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37 A Bear Makes a Poor Musician Rich but Is Insulted by the Musician’s Wife T O L D B Y S H O S H A N A L E V I T O R A C H E L S E R I Once there was a scholar, H.akham Avram was his name, and he had a wife and seven daughters. Now this H.akham Avram was very poor. But every day he said, “God will help us.” Every day his wife would quarrel with him. “Go find work and support your family!” But H.akham Avram only answered, “God will help us.” In this fashion, the days turned into months, and the months into years, and still H.akham Avram did not work. There was no food for his family. Until one day his wife told him, “Go beat a drum in the graveyard and sing all day long. Maybe the dead will take pity on you!” H.akham Avram did as she suggested. He got himself a drum and went to the cemetery, where he drummed and sang from dawn to dusk. In the evening, a tall mountain suddenly appeared before the poor drummer. It split open and out sprang the figure of a bear. The bear danced to the drumbeat and song. When the bear grew tired it vomited a stream of silver coins. “Man,” said the bear, “these coins are for you. Take them.” Then the bear vanished, along with the mountain. H.akham Avram gathered up the coins and went to the marketplace, where he bought clothes for his family and a large store of food. Then he hired a porter and told him to take his purchases to the house of the pauper H.akham Avram. The porter carried it all to H.akham Avram’s wife. But the woman wouldn’t accept his load. “It’s not for us,” she protested. “This is the home of the pauper H.akham Avram, who has nothing . He has no money, not even a penny. How could he have bought all this?You’ve made a mistake. It’s not for us.” But the porter left everything there anyway. What could the woman do? She picked up everything he had brought and set it aside, refusing to touch anything until her husband came home. When night fell, H.akham Avram entered his house. His wife told him 263  264  Folktales of the Jews: Volume 1 that a porter had delivered all this bounty to them, but it must be a mistake . “The Lord has helped us,” replied her husband joyfully. Finally the wife relented. She dressed all her daughters in the fine clothes and prepared a sumptuous meal for the family. Day after day H.akham Avram did the same thing. Going to the cemetery , he would beat his drum and sing from morning to evening. The bear would appear and dance and dance until he vomited silver coins. H.akham Avram became a rich man and built himself a rich man’s house. Finally he felt he had to thank the man who appeared to him in the image of a bear and had made him rich. He decided to invite him to his house. “I can’t come to your house,” replied the bear, “because I’m a bear.” But H.akham Avram would not be put off. “You made me and my family rich. I am duty-bound to honor you.” Finally the bear consented to visit H.akham Avram at home. H.akham Avram told his wife to prepare succulent dishes and a grand repast, because the man who had made him rich was coming to dinner. H.akham Avram’s wife outfitted the furniture with new white covers, starched and ironed, and prepared many delicacies. And then the guest arrived—a bear! H.akham Avram greeted him with great joy and respect and seated him on the luxurious and spotless couch next to the table, which was laid with many fine dishes. But H.akham Avram’s wife screeched loudly: “Woe is me! What sort of guest have you invited? He’s a bear! What have you done, husband?” After his wife, his seven daughters appeared and discovered that all the finery had been set out for the filthy bear. They too shrieked like their mother: “What have you done, Father? You went and invited a bear instead of the patron who made you rich!” The bear...

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