further ahead in the desert lives my brother, who is appointed over all the winds, and they run over the whole world. Perhaps they know." So he went several more years searching, and found also this giant, and he was also carrying a giant tree. And the giant asked him, as the others had. And he told him the whole story, as before. And the giant discouraged him, as before. And he pleaded with him as well. So the third giant said to him, that for his sake he would call all the winds and ask them. He called them, and all the winds came, and he asked them all, and not one of them knew about the mountain and the castle. So the giant said to him, "You see, they told you nonsense." And the Second to the King began to cry bitterly, and said, "I know that it exists!"
As they were speaking, one more wind came. And the one appointed over them was annoyed with him, saying, "Why did you not come with the rest?" He answered, "I was delayed, for I needed to carry a princess to a mountain of gold and a castle of pearls." And the Second to the King was overjoyed.
The one appointed asked the wind, "What is expensive there? (That is to say, what things are considered valuable and important there?)" He answered him, "Everything there is very expensive." So the one appointed over the winds said to the Second to the King, "Seeing that you have been searching for her such a long time, and you went through many difficulties. Perhaps now you will be hindered by expenses. Therefore I am giving you this vessel. Every time you reach into it, you will receive money from it." And he commanded the previous wind to take him there. The wind came storming, and brought him there, right to the gate. There were guards posted there, that would not let him enter the city. So he reached into the vessel, took out money and bribed them, and entered the city. And it was a beautiful city.
He approached a man, and rented lodgings, for he would need to stay there some time. For it would need much intelligence and wisdom to free her. And how he freed her, he did not tell, but in the end he freed her.

Notes:
It is well-known from all the books of the Zohar and the Tikkunim (additions to the Zohar), and from the writings of the Ari Zal, that the "Princess" is an expression for the Shekhina (the Divine Presence) and the Jewish People, as it were. We have already been given the approval to speak in this language by the Rishonim who preceded us, and by whose words we live. Also, King David and his son Solomon used these expressions frequently, for example, "All the honor of the Princess is hidden within", and other such terms. And the whole book of Song of Songs, which is Holy of Holies, and the entire world is not worthy of it -- it is all founded on this theme. And as we say in the prayer before reciting Psalms: "To unite the Woman of Youth with her Lover", and so on. Thus also in the prayer before donning Tefillin, we speak of uniting the bride and groom (see the prayerbook 'Sha'ari Tzion'). And one who studies the writings of the Ari will see that all of the Kabbalah is based on uniting the aspect of the bride and groom, male and female... All of our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, expressed the existence of the worlds and their unification using the image of the joining of the bride and groom. For G-d created man in His image, and all the limbs of the male and female body are in the image of G-d. As it is written, "And G-d created the man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him, male and female He created them." For the human being - man and woman - are truly a part of G-d above, and the name of the L-rd is embedded within them... And all of the ancient sages used the language of bride and groom to express the drawing near of the Jewish People to their Heavenly Father, for all our Service in its highest root hints at the uniting of the Bride and Groom, the aspect of uniting the Holy One Blessed be He and the Divine Presence.
From all this and more, we can see that the exile of the Shekhina and the Jewish People is an aspect of the Lost Princess, and her estrangement from her Lover... In the story of the Lost Princess, it is clear that she signifies the Shekhina in exile. For the Exile of the Shekhina began before the Creation of the World. As soon as the First Man was created, he was supposed to repair this - to raise all the worlds to their proper place, and to reveal the Kingship of G-d immediately, as His Kingship will soon be revealed with the coming of the Messiah. However, he did not withold himself from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. We see this hinted at in the story, at the point when the Second to the King fails his test and eats the apple. And through this, Adam defiled all the worlds, and the Shekhina descended below, into the Impure Side, as is known. After this, Noah came and attempted to repair. But he did not succeed, for he drank wine and became drunk. Just as the Second to the King failed the second test, and drank the wine. And since then, all the Sages in every generation have been working to make this repair, until the Coming of the Messiah, when the repair will be complete.
And this story unfolds within every individual, and at every time. For also every individual experiences virtually the entire story in his own life. For every Jew needs to be involved with this Repair, the Redeeming of the Shekhina from the Exile, raising Her from the dust. To extract the Kingdom of Holiness from among the gentiles and the Other Side, among whom she had fallen. All of our Service, all the Mitzvot (commandments), and good deeds we do, and all the Torah we learn all our lives, all revolves around this point, as is explained in the writings of the Sages. Even the simplest Jews with limited understanding, if they go in a straight path, choosing the Good and shunning Evil, merit to make this repair, to raise the Shekhina from its downfall, according to the degree they sanctify and purify themselves.
Thus, every Jew is involved with the search for the Princess, to return her to her Father, and to her Father's house, where she had been in her youth. For the Jews are the aspect of the Second to the King, for they rule over the world. Just as G-d revives the dead and heals the sick, so do the Jews. And each one, according to the degree he merits to accomplish his mission, through which he searches for and raises the Shekhina - to that degree, the Shekhina reveals herself to him. She comes to him and reveals to him her location, and what he must do to find her. This is what we see in the story: The Princess lets the Second to the King know what schemes he should use to free her. And the schemes she sets forth are laid out clearly and simply. Namely, one must choose for himself a place, and establish there a routine of repentance and fasting, and to long and yearn continually for the L-rd, that he should merit to know Him, and that His Kingdom should be revealed in the world. For the central point of raising the Shekhina out of exile is the publicizing of the presence of G-d in the world, that all should know of Him and acknowledge His kingship.
Now, when a man begins to do this, and chooses a place to serve the L-rd and to yearn for Him. Sometimes he succeeds to continue for a time, and then, when he is very close to the goal, then, on the very last day, he is sent a test according to his level of mastery. Then, on that critical day upon which all depends, the Evil Inclination and his cohorts overwhelm him powerfully, and sway him with cunning words, and lead him according to their crooked advice. And he takes from the fruit and eats it, G-d forbid, and does not pass the test given to him, that he must pass according to that place and time. Thus, he immediately falls asleep, and sleep signifies losing one's intelligence - that his wisdom and understanding leaves him... In these periods when a person is in the aspect of sleep, G-d forbid, he passes through what he must - the aspect of the troops that passed by the Second to the King while he slept. Then, upon waking, and finding out how long he has been asleep, he returns to the Princess. She then grants him an easier test - he need not fast, only to abstain from wine that he should not fall asleep. So he returns to his place and yearns to free the Princess. But on the last day he once again fails the test...
Since also the second time, he does not pass the test, and tastes from the wine, he falls into a very deep sleep, lasting seventy years. The theme of sleeping for seventy years is elucidated in the Torah "Petach Rabbi Shimon", (Likutey Moharan, chap. 60). There it is explained that one can fall into such a sleep, that he falls from all seventy faces of the Torah, in the aspect of seventy years. From such a sleep, it is only possible to be awakened by Stories from Ancient Years. When the Princess finds him in such a sleep, she cries bitterly, and informs him of her newest location - the Castle of Pearls on the Mountain of Gold. The message is clear: No matter how many times one falls, the Shekhina continually offers him new advice how to search for the source of his holiness, the Princess, so to speak. And the Second to the King, after all his strivings, wanderings and painful sufferings which he undergoes to find the Princess, and then, on the verge of reaching her, loses everything. And he falls in this way twice. In spite of all this, he refuses to give up hope entirely, G-d forbid, and forges on to find the Castle of Pearls on the Mountain of Gold. Then, after passing through much more trials and tribulations, he finds the giant carrying the tree. In this giant, and later in his two brothers, we see the aspect of towering obstacles that lead one to think his mission is without hope of succeeding. Yet in spite of all their discouragements, he refuses to be swayed, saying he knows he will find what he is searching for. Until finally, the very last wind returns and informs him of the location of the Princess. And he goes there and frees her.
One who gazes on all this with the eye of truth will clearly understand how much one needs to strengthen oneself in serving G-d, and to what extremes one needs to be stubborn in serving Him, beyond all estimation. Each person according to his level, his ascents and descents, and regardless of what happens to him. Contemplate and understand from this story, how much the Second to the King strived and struggled, and afterwards fell into depression on not having stood in an easy test twice, until he fell to the level of seventy years of sleep. Even so, he did not give up, and had more struggles afterward, and refused to listen to the discouraging characters telling him to abandon his search. And the more he resolved not to listen to these people, the more they shifted from adversaries to helpers. Each one gathered the animals or birds he oversaw, sending them to search for him, to no avail. Until he came to the one appointed over the winds, through which he finally came to his goal. Consider this and understand, look upon every detail of the story, and see hints and wonderful encouragements to strengthen oneself at all times in the search for serving G-d. As it is written, "Search His presence always." For even though the full meaning of the story is beyond our understanding, and we have no conception of what is meant by "mountain of gold" and "castle of pearls", and the other themes of the story, nevertheless, all these hints are true and understood in the light of truth. And each reader can derive progressively deeper understandings and inspirations, if he is willing to listen and accept the import. And so with the rest of the stories. (See the entire teaching in Likutey Moharan, Part I, Chap. 60, for it is a commentary on this story, as we understood from Rabbi Nachman, may his memory be blessed.)

THE KING AND THE EMPEROR

There once was an emperor, who had no children. And a king, who also had no children. The emperor went to travel across the land, to wander and search - perhaps he would find some counsel or medicine to conceive children. The king also set out in the same manner, and they happened to meet in a particular inn, though they were not acquainted with each other. And the emperor noted in the king, that he had royal manners. So he asked him, and he informed him that he was a king. The king also recognized the same in the emperor, and the emperor informed him as well. And they revealed to each other that they were travelling for the aim of having children. So they made a pact, that if after returning to their homes, their wives would conceive a son and a daughter, in a manner that they could be married, then they would have them married. The emperor returned home and conceived a daughter, and the king returned and conceived a son, and they forgot about the pact.
The emperor sent his daughter to study, and also the king sent his son to study, and the two of them happened to be enrolled under the same teacher. They came to love each other very much, and they made a pact to get married. The son of the king took a ring and placed it on the finger of the emperor's daughter, and they married. Afterwards, the emperor sent after his daughter, and the king sent after his son, and brought them home.
They spoke of matches for the emperor's daughter, but she did not want any match because of the aforementioned pact. And the son of the king pined for her. Also, the emperor's daughter was constantly depressed. The emperor would lead her through his courtyards and palaces, and displayed her wealth to her, and still she was sad. And the king's son longed intensely for her, until he became sick. And when they asked him why he was sick, he would not answer. So they said to his servant, "Perhaps you can investigate why?" He answered them that he already knew. For he was with him then, in the place where he had studied, and he explained to them the matter.
Then the king remembered the agreement he had made with the emperor. So he wrote to the emperor, that he should prepare himself for the wedding, for they had already agreed to it. The emperor did not want it, but he did not dare to refuse. So he asked the king to send his son to him, and he would see if he had the quality of rulership, and if so, he would give his daughter to him. So the king sent his son to him. The emperor seated him in a room, giving him papers of government matters, to see if he could rule the country.
The king's son longed deeply to see the emperor's daughter, but they did not allow him. One time he went to a glass wall, and saw her, and collapsed in weakness. And she came to him, woke him, and revealed that she did not want any other match, because of the pact between them. He asked her, "What will we do, seeing that your father does not want the match?" She answered, "Even so." Afterwards, they came upon the idea that they would sail out to sea. They hired a ship and sailed.
They continued to sail, and eventually wanted to come to shore. They reached the shore, and there was there a forest, and they entered it. The daughter of the emperor took off the ring and gave it to him, and she went to sleep there. Afterwards, the son of the king decided to rest next to her, and he laid the ring next to her. Afterwards, they rose and returned to the ship.
Meanwhile, the emperor's daughter remembered that they had forgotten the ring there, so she sent him back for it. He went there, but could not find the place. So he went to another place, and still could not find the ring. He went from place to place looking for it, until he became lost, and could not find his way back. So she went to look for him, and she also lost her way. And he continued on, become more and more lost. After a time, he saw a path, and followed it to a settlement. He did not have anything to do there, so he became a servant. Also she became increasingly lost, and decided to go and sit by the sea. She went to the shore, and there were fruit trees there. So she sat there, and in the day she would walk by the sea, hoping to find ships passing by. She lived off of the fruits, and at night she climbed up into the trees, to be protected from the wild animals.
And it was, that there was a very powerful and impressive businessman, who had dealings all over the world. He had an only son, and the businessman was elderly. One time, the son said to his father, "Seeing that you are old and I am young, and your ministers are not looking out for me at all, and you will pass away, and I will be left empty-handed, without what to do. Why don't you give me a ship with merchandise, and I'll set to sea, to become expert in business." So his father gave him a ship with merchandise, and he went to various countries, sold his goods, bought others in their place, and was successful.
While he was at sea, he saw those trees wherein was the emperor's daughter, and thought it was a settlement. He wanted to go there, and as he drew closer, he saw that it was only trees, and he wanted to turn back. Just then, he happened to gaze on one tree, and within it was the form of a man. He thought he might be misperceiving, so he told the other people who were with him, and they looked and also saw the form of a man in the tree. They decided to approach the place, and sent out one man in a small boat. They kept watch on him to direct him, so that he would not lose his way, so that he would keep headed toward that tree. He arrived there, and saw that there was a person sitting in the tree, and he told them.
So the trader's son went himself, and saw that she was sitting there (the emperor's daughter), and he told her to come down. She answered that she would not descend unless he promised her that he would not touch her, until they returned to his house and he married her lawfully. So he promised her, and she boarded the ship with him. He saw that she knew how to play instruments, and she also spoke several languages. And he rejoiced in his find.
Afterwards, as they began to near his house, she said to him that it would be proper for him to go to the house, and inform his father and relatives, and all his friends, so that all of them would come out to welcome her, and after that she would reveal who she was (for even before, she had demanded that he not ask her name until after the wedding - only then he would know who she was.) He agreed to this. She added, "It would also be fitting, seeing that you are bringing such an important woman with you, that you should honor all the sailors in the ship with fine wine, so that they should know that their captain is marrying such a woman."And he agreed.
So he took good wine that he had in the ship, and gave it to them, and they became very drunk. Meanwhile, he went to his house, to tell his father and relatives. And the sailors left the ship and collapsed in a drunken stupor.
While the family were preparing themselves to go out and receive her, she went and released the ship from its moorings, and spread the sails, and sailed away. The family went down to the ship, and found nothing there. And the old businessman (the trader's father) was very angry with him. The son exclaimed excitedly, "Believe me, I brought a ship full of merchandise!" And they did not see a thing. He said, "Go and ask the sailors." They went to ask them, and found them lying drunk. Afterwards they awoke. And when they were asked, they did not know at all what had happened to them. They only knew that they had brought a ship with merchandise, and did not know where it was. The father was enraged at his son, and banished him from the house, warning him not to come within his presence. And so he wandered aimlessly, and she (the emperor's daughter) sailed on the sea.
And it was, that there was a certain king, who had built a palace on the sea, for it pleased him to build palaces on the sea, because of the sea air. And the ships would pass there. And the emperor's daughter was sailing the sea, and she came close to this king's palace. The king gazed and saw a ship without anyone directing it, without people at all. He thought he was mistaken, so he asked his people to look, and they also saw likewise, and she drew closer to the palace. Afterwards she thought to herself, "What do I need with this palace?" So she started to turn back. But the king sent to bring her back, and he brought her into his house.
And this king had no wife, for he could not choose one. For the ones he desired, did not want him, and also the opposite. When the emperor's daughter came, she asked him to swear that he would not touch her until he married her lawfully. And so he swore. And she said that it was fitting that he not open the ship's hold, nor tamper with it. Rather it should stay in its place on the sea until the marriage. Then everyone would see it all - the abundance of merchandise that she had brought. That people should not say he had taken a woman from off the street. And he promised her accordingly.
So the king wrote to all the nations, that they should gather together and come to his wedding. And he built a palace for her. And she demanded that they bring her eleven of the ministers' daughters, to be with her. Thus the king commanded, and they sent her eleven daughters of very high-ranking ministers. And they built a palace especially for each one, and she also had her own palace. They would gather together with her, and would play on instruments and pass the time with her.
One time, she asked them to come with her onto the ship, and they went with her and entertained themselves there. Then she said she would honor them with fine wine that she had, and she gave them from the wine on the ship, and they became drunk and fell into a stupor. Meanwhile, she went and released the ship, and spread out the sails, and made off with the ship. Now the king and his people looked and noticed that the ship was not there, and were shocked. The king said, "Beware not to tell her all at once, for she will be very distressed at the loss of such a valuable ship as that one (for the king did not know that she herself had escaped with the ship, and assumed that she was still in her room). She also might think that the king gave the ship to someone. Simply send one of the ministers' daughters to tell her with wisdom." They went to one room and did not find anyone, and then to another, and so to all the eleven rooms, and found no one. So they agreed to send an elderly mistress in the night to tell her. They went to her room and found no one there. And they were very shocked.
Meanwhile, the fathers of the missing women, who were accustomed to receiving letters from their daughters, now noticed that they were not receiving any letters. So they took matters in their hands, and travelled there themselves. Upon not finding their daughters, they were enraged. They considered banishing the king, and sending him to the prison for those deserving the death penalty. For they were the ministers of the nation, having the power to mete out punishments such as this. However, they thought to themselves, "What is the King's sin, that he should be imprisoned? For he had no control over the matter." So they agreed to dethrone and banish him. They did, and he went his way.
As for the daughter of the emperor, she escaped with the eleven ministers' daughters, and sailed away in the ship. Afterwards, the daughters woke up, and resumed their play, for they did not realize that the ship had already left shore. Presently they said to her, "Let's return!" She said to them, "Let's stay a while longer." After this, a fierce storm developed, and they said, "We must return home!" Then she revealed to them that the ship had already left the shore. They asked her why she had done this, and she explained that she feared the ship would be broken apart by the storm wind. Therefore she had no choice but to unfurl and spread the sails. So they sailed on the sea, and they played their instruments. Then they passed by a palace, and the daughters said to her, "Let's approach it!" But she did not want to do it, being that she regretted having come near the first palace (the one belonging to the king who wanted to marry her).
After this, they saw an island, and approached it. There were twelve thieves there, who wanted to murder them. So the emperor's daughter asked, "Who is the chief among you?" So they introduced her to him. Then she asked him, "What is your trade?" He answered that they were thieves. She said, "We are also thieves. However, whereas you use brute force, we use wisdom. For we are learned in languages and in playing of instruments. So what would you benefit by murdering us? Better to marry us, and then you can also acquire all our wealth." And she showed him the riches that were in their ship, and her words won them over. So the thieves also showed them all their wealth, and led them through their whole camp. They agreed that they would not marry all at once, rather one pair after another. Further, that each of the thieves should choose a bride befitting him, the most honored according to his high standing, and so on.
Then, she announced that she wanted to honor them with a fine and wondrous wine that she had in the ship. She told them that she had intended never to use it, guarding it instead for the day when she would meet her intended match. Then she served them the wine in twelve goblets, and asked each of the thieves to drink from one. They drank, became intoxicated and collapsed. She said to her companions, "Go now, each one and slaughter her husband." So they did. And they found incredible wealth, beyond that of any king. They agreed not to take any brass or silver - only gold and precious stones. And they threw from their ship possessions which were not so valuable, and loaded it with the treasure - the gold and stones they had found. They agreed to cease dressing as women, and sewed for themselves mens' clothing, and sailed away in the ship.
Now, there was an elderly king who had an only son. He married him off, and bequeathed the kingdom to him. And the king's son said that he and his wife should take a cruise at sea, that she should be accustomed to the sea air, in case, G-d forbid, they might at some point need to escape on the sea. So he went with his wife and his ministers, and they were very jubilant and in a spirit of festivity. At one point, they decided they should strip off all their clothes, and so they did. They left on nothing except their undergarments. And they began to dare to climb up onto the prow, the king's son among them.
Now the emperor's daughter came along in her ship, and saw this other ship (the ship with the king's son and his company), and at first she was afraid to draw near it. After coming a bit closer, she saw that they were merrymaking, and realized that they were not thieves. So they drew near. Then she said to her friends, "I can bring that baldhead toppling into the sea (that is, the king's son, who was climbing the prow)." For he was in fact bald. Her friends replied, "But how? We are so far away from them!" She explained to them that there is a lens with the power to burn, and she would use one to topple him. She added that she would not topple him until he climbed to the very tip of the prow. For if he fell from the middle of it, he would fall into the ship. But if he climbed to the tip, he would fall into the sea. So she waited until he climbed all the way to the tip, and then she took the lens and held it up to the sun, and directed it's ray squarely at his head, until his brain was burned and he fell into the sea.
When the friends of the king's son saw that he had fallen, it threw them into upheaval, for how could they return home - the king would die from sorrow. So they decided to draw near to the ship they saw nearby (the ship of the emperor's daughter), perhaps they would find a doctor on board who could give them advice. So they came next to the ship, and told them (the emperor's daughter and her friends) not to be afraid, they would not do them any harm. Then they asked, "Perhaps there is a doctor among you who could advise us?" And they recounted the whole story of how the king's son had fallen into the sea. The emperor's daughter answered that they should retrieve his body from the sea. They went and found his body and retrieved it. Then she took his pulse, and said that his brain had been burnt. So they cut open his head, and saw that it was just as she had said, and they were astonished. And they asked her to come home with them, and to be the king's doctor, and said she would be very important and esteemed. But she did not want to go. And she added that she was not really a doctor, she just happened to know these things.
The ministers of the king did not want to return home, so the two ships sailed together. And they were very strongly in favor of their queen marrying the doctor, because of the impressive wisdom they saw in him (for they thought that the emperor's daughter and her friends were men, because they were dressed as men. Thus, they wanted their queen (the wife of the king who had died), to marry the doctor, (who was really the emperor's daughter). And that he should become their king, whereas their original king (the elderly king mentioned at the beginning), they would murder. They all wanted this very much, yet they felt they could not speak about it to the queen, that she should marry the doctor. She herself also wanted very much to marry the doctor. But she feared from her country's people, lest they not be willing to accept him as king. So they agreed to throw parties, so that during a party, at an opportune moment, they could talk about this. So they held a party for each one, each on a different day.
When the day arrived for the doctor's (the emperor's daughter's) party, she gave them to drink from her aforementioned wine, and they became drunk. At the opportune moment, the ministers said, "How fine it would be for the queen to marry the doctor." "It would be very fine," the doctor replied. "If they would only say it without being drunk." Also the queen responded, saying how fine it would be for her to marry the doctor, only that her nation should agree to it. The doctor (that is, the emperor's daughter), responded again as before, saying "It would be very fine, if only they would say it without being drunk."
Afterwards, when they awoke from their stupor, the ministers remembered what they had said and were embarrassed before their queen on account of it. However, she herself had said the same. She was also embarrassed before them, but on the other hand, they had also said it. So they started to talk about it, and came to agree on it. And so the queen was married to the doctor (the emperor's daughter, who they believed to be a doctor), and they travelled to their country.
When the people of the country saw them coming, they were very joyful, for it had been a long time that the king's son had been gone, and they had not known where he was. The elderly king had already passed away before their return. Afterwards, they noticed that the king's son, who should now be their king, was missing. So they asked, "Where is our King?" So they explained to them the whole story, how he had already died, and that they had already accepted upon themselves this new king that had come with them. And the people were very joyous that a new king had come to them.
Now the king (the emperor's daughter, who had now become a king) commanded to declare in every state, that everyone in every place, be he a foreigner, a guest, a fugitive or one banished, that all should come to the king's wedding, without exception, and that all would receive great gifts. And the king commanded that they should dig wells surrounding the whole city, so that when one would want to drink, he would not have to go far, but would find a well right beside him. And the king commanded to paint a portrait of himself by every well, and to station guards by each one, that they should watch for someone who would come and stare an unusuallly long time at the portrait, and make a disturbed face (that is, one whose expression would change, upon seeing something significant and being amazed and disturbed by it). For such a one, he commanded that they arrest and hold him. And so they did. And the three aforementioned characters came: The son of the first king, who was the true husband of the emperor's daughter, and the son of the businessman (whose father had banished him because of the emperor's daughter, who escaped with the ship loaded with merchandise), and the king who was dethroned (also by her doing, for she escaped from him with the eleven ministers' daughters). And each one of them recognized her portrait, and gazed at it, and remembered, and was pained. And they were all arrested.
At the time of the wedding, the king (the emperor's daughter) commanded that the prisoners come before her. So they brought the three, and she recognized them, but they did not recognize her, for she was dressed as a man. The emperor's daughter spoke up and said: "You, King (that is, the king who was dethroned as described). They dethroned you on account of the eleven daughters that were lost. Here are your ministers' daughters. Go back to your country and your kingdom (for the eleven ministers' daughters were here with her)." Then, she turned her face to address the son of the businessman. "You, businessman. Your father banished you on account of the ship with all the merchandise which you lost. Here is your ship with all the merchandise. And as for all the time lost, now you have riches in the ship many times the original value (for the ship itself, with all the merchandise of the businessman's son, was still with her in perfect condition. And in addition, it now held all the treasures she had taken from the thieves - a very tremendous wealth, overflowing in abundance). And now you, son of the king (that is, her true husband) - let us go and travel away." And they returned to their home.

Blessed is the L-rd forever, amen and amen.

THE CRIPPLE

There once was a wise man. Before his passing, he called together his sons and family, and commanded them to water trees. They would also be permitted to do other types of work, but they should make a special effort to water trees. Afterwards, the wise man died, and left behind his sons, and he had one son who could not walk. He could stand, but could not walk. His brothers would support him, and they provided him so much that he had money to spare. Now this son saved up the extra money until he reached a certain sum. Then he said to himself, "Why should I accept charity from them. Better that I start to do some business." And even though he was not able to walk, he decided to hire a carriage, an escort and a driver, and travel with them to Leipzig (a city in East Germany, well-known for its trade and fairs). There he would be able to do business, even though he could not walk.
When his family heard this, they were approving, and said, "Why should we have to support him? It's good that he should have a trade." They lent him more money, in order that he could conduct his trading. And he hired a carriage, an escort and a driver, and set out. They came to an inn, and the escort said they should stay there the night, but he did not agree. They tried to convince him, but he was stubbornly set, and so they went onward. They became lost in the forest, and were ambushed by robbers.
These men had become robbers because of a famine that had been at one time. A man had come to their city and announced, "He who wants food, come to me." And several people gathered about him. He acted with cleverness, and anyone who he judged that he did not need, he pushed away. And to one he would say, "You would be fitting as a craftsman." And to another he would say, "You should work on a gristmill." He chose only intelligent people, and went with them to the forest. There he said that they should become thieves, being that they were at a crossroads, with roads leading to Leipzig, Breslov, and other cities. And traders would pass there, so they could steal from them and gather up money. And so they fell upon the son who could not walk, and his two companions.
Now the carriage driver and the escort, who were able to escape, did so. So the son was left behind on the carriage. The thieves came and took the chest with the money, and asked him: "Why are you sitting?" He answered them that he was unable to walk. So they stole the chest and the horses, and he was left on the carriage. Meanwhile, the escort and the driver escaped to where they escaped. They had unpaid debts in their hometown, so they reasoned, Why should we go back? We could end up in chains. Better to stay here, and be an escort and carriage driver here.
And as for the son, as long as he had the dried cracker-bread that he had brought from home, he ate it. Afterwards, when his supply ran out, and he had nothing to eat, he pondered what to do, and then threw himself from the carriage to eat grass. And he slept alone, frightened, in the open field. His strength waned, until he could no longer even stand, he could only crawl. And he would eat the grass surrounding him, until he finished all the grass within his reach. At that point, he would crawl forward a ways, and eat there. And he ate grass in this manner for some time.
One time, he came to a patch of grass, the likes of which he had not eaten before. And it attracted him, for he had been eating grass a long time, and had never seen grass like this. He decided to pull it up from the root, and under the root there was a precious stone. It was square, and each side had a different magic power. On one side was written, that the one who grasps this side would be transported to the place where day and night come together, and where the sun and moon come together. And when he uprooted the grass which grew over the stone, he happened to grasp this side. And it transported him, and he came to the place where day and night are brought together. He looked about, and behold, it was the place where the sun and the moon join together.
And he heard the sun and the moon talking together. The sun was complaining to the moon, that there is a tree with many branches, and fruit and leaves. And every single branch, fruit and leaf has a unique power - one is effective in bringing children, another for wealth, another for curing this disease, and another for curing another disease - each one effective for a different aim. And this tree needed watering, and if it were watered, it would be very effective. "And not only is it not being watered. Further, because I shine on it, I am drying it out."
The moon answered and said, "You think you have problems. Let me tell you about mine. It so happens that I have a thousand mountains. Surrounding these are another thousand, and it is a place of demons. And these demons have chicken feet, and they do not have power in their feet, so they draw power from my feet, and because of this I do not have power in my feet. And I have a dust which can heal my feet. But the wind comes and takes it away.
The moon answered, "Is that all you are worried about? I'll tell you of a cure. There is a road, that splits into several roads. One is a road of the righteous. Even the righteous of this place (who one would think would not need this done, being that the dust is plentiful here) with every step takes, they spread under him the dust from that road. So that every step he takes, he treads upon that dust. And there is a road of the blasphemers. Even a blasphemer from here, with every step they spread under him the dust of that road. And there is a road of the insane. Even an insane one from here, with his every step, they spread the dust as described before. And so there are several such roads. And there is another road, upon which walk righteous ones who accept suffering upon themselves. And the wicked ones lead them in chains, and they have no power in their feet. Then dust from that road is spread under their feet, and they receive power in their feet. Therefore, go to that place, where there is much of that dust, and your feet will be healed." And the sun listened to all his words.
In the midst of this, he looked on another side of the stone, and saw written there, that one who grasps that side, would be taken to the place of the road that splits into several. So he grasped that side, and was transported there, and began to walk on the road with the dust that brings healing to the feet, and was healed immediately. And he went and took dust from each of the roads, and made clumps from each type of dust - the dust of the road of the righteous in one clump, and likewise the varieties of dust from each of the roads. He made each into a separate clump, and took them with him.
He came upon a plan, and returned to the same forest where they had robbed him. Once there, he chose a tall tree which was close to the road from which the thieves would start when they went to steal. He took the dust of the righteous and the dust of the insane, and mixed it together, and spread it out on the road. Then he climbed up the tree, and waited to see what would happen to them. And the head thief sent out several of his men to go and steal, and when they came to this road and stepped on the dust, they immediately became righteous, and began to cry for their souls, that they had stolen until now, and had murdered several people. But since there was mixed into this dust, the dust of the insane, they became insane righteous, and began to argue with each other. This one said, "It was because of you that we stole!", and the one he accused replied, "But it was by means of you that we stole!", and so on, until they murdered each other. So another group was sent, and the same happened. And so the next time as well, until they were all murdered. Until the son realized that there was no one left alive except the leader of the thieves, and one other. So he came down from the tree, and swept the magic dust off of the road, and sprinkled the dust of the righteous alone. Then he went and sat up in the tree again.
Now, the leader of the thieves was amazed that he had sent all his followers, and not one had returned to him. So he went himself, with the other who had remained with him, and immediately upon treading that road (where was sprinkled the dust of the righteous), he became a righteous man. He began to wail to his friend for his soul, that he had murdered so many people, and stolen from so many. He began unearthing graves, and returned in complete penitence, and was very regretful. And when the son saw that he regretted and repented so deeply, he came down from the tree. And when the thief saw that he had found a man, he began to cry, "Oh, mercy on my soul! Such and such things I did. Aha, give me a way to repent!" The son answered him, "Give me back the chest that you took from me (for they had kept a written account of every robbery, the day it occurred, and from who they had robbed)." The thief answered, "I'll return it immediately. I'll even give you all the hordes of goods I stole. Just give me a way to repent." The son answered, "Your repentance is simply to go back to the town, and announce, `I am the one who made that announcement, and drew many people to thievery, and murdered and robbed from many souls.' That is your repentance." So the thief gave him all his treasures, and he went with him to the town, and he did as he had been told. And they judged in that town, that due to the many murders he had committed, he should be hung, that people should see and be warned.
Afterwards, the son decided to go to the two thousand mountains mentioned before, to see what was happening there. When he came, he stood far off from the two thousand mountains, and saw that were many thousands upon thousands, and myriads upon myriads of families of devils. For they multiply as do people, and they are very numerous. And he saw their king sitting on a throne, the likes of which no mortal man would sit on. He observed that they were engaged in ridicule - one would recount how he had hurt a baby, another how he had hurt someone's hand, yet another how he had damaged a foot, and other similar ridicule.
In the midst of this, he noticed a father and mother walking along and crying, and he asked them, "Why are you crying?" They answered that they have a son, and it was his habit to go out on his own, and he would come back at the same time each day. And now it had been a long time, and he had not returned. So they brought the couple to the king, and he commanded to send messengers all over the world to find him. And as they were returning, they happened to meet one who had often been together with their son (however now, he was alone). He asked them, "Why are you crying?" So they recounted the story. He answered them, "I will explain. There was an island in the sea, and that had been our place. But then came the king whose province the island was in, and wanted to build buildings there, and he set down foundations. And my friend (the son of the devils who was lost) said to me that we should hurt the king, so we went and took away his power. He went to many doctors, but they could not help him. So he began to go to sorcerers. And one of those sorcerers knew his family, but my family he did not know. Thus, he was not able to do me any harm. But his family he knew, and he caught him, and tortured him severely."
Upon hearing this, the parents brought their son's friend to the king, and he told his story to the king. The king said "Return the king's power to him!" He answered, "There was one among us who did not have any power, so we gave the king's power to him." The king said, "Take the power away from him and return it to the king." He answered the king, "But he became a cloud." So the king said they should summon the cloud and bring him here. So they sent a messenger to get him.
Now the son, who at the beginning was unable to walk, and who came here and saw all this, said, "I will go to see this thing, how one of these people can become a cloud." So he followed the messenger, and came to the town where the cloud was, and asked the people of the town, "Why has this cloud covered up this town so completely?" They answered, "To the contrary, in this place there had never been a cloud, and now for some time this cloud has covered us." Meanwhile, the messenger went and called the cloud. So it left the place. And the son decided to follow them, to listen to what they were saying. He heard the messenger ask, "How did you come to be a cloud here?" The other answered him, "Let me tell you a story."
"One time there was a wise man, and the emperor of the country was an atheist, and he brought the whole country to become unbelievers. Then the wise man called together his whole family, and said to them, "You see that the Emperor is an unbeliever, and has drawn the whole country after him, and even a few from our family have also become unbelievers. Thus, we are going to retreat to the desert, in order to preserve our faith in the L-rd, may He be blessed." They agreed with the plan. Then the wise man uttered a name (that is, one of the holy names of the L-rd), and brought them instantly to the desert. This desert did not find favor in his eyes, so he uttered another name, and brought them to another desert, which was also not favorable to him. He uttered another name, and brought them to another desert, which he found favorable. And this desert was adjacent to the two thousand mountains. The wise man went and drew a circle around his family, so that no one could come near them.
And there is a tree, that if it were to be watered, there would not remain a trace of the devils. And therefore, there are guards there from among our people, who stand night and day, digging around the tree and preventing water from reaching it."
The one listening to the story asked, "Why do they stand there night and day? Wouldn't digging one time be enough to prevent the water flowing in?"
The teller of the story answered, "There are gossipers among us, and these gossipers go and create conflict between our king and another king. This develops into war, which causes an earthquake, and the trenches that were dug collapse, and then water can come to the tree. Therefore, they stand guard and dig constantly. And when a new king arises among us, they boast of all their mischief before him, and everyone is merry. This one tells of how he hurt a baby, and how the mother is grieving over it, and another tells some other like story, and so many other similar mockeries. And as the king becomes more lighthearted, he goes and wanders about with his nobles, and tries by himself to uproot the tree. For without this tree, it would be very good for us. And he gathers up all his power of will to uproot the tree. But when he approaches the tree, it screams fiercely, and then fear falls upon him and he turns back.
One time, a new king was declared, and they performed all their mockeries before him, as described above, and he became very merry, and his heart swelled with vanity, and he boasted he would uproot the tree entirely, and went out wandering with his nobles. And he girded his resolve powerfully, and ran to the tree to uproot it completely. When he arrived, the tree let out a great scream, and fear fell on him, and he turned back. Then he became very angry and returned. On his way, he looked and noticed some men sitting (they were the wise man and his people), and he sent some of his men to abuse them, as was his custom always. When the wise man's people saw them, they became afraid. And the wise man said to them, "Do not fear."
And when the devils came near to them, they could not reach them, because of the circle the wise man had drawn around them. So the king sent other men, and they could not either. So he flew into a rage, and went himself, but he also could not come near them. He asked the wise man to let him in. The wise man responded, "Since you ask, I will let you in. And since it is not honorable that the king should go unescorted, I will allow one other to come in with you." He opened an entrance for them, they came in, and then he closed the circle again. The king now asked, "How did you come to settle in my place?" Answered the wise man, "Who is to say it is your place? It is my place!" The king said, "Are you not afraid of me?" He answered "No!" Then the king repeated, "Are you not afraid of me?" And he extended himself and became very large, as high as the heavens. And he wanted to swallow the wise man. But he responded, "Even so, I am not afraid at all. However, if I want, you will become afraid of me." So he went and prayed a bit, and he became a great stormcloud, with loud thunderings, and the thunder killed his men. All the king's nobles were killed, and only he and the companion that came into the circle with him remained. The king begged for the thunder to stop, and then it stopped.
The king now said to him, "Because you are such a unique man, I will give you a book with all the families of the devils. For there are spiritual masters who only know of one family, and even that they do not know completely. I will give you a book with all the families, for the king has the list with all the names. Even the newly born are on record with the king." And he sent the companion who came with him to go and bring the book (so it turned out to be a wise choice to let one companion enter with the king, for if he had entered alone, who would have gone after the book?) And he brought the book to him. He opened it, and saw written there thousands upon thousands of devil families. Then the king promised him that they would never do harm to his family. He commanded to be brought the portraits of every member of his family. Even when a new child would be born, they should immediately bring him the child's portrait. In order that no one from the wise man's family would ever be harmed.
Later on, when the wise man reached his time to pass on from the world, he called together his children and commanded them, saying: "I leave you with this book. You see that I have the power to use this book in holiness, and nevertheless I do not use it. I simply put my trust in the L-rd, may He be blessed. Neither should you use it. Even if there be found among you, one who is able to use it in holiness, even so, do not use it, and rather trust in the L-rd." So he passed away, and the book was handed down, and came to his grandson. He had the power to use it in holiness. But he had faith in the L-rd, may He be blessed, and he did not use it, as the wise man had commanded. And the gossipers among them tried to tempt the grandson: "Seeing that you have mature daughters, and you can neither support them or marry them off, make use of the book." And he did not know they were trying to tempt him, and thought that his own heart was advising him thus.
He then travelled to the grave of his ancestor, and asked him, "Seeing that you commanded in your will that we not use the book, and instead to have faith in the L-rd. But now my heart is drawing me to use it." The deceased wise man answered him, "Even though you have the power to use the book in holiness, better that you have faith in the L-rd and not use it, and the L-rd will help you." And so he did.
There came a time, when the king of the country (wherein lived the grandson), became ill. He went to doctors, but they could not heal him. For because of the intense heat of that country, medical treatments were not effective. So the king commanded that the Jews pray for him. Then our king said, "Seeing that the grandson has the power to use the book, and yet he chooses not to use it, we will do him a favor." So he commanded me to be a cloud there, so that the king would have healing from the medicines he already took, and from medicines he is still to take. And the grandson had no awareness of all this. It was because of this that I became a cloud here (All this was from the story that the cloud recounted to the messenger)."
Now the son from the beginning of the story (who did not have power in his legs to walk), had been following after these two and listening. Then they came to the king of the devils, and the king commanded that they return the power to the other king. So they did, and then the missing son of the devil couple came back. He was in a broken state, without strength, for they had tormented him exceedingly there. He was burning with resentment at the sorcerer who had tormented him so, and he commanded his sons and family that they should forever be haunting that sorcerer. But there were gossipers among them, and they went and told the sorcerer to beware, for they were waiting to harm him. So he devised a scheme, and called on other sorcerers who were familiar with the devil families, in order to be protected. And the the son and his family were enraged at these gossipers, that they had revealed his secret.
One time it happened, that the family of the son and some of the gossipers served together on a shift guarding the king. The family of the son went and spoke slander about the gossipers to the king. So the king executed the gossipers, and their remaining friends were enraged. So they went and created dissension between all the kings. And there developed among the devils famine, poverty, bloodshed and plague, and war broke out between all the kings. Through this was caused an earthquake, and the earth fell entirely, and the tree was totally watered. And there remained nothing from the devils, and it was as if they had never been. Amen.

Notes:
The essence of this story is hinted at in the first chapter of Psalms: "Happy is the man who did not walk in the advice of evil ones, and in the path of the sinners did not stand". This is the aspect of the paths in the story, on which the dust was sprinkled. "He will be as a tree planted by streams of water, giving fruit in its season, and its leaves will not wither, and all that he does will prosper." This is the tree which the devils tried to damage, all of whose fruit and leaves were effective for all kinds of maladies. Examine further and see other hints: "Happy is the man who did not walk...", for at first he was not able to walk. "and in the path of sinners did not stand", for later on, he could not stand either. "and in the gathering of mockers did not sit", that is, the gathering of mockers in the story. And all these are only a faint indication of the story's depth, that we should have some conception of the deeper significance. Yet these matters are still very hidden to the utter extent of concealment. For all the stories he told are far beyond human comprehension, and hidden from the eyes of all the living.

THE KING WHO DECREED ANNIHILATION (A Story of Miracles)

Once there was a king who forced expulsion upon his country, through a decree of annihilation. Anyone who wanted to remain in the country would have to recant his faith, and if he did not, he would be expelled from the country. Some of them gave up all their belongings and wealth, and left in poverty, in order to retain their faith and remain Jewish. And some of them were not willing to sacrifice their belongings and wealth, so they stayed there in a state of persecution. In private, they practiced the Jewish faith, but in public they were not allowed to behave as Jews.
The first king passed away, and his son became king. And he began to rule the country with an iron fist. He conquered several states, and had great wisdom.
And because he ruled over his ministers with severity, they spoke against him, and conspired to overthrow him and to obliterate him and his descendants. And there was among the ministers one of the persecuted people. He reasoned to himself, "Why, after all, did I stay here under persecution? Because I valued my wealth and possessions. Now, if the country will be without a king, the people will swallow each other alive. For a state cannot exist without a king." Therefore, he decided to go and inform the king without their knowing. He went and told the king that they were conspiring against him as described. Then the king went and probed to see if the matter was true, and he saw that it was. So he stationed guards. On the night that the ministers made their attempt against the king, they were caught, and judged, each one according to his case.
The king asked the persecuted minister, "What honor can I bestow upon you, for having saved me and my descendants? If I thought to make you a minister - well, you already are one. If I were to give you riches, you are wealthy already. Tell me what honor you would like, and I will grant it to you." The minister asked, "But will you really fulfill my request?" The king answered yes. The minister said, "Swear to me." So he did. Then the minister said, "My main honor would be that I be permitted to be Jewish in public, to don a tallis and tefillin in public." At this the king was very annoyed, for in all his kingdom, no one was allowed to be Jewish. But he did not have any other choice because he had sworn. In the morning, the minister donned his tallis and tefillin publicly.
After this, the king passed away, and his son became king. He began to rule with gentleness, for he saw how they had wanted to wipe out his father. He conquered many nations, and he had very great wisdom. He gathered together all the astrologers to tell him by what thing his seed could be cut off, in order that he guard himself from it. They told him that his seed would not be cut off as long as he guarded himself from a bull and a sheep. They wrote this down in their book of annals. And he commanded his sons that they also rule in the same manner as he, with gentleness, and he passed away.
Then his son became king, and he began to rule with severity, as had his grandfather. He conquered many states, and came upon an idea: He commanded to be announced that there should not be found in his kingdom any bulls or sheep, in order that his seed not be cut off. Therefore, he had nothing to fear. He ruled the country with a strong hand, and became great in wisdom.
The king came up with an idea, how to conquer the world without war. For there are seven regions of the world, that is, the world is divided into seven parts. And there are seven shooting stars, each one shining on one of the seven regions. And there are seven varieties of metals, and every one of the seven stars shines on one of these metals. And he went and gathered all seven types of metals, and commanded to be brought the portraits of all the kings, which are made of gold and which hang in their palaces. And he made from all of these a man. His head was of gold, his torso of silver, and so all the other limbs were of other metals. All of the seven metals were included within him. They positioned him on top of a high mountain, and all the seven bright stars shined upon this man. When some person needed advice, or to know whether to commence some business or not, he would stand next to the limb made of the metal that was native to his region. And he would focus on the question of whether he should do this business or not. When it was appropriate for him to do it, the limb would light up and shine, and if not, it would remain darkened. Through this the king conquered the whole world, and gathered great wealth.
But this statue only had this ability with the condition that the king would cast down the haughty and raise up the lowly. So he sent out invitations to all the generals and other ministers with high-ranking posts and honors, and they all came. And he cast them down, and took away their posts. Even those who had had posts with his grandfather's grandfather, he took their posts away. And he raised up lowly ones and appointed them in their place. Among the ones that the king sought to cast down was the Jewish minister described before. The king asked him, "What is your position and appointment?" He answered, "My position is that I be allowed to be Jewish in public, in return for the favor that I did for your grandfather." And he took this away from him, and he returned to his persecuted position.
One time, the king went to sleep and dreamed that he saw a clear sky, and saw all the twelve signs of the Zodiac. And he saw that the bull and the sheep, which were among the signs, were laughing at him. He awoke in great anger, and was very frightened, and he commanded them to bring him the book of annals. He saw written there that through a bull and a sheep, his seed would be cut off. A great fear befell him. And he related this to the queen, and there fell also upon her and on their children a great fear. He became very distraught, and he called to all his dream interpreters, and each one interpreted differently, and none of their interpretations satisfied him. A terrible fear befell him. Then one wise man came to him, and told him he had a tradition from his father. That is, that there are three hundred and sixty five courses of the sun, and there is a place where all the three hundred sixty five courses shine there. And there grows a staff of iron, and someone who suffers from fear, if he comes to this staff, he is saved from the fear.
This found favor in the eyes of the king. So he went to that place with his wife, his children and all his family, and with the wise man who had informed him about it. Along the way, there stands an angel who is appointed over anger. For through anger, an angel of destruction is created, and this angel is appointed over all the destructive forces. And those who travel there ask him the way. For there is a straight path before a man, and one filled with mud, and one filled with imperfections and potholes, and other various roads. And there is one road, in which is a fire, four miles from which one is burned (and the king and his people asked him the way, and he directed them to the road with the fire), and so they went there. The wise man kept looking ahead to see whether they were coming to this fire, for he had a tradition from his father that there is such a fire there.
Presently, he saw the fire, and he saw that walking through it were kings and Jews wearing tallis and tefillin. This was because in the countries of those kings dwelled Jews. Therefore those kings were able to pass through the fire. The wise man said to the king, "Since I have a tradition from my father that four miles from the fire, one is burned up, I would rather not come any closer." But the king thought to himself, being that other kings were going through the fire, he would try it as well. The wise man answered him, "I have the tradition handed down from my father, etc. Therefore I do not want to go. If you want to go, go." So the king and his family went, and the fire consumed them, and he and his seed were entirely cut off.
When the wise man came back to his home, the ministers were dumbfounded. For the king had been protected from the bull and the sheep. So how could it be that he and his seed were destroyed? Then the persecuted minister spoke up and said, "It was through me that he was cut off. For the astrologers saw, and did not understand what they saw. For with the skin of a bull is made tefillin, and from the wool of a sheep are made the fringes of a talit, and it was through them that he and his seed were cut off. For those kings in whose countries Jews lived, who wore tallis and tefillin, went through the fire with no harm at all. And our king was cut off, because in his country Jews wearing tallis and tefillin were not allowed to live. And that is why the bull and the sheep within the Zodiac were laughing at him, for the seers of the Zodiac saw but did not know what they saw, and so he and his seed were cut off.

Notes:
"Why are you frenzied, O nations? (Psalms, Chap. 2)" There are various allusions to the story in this Psalm. "Let us break their bonds." The bonds are of leather, the aspect of tefillin. "Their cords" - these are ropes, the aspect of tzitzit. For the nations desired to do away with the holy customs of Israel. "He who sits in the heavens laughs", for the bull and and sheep in the firmament laughed at the gentile king.

THE PRINCE WHO WAS MADE OF PRECIOUS STONES

There was once a king who had no children. He went and sought help from doctors, so that his kingdom would not fall into the hands of strangers, but it did not help. And he decreed upon the Jews to pray for him, that he would have children. And the Jews searched for a Tzaddik who would pray and cause him to have children. They searched and found a hidden tzaddik, and told him to pray that the king should have children. But he answered that he did not know anything. They informed the king, and he sent a summons to the tzaddik, and he was brought to the king. The king began to speak to him in a tone of good will: "You know that the Jews are in my hand, to do with them as I please. Therefore, I ask you peaceably to pray for me that I should have children." And he promised the king that he would have a child within a year. Then he returned to his place, and the queen gave birth to a daughter, who was of a very beautiful appearance. Already at the age of four, she already knew all the wisdoms, could play musical instruments, and knew all the languages. Kings from all the countries would travel to see her, and the king was very joyous.
After a time, the king started to yearn greatly for a son, so that his kingdom would not pass on to a stranger. So he again decreed upon the Jews, that they should pray for him to have a son. And they began searching for the same tzaddik, and they could not find him, for he had already passed away. So they searched more, and found another hidden tzaddik, and told him to give the king a son. He also said that he did not know anything. So they informed the king, and the king said to him again as before: "You know that the Jews are in my hand", etc. The tzaddik said to him, "Will you do what I tell you?" The king said "Yes." The tzaddik said, "I need you to bring me all the varieties of precious stones. For each stone has a different power." For the kings have a book in which is written all the varieties of precious stones. The king said, "I will give you half my kingdom in order to have a son." He went and brought all kinds of precious stones, and the tzaddik took them and crushed them. Then he took a cup of wine, and put the crushed stones in it, and gave half the cup to the king to drink, and half to the queen. And he told them that they would have a son who would be made entirely of precious stones, and he would have all the powers of all the stones. And he went to his place. The queen gave birth to a son, and the king was filled with joy. But the son was not made of precious stones. When he was four years old, he was very beautiful, and very well-versed in all the wisdoms, and knew all the languages, and kings would travel to see him.
And the princess saw that she was no longer so important, and was jealous of him. She had one consolation: That the tzaddik had said he would be made entirely of precious stones. It was good that he was not made of precious stones.
One time the prince was cutting wood, and he cut his finger, and the princess wanted to bandage the finger. Then she saw there a precious stone, and became very jealous of him. She made as if she were sick, and several doctors came, but they could not heal her. So they called on sorcerers. And there was among them one sorcerer, to whom the truth was revealed -- that she was pretending to be sick, and she asked him if he could cast a spell on a man to make him leprous. He said "yes". She continued, "But what if they find another sorcerer, who would annul the spell and heal him?" The sorcerer said, "If the spell will be cast into the sea, they will not be able to annul it anymore." So she did thus, and cast the spell into the sea, and the prince became very leprous. He had leprosy on his nose, on his face, and on the rest of his body. And the king went to doctors and sorcerers, but to no avail.
So the king decreed upon the Jews to pray, and they searched for the tzaddik and brought him to the king. And this tzaddik had been praying always to Blessed L-rd, in that he had promised to the king that the child would be entirely of precious stones, and it had not come to pass. He would argue with the L-rd, "Did I do this to glorify myself? I only did it to glorify You. And now, it has not come to pass as I said it would." And the tzaddik came to the king, and he prayed, but it did not help.
And this tzaddik was higher than all sorcery. And he informed the king that this was sorcery, and that they had thrown the spell into the sea, and the only hope for the prince would be for the sorcerer who had cast it to be thrown into the sea. The king said, "I will hand over all sorcerers, to be thrown into the sea, in order that my son be healed." And the princess became afraid, and ran to the sea to retrieve the spell from the water, for she knew where it was hidden. And she fell into the water. A great commotion arose due to the falling of the princess into the sea. Then the tzaddik told them that now the prince would be healed. So it was: He was healed, and the leprosy dried up, and all his skin peeled off and fell from him, and he was made totally of precious stones. He had all the benefits of all the stones. (That is to say, after his skin peeled off, it was revealed and apparent that the prince really was made of precious stones, just as the tzaddik had said.)

THE HUMBLE KING

Once there was a king who had a wise advisor. Said the king to the advisor: "There is a king who publicizes himself as a mighty one, and a humble man of truth. That he is mighty, I can tell. Because his country is surrounded by the sea, and on the sea stand a fleet of ships with cannons, and they do not allow anyone to come close. And further in, there are swamps encircling the country, and there is only one narrow path crossing them, wide enough only for one to pass. And there cannons are also positioned, and when one comes in attack, they fire the cannons on him, so it is impossible to come close. However, his claim that he is a man of truth and humility, I do not know if this is true. Therefore, I would like you to bring me his portrait." For the king had the portraits of all the rulers, but the portrait of this one cannot be found with any king. For he is hidden from people, for he dwells behind a veil, and is distanced from the people of his country.
So the wise man went to the country. He thought to himself, that he would need to know the nature of the country. And how would he find out the nature of the country? By knowing its humor. For when one wants to know about a certain thing, one needs to know the humor of that thing. For there are several types of humor. There are cases in which a person truly wants to hurt another, and when the other accuses him, he claims, "I was only joking." Then there are cases in which a person truly only intends to joke, and even so, his friend is hurt by his words. And so there are various other types of humor. And there is among all the nations one nation that encompasses all the nations. And within that nation is a city which encompasses all the cities of the nation which encompasses all the nations. And within that city is a house which encompasses all the houses of that city which encompasses all the cities of the nation which encompasses all the nations, and there is found a man who encompasses all the men of that house, etc. And there is there one who expresses all the mockery and humor of the whole nation.
So the wise man took a great deal of money with him, and went there, and saw that they were expressing a variety of mockery and humor. And he understood from the humor of the country that the country was filled with falsehood, from beginning to end. For he saw that some of their humor centered around how to cheat and deceive people in business, and how one comes to be judged in court, where all is falsehood and bribery. And how one's case can go to the higher courts, where there also all is false. And they showed all these things through play-acting. The wise man understood from all these parodies that the country was full of falsehood and deception, and there was not there a bit of truth. He went and did business dealings in the country, and allowed himself to be swindled in business. And he took his case to the courts, and they were full of falsehood and bribery. One day he would bribe them, and the next day they would not even recognize him. Then he went to a higher court, and it was also full of falsehood. Until he came to the Supreme Court, and they also were full of falsehood and bribery, until he came to the king himself.
When he came to the king, he asked, "Over who are you King?! Your country is full of lies, from beginning to end, and there is not a shred of truth in it." And he began to recount all the falsehood of the country. When the king heard his words, he pressed his ear against the veil in order to hear better. For it was a wonder to the king to find a man who knew of all the falsehood of the country. And the ministers that heard his words were enraged, and he continued to recount all the falsehood of the country. Then the wise man added, "And it would be fitting to say that the king is also like them, liking falsehood along with all the others. But in fact, I see that you are a man of truth, and because of that, you are far from them, because you cannot bear the falsehood of the country." And he started to praise the king exceedingly. And the king, because he was very humble, and his humility was his greatness. For such is the way of the humble: The more he is praised and glorified, the smaller and more humble he becomes. So, because of the magnitude of the praise of the wise man, with which he praised and glorified the king, the king came to extreme humility and smallness, until he practically disappeared. And he could not restrain himself, and flung open the veil, to see the wise man, to see who is this who knows and understands all this. Thus he revealed his face, and the wise man saw him, and he brought his portrait to his king.

THE FLY AND THE SPIDER

He said: I will tell you of all the journey I passed through.

Once there was a king, who waged several heavy wars and won them, and took many hostages. (Within his words, as he started to tell this story, he said in this language, "Because you ask me to tell you everything, you will understand.") The king held a great banquet every year, on the anniversary of his victory, and there were present all the ministers of the kingdom, and all the nobles of the land, as is the custom of kings. And they performed comic plays, and in them they made light of all the nations. The Arabs, and all the other nations, and they mimicked and parodied the customs and behavior of every nation, and it can be assumed that they also parodied the Jews.
Then the King commanded to be brought the book wherein were written all the customs and behavior of each nation. And to whatever page one opened, one would see written there the customs and behavior of a nation, very similar to the plays of the comedians. For it can be assumed that those who performed the comedies also saw the book. And as the king looked at the book, he saw there a spider crawling on the tips of the pages, and on the other side of the book stood a fly. According to the simplest assumption, the spider was headed toward the fly. And as the spider crawled and came closer to the fly, a wind came and raised the page up from the book, and the spider could not reach the fly. So it turned back, and acted with deception, as if it was turning back entirely and no longer had interest in the fly. The page returned to its place, and the spider again began to edge toward the fly. Then the page rose, again preventing it from reaching the fly, and it turned back again. And so it went several times. After that, the spider again attempted to reach the fly, and it crawled and went on until it managed to get one foot on the page. Then the page rose again, but now the spider was partly on the page. Then the page came to rest entirely, until the spider was left under it, in the space between two pages. It crawled about there, and it remained far down, until nothing was left of it. (And as for the fly, I will not tell you what became of it.)
The king saw all this, and was awed by it, and understood that this was not an empty thing, but that it was meant to tell him something. (And all the ministers noticed that he was staring and awed by this.) He began to ruminate, What does this mean?, and he dozed off over the book.
Then he dreamed that he had in his hand a precious gem. As he looked at it, he saw tiny deformed people emerging from it, and he flung the stone out of his hand. Now it is the custom of kings that they display their portraits near them. And upon the portrait they fasten their crowns. And these people who were emerging from the gem were seizing the portrait and cutting off its head. After this, they grabbed the crown and cast it into a heap of garbage (all this was within the dream of the king). And these people were running toward the king to kill him. And he lifted up a page from the book on which he had been sleeping, and it protected him, and they could not do a thing to him. Then they left him, and afterwards, the page returned to its place. Again they came at him to kill him, and he lifted the page up again. And so it went several times.
And he longed to see which page was protecting him, which people's customs were written on it. He was afraid to look, and he began to shout, "What a shame! What a shame!" Then all the ministers that were sitting there heard, and they wanted to wake him. However it is not appropriate to wake the king. They banged on the surfaces in the area nearby him, but he did not hear.
In the midst of this, a high mountain came to him, and asked him, "Why are you shouting so? I have been sleeping such a long time, and nothing woke me, nothing at all. And now you woke me?" The king responded, "Should I not cry out, when they are coming to kill me? Only this page protected me." The mountain answered, "If that page is protecting you, you do not need to worry about anything. For also against me many enemies arise, only that this page protects me. Come and I will show you."
So he showed him that around the mountain stood myriads of enemies, feasting and making merry, making music with instruments and dancing. And their main happiness centered around the occasions one of their divisions came up with an idea how to ascend the mountain. And then they would have a big celebration and feast, with music etc. And so with each of the divisions."Only that this page with the customs that protects you, also protects me."
Now, on the top of the mountain, there was a stone tablet, on which was written to whom belonged the customs on the page that protected him. However, because of the great height of the mountain, it was impossible to read the writing. Only at the bottom, there was a tablet on which was written, that he who has all his teeth intact may climb up the mountain. And the Holy One Blessed be He caused a certain grass to grow at the spot where one needed to pass to climb the mountain. Anyone who passed there, all his teeth would fall out. Whether he went on foot, or on horseback, or in a carriage, all his teeth would fall out. And there were piles and piles of teeth there, like mountains.
Afterwards, the people who had come out of the gem, came back and stood the portrait in its original position, and they took and washed off the crown, and then put it in its place. Then the king awoke, and immediately looked to see which page had protected him, which customs from which people were on it. And he saw written there the customs of Israel. He began to look at the page with an eye of truth, and perceived the essence of the truth. And he concluded to himself, that he would certainly convert to Judaism. The real question was, how would he bring everyone else to the good, to the truth?
He decided that he would set out and travel in search of a wise man who could interpret his dream. He took two people with him, and travelled through the world not in the fashion of a king, but rather as a simple man. He went from city to city, and country to country, and asked, "Where can be found a wise man who would interpret a dream according to its real meaning?" They told him, "In such and such a place there is such a man." So he went there, and came to the man, and told him the truth, how he was a king that had won many wars, and all the above story. And he asked him to interpret his dream. The man answered, "I myself cannot interpret it. However, there is a certain moment, on a certain day, in a certain month, and then I gather up all the spices of the incense and compound a specific blend, and I smoke a man in this incense, and that man chooses in his mind, what he would like to see and know. And then he will know it all."
The king thought to himself, "Seeing that I have already expended so much time on this, I will wait until that day in that month." And so when the day came, the wise man did as described, and smoked him with the incense. He began to see even what had been done with him before his birth, when his soul had been in the Upper World. He saw that they were leading his soul through all the worlds. And they announced, "Whoever has a charge against this soul, come forward." And no one there had a charge against him.
Just then, one came running, and cried out, "Master of the World, listen to my prayer. If this soul comes into the world, what more will there be for me to do? And if nothing, then why did You create me?" (The one who cried these words was the Evil One). The answer came, "This soul must come down to the world, without question. You will have to find your own solution." So he left.
And they continued to lead the soul through the worlds, until they brought him to the Upper Court, to make him swear that he would descend to the world. And the one mentioned before (the Evil One), still had not arrived. So they sent a messenger after him. Then he appeared with an elderly man, who was stooped over in the way of the elderly. The Evil One had already been acquainted with him. He laughed and said, "I have already found myself a solution. The soul may now descend to the world." And he saw all that he had been through, from beginning to end. How he was made a king, and the wars he had fought, etc.
(And he took captives, and among them was a beautiful woman, who had all of the graces of the world. Only that this grace was not hers. Rather, she wore a precious gem, and it had all types of grace, and because of this it appeared that she had all these types of grace. And on that mountain no one is able to ascend, except for wise or rich men, etc.) More than this he did not say, and there is much more to this. (From the words "And he took captives" until the end, it was not written clearly as it had been told.)
Notes:
"A song, for David, when he fled from Avshalom his son (Psalms, Chap.3). L-rd, how great are my torments, many rise against me... And you, L-rd, protect me, you are my honor, and raise up my head. My voice will cry out to L-rd, and He will answer me from His holy mountain." Referring to the mountain in the story. "I laid down and slept, and I was awoken." As in the story. "I will not fear from the multitudes of people", etc. "For You smacked all my enemies in the face, You broke the teeth of the wicked." For when they tried to ascend the mountain, their teeth would fall out. "Your blessing is upon Your people, selah."

THE RABBI AND HIS ONLY SON

There once was a Rabbi, who did not have any children. After a time, he had one son, who he raised and married off. And the son would sit in his room and study, as was the custom for men. And he would constantly learn and pray. However, he felt in himself that he was lacking something, and did not know what. He did not feel enthusiasm in his learning and in his prayer. And he explained this to two friends, and they advised him to travel to a certain tzaddik. And this son had done a mitzva, from which he merited to the aspect of the "Small Light".
And this Only Son went and told his father, that seeing as he did not feel any taste in his learning, and he felt a lack, and did not know why. And therefore, he wanted to travel to the Tzaddik. His father answered him: "What?! You want to travel to him? You are certainly more learned than he, and of better lineage. It's not fitting for you to travel to him, give up the idea." Until he dissuaded him from going. So the son returned to his learning, and again felt a lack. So he conferred again with the above-mentioned friends, and they advised him as before to travel to the tzaddik. So he again approached his father, and his father dissuaded him from going as before. And so it went several times. And the son felt this lacking, and he longed powerfully to fill the lack, and did not know what it was. And he came again to his father, and pleaded with him, until his father was compelled to take him - for he did not want to let him travel alone, being that he was his only son.
And his father said, "Alright, I will go with you, and I'll show you that he is nothing special." So they prepared a carriage and set off. His father said, "I will set up a test: If things proceed normally, it is decreed from Heaven (that you should go). If not, then it is not from Heaven, and we will turn back."
And they travelled and came to a small bridge. One of the horses fell, and the carriage overturned, and they were nearly drowned. His father said, "You see, things are not proceeding normally, so the trip is not ordained from Heaven." So they returned.
And the son returned to his studies. And again, he saw the lacking that he could not explain. So again he pleaded with his father, and his father agreed to travel with him a second time. And when they went, the father again set up the test as he had the first time. And it was, as they were travelling, that both axles of the carriage broke. His father said, "You see, it isn't working out for us to make the trip. For could this be natural, that both axles should break?" For they had travelled many times in this carriage, and the likes of this had never happened.
So the son returned to his routine, and again felt the lack, and his friends again advised him to go. So he pleaded with his father again, and he was obliged to travel with him again. And the son asked that they not set up this test again, for it is natural that sometimes a horse falls, or an axle breaks. Barring only a truly unusual occurrence. So they set out and came to an inn, and found there a trader, and started to converse with him in the manner of traders. And they did not reveal to him their destination, for the Rabbi was embarrassed to reveal that they were visiting that tzaddik. And they spoke about worldly matters, until the conversation turned to stories of tzaddikim, and where they are located. And he began to recount, "In such and such a place is a tzaddik, and in another place, and another" and so on. And they started to speak about the tzaddik to whom they were travelling.
He answered them, "Him? He is a lightweight. For I just came from his place. I was there, and I saw him commit a sin." So the father said to his son, "You see? This trader told us this in his innocence, and he just came from there!" So they returned home.
And this son passed away. And he came in a dream to the Rabbi, his father. And his father saw that he was very angry, and he asked him: "Why are you so angry?" He answered that he should travel to that same tzaddik to whom they had tried to travel before, and that "he will tell you why I am so angry." He then awoke, and said to himself, "It was only a dream." Then he dreamed the dream again, and again he assumed it was an insignificant dream. He dreamed it yet a third time, and now he realized there was meaning in it. So he travelled there.
And along the way, he met the trader. He recognized him, and said, "Are you the same trader that I met in that inn?" And he answered, "Certainly you saw me." Then he opened his mouth and said, "If you like, I will swallow you!" The father asked, "What are you saying?!" He answered, "Do you remember, when you and your son travelled? And at the beginning, the horse fell on the bridge, and you turned back. The second time, the two axles broke, and the third time you met me. And I said that he (the tzaddik) is a lightweight. And now that I have ended your son's life, now you may travel there. For your son was the aspect of the Small Light, and that tzaddik was the aspect of the Great Light. And if they had come together, it would have brought the Messiah. And now that I have done away with your son, you may travel there." And as he was speaking, he disappeared, and the father was left alone. So he travelled to the tzaddik, and cried, "Alas, alas, alas to those who are lost and cannot be forgotten!" The L-rd should return our exiles speedily, Amen.

THE CLEVER AND THE SIMPLE ONE

Once there were two householders in one city, who were very wealthy. They had large houses, and each one of them had a son, both of whom studied in the same classroom. Now one of these sons was bright,and the other was simple-minded (He was not foolish, only that his intellect was simple and of a low level). These two sons loved each other very much. In spite of their great difference in personality, even so, they loved each other very much.
As time passed, the two householders began to lose their wealth. They sank further and further, until they became destitute, and were left with nothing except their houses. And the sons began to grow up. So the fathers said to their sons, "We do not have the ability to pay the expenses to support you. You will have to fend for yourselves." The simple one went and learned shoemaking.
And the clever one, who had a sharp mind, did not desire to do mundane work like this. So he decided to go out into the world and look for something to do. He went and wandered through the market. There he saw a large carriage with four horses and their harnesses, that was travelling along. He spoke up and said to the tradesmen, "Where are you from?" They answered that they were from Warsaw. "And where are you going?" "To Warsaw." He asked them, "Perhaps you need a helper?" They saw that he was intelligent and energetic, and he found favor with them, and they accepted him. So he travelled with them serving them very well along the way. When they came to Warsaw, since he was intelligent, he considered to himself, "Being that I am already in Warsaw, why should I be tied to these people? Maybe there is something better. I will go and ask and see." So he went to the market, and he began to investigate and ask about the people who had brought him, and if there are people better than them to work under. They answered that these people are upright, and it is good to be with them. However, it is difficult to work with them because their dealings are done over great distances.
He went and saw men from the clothing business, that were passing through the market in their fashionable style, with their various adornments - their hats and their sharp-pointed shoes, and their other refinements, in the way they walked and dressed. He had a sharp intellect, and this work appealed to him because it had grace, and also it was done in one's own home. He returned to the people he had come with, gave them his respects, and told them that he would not be continuing with them. And as for their having brought him here, he had served them along the way.
He went and started to work under one businessman. And it is the way of hired servants, that in the beginning they need to work for little pay, and do difficult work. Then afterwards they reach the level of established servants. His employer gave him hard work, and he would send him to customers bearing merchandise as is customary for servants. They need to hold their arms upraised, draping the garments along their arms' length for the customers to see. This work was very difficult for him to bear. Sometimes he would need to climb up many flights with his load, and the work was very hard for him. So he considered to himself - for he was a highly intelligent philosopher: "Why should I do work like this? For truly, the main point of working is to achieve the goal of getting married and supporting oneself. And I do not need to be concerned about this yet. I will have time to deal with it in the future, in the years to come. In the meantime, I am happy to wander the land, in different countries, and to have my fill of the world."
He went through the market, and saw a large trading carriage passing by. He asked them, "Where are you going?" "To Lagorna." "Would you take me there?" "Yes." So they took him there, and from there he sailed to Italy, and from there to Spain. In the course of this, several years passed, and thus he became even wiser, for he had been in many countries. Then he thought to himself, "Now it would be good to think about the goal."
He started to consider, with his philosophical analysis, what he should do. He found it fitting to learn to be a goldsmith. It is a major business, and attractive, it demands wisdom, and it is also very profitable. Because of his high intelligence and philosophical ability, he did not need to learn several years. In only a quarter of a year he completed his study and became a very major artisan. He was more expert in the work than the one who had taught him. Then he considered to himself, "Even though I now have this skill to depend on, it is not enough for me. Today this work is in demand, perhaps in the future something else will take its place." So he went and found work with a gem cutter, and because of his quick mind, he learned this also in a short time, a quarter of a year. Afterwards, he speculated philosophically, "Even though I have two trades, who knows if both of them might fall out of demand. Better that I learn a trade that will always be important." He concluded, with his understanding and philosophy, that he should learn to be a doctor, which is always needed and important. And it is customary that before learning medicine, one must learn Latin, and how to write, and the wisdoms of philosophy. And because of his understanding, he also learned this in a short time - a quarter year. He became a great doctor, and a philosopher learned in all the wisdoms.
Afterwards, the world began to seem insignificant in his eyes. For because of his wisdom, being so skilled and professio