Folktales of the Jews, Volume 1: Tales from the Sephardic Dispersion

45. The Rabbi’s Son and the King’s Daughter (IFA 4735)

45 The Rabbi’s Son and the King’s Daughter T O L D B Y YA ‘A K O V A S H R A F T O M E N A H. E M B E N - A R Y E H There was once a childless rabbi who frequently prayed on behalf of barren women. One day, when the rabbi had gone to the yeshivah* to learn, a woman came to his house looking for him. “Why are you looking for the rabbi? What do you want him to do for you?” asked the rabbi’s wife. “I want to ask him to pray that I may conceive,” the visitor replied. When the rabbi returned home, his wife quarreled with him and upbraided him. “Why do you pray on behalf of barren women when we ourselves are old, advanced in years,** and have no son? You should pray for us to have a son.” The rabbi replied to his wife, “If God so wills there is no need for prayer.” But his wife held her own: “You do have to pray.” The rabbi immersed himself in the mikveh,§ prayed to God, and asked to have a dream in which his request would be answered. In his dream, the messenger-angel appeared and informed him, “A son will be born to you. But when he reaches the age of eighteen—he will die.” “Let me consult my wife,” replied the rabbi, “and hear what she says—whether she agrees.” The rabbi related his dream to his wife—namely, that the son would die at [age] eighteen. Replied his wife, “It doesn’t matter. We will have our son fulfill the precepts of circumcision, Torah study, tefillin,§§ and marriage. Whatever God wills—so be it.” 365 * Jewish school of higher learning. ** Genesis 18:11, referring to Abraham and Sarah.§ Ritual bath.§§ Small black leather prayer boxes, wrapped around the head and arm, containing passages from the Torah.  366  Folktales of the Jews: Volume 1 An old mikveh. The rabbi again sought a dream answer. When the messenger-angel appeared, he [the rabbi] relayed his wife’s words. And so it was. A year later, the rabbi’s wife gave birth to a son. They circumcised him and held the festive banquet in accordance with Jewish law and tradition and named him Solomon. Solomon grew up and learned Torah from his father, until he could give thirty homilies on every letter and knew the entire Tanakh and Talmud, Mishnah and Gemara* by heart. His knowledge even surpassed that of his father, who was himself a very great scholar. Years passed. One summer day, Solomon climbed up to the roof of his father’s house. Along came an eagle, seized Solomon by his hair, and flew off with him. When the eagle reached Madrid, the capital of Spain, he dropped Solomon on the roof of the king’s palace. The king was sleeping at the time. But when he heard the loud thump on the roof, the king of Spain got up, alarmed. “Go up to the roof,” he told his servants, “and see what caused that thumping sound. What happened?” The servants went up to the roof and found Solomon, fallen in a heap on the palace roof. When they told the king, he himself went up there. He saw that Solomon’s face was like the face of an angel of the Lord of Hosts, his countenance radiant and shining. The king compounded various medicinal spices and put them under Solomon’s nose to revive him. When Solomon revived, the king asked him, “Who are you, and from what place?” “I am a Hebrew man,”** replied Solomon. The king brought him food and all sorts of delicacies to eat. But Solomon refused to taste them. “We Jews are forbidden to eat prohibited foods,” he told the king. “What do you want, then?” the king asked him. “I’d like new utensils, vegetables, and a chicken. I’ll slaughter the chicken myself and prepare my own food.” In a flash, the king brought Solomon everything he wanted. Solomon cooked his own meal and ate. The king built him a house in his garden, next to the palace, and equipped it with a bed, chair, table, and whatever he needed. When Solomon’s father and mother searched for their only son, the 45 / The Rabbi’s Son  367  * A...