Folktales of the Jews, Volume 2: Tales from Eastern Europe

36. A Poor Man’s Wisdom Is Scorned (IFA 13498)

36 A Poor Man’s Wisdom Is Scorned T O L D B Y Y E H U D A H H E R M A N N T O Y I F R A H. H. AV I V In the Middle Ages there lived a great poet, Abraham ibn Ezra, who was dreadfully poor. He had absolutely nothing except for his staff and his bag, with which he wandered from place to place. All his life, Ibn Ezra was troubled by the verse “A poor man’s wisdom is scorned.”* “Why is the wisdom of the poor man scorned?” he kept asking himself. “Why did King Solomon write that?” He never could find an answer to his question until the following incident occurred. Once, during his wandering from city to city, through mountains and wastelands, he met a man who, like him, was traveling with a bag. But with one difference—this fellow had two purses tied together, one on his back and another on his chest. Ibn Ezra fell into step with him. As they walked, he asked the man, “Who are you?” “I am a very rich man,” he replied, “from very far away. I sold all my property and everything I owned and used the money to buy precious stones. I am carrying these gems in the bag on my back. The other one, on my chest, is full of rocks, of the same weight as the gems.” “Why?” asked Ibn Ezra. “So that the weight will be equally divided and the gems on my back will not weigh me down.” Ibn Ezra said to him, “Wouldn’t it be better to divide the gems into two equal parts? Half in front of you and the other on your back? The weight would still be balanced but your burden would be lighter.” “You’re right!” replied the rich man. “Why didn’t I think of that? But tell me, are you poor or rich?” “The poorest of the poor! No one is poorer than I!” Ibn Ezra answered. “I have learned from my ancestors,” the rich man said, “never to heed the advice of a poor man!” Ibn Ezra was astonished by this answer, but said nothing. The two kept 269 * Ecclesiastes 9:16. walking until they reached a port city. They went down to the shore and found a ship. Both decided to sail in it to a foreign country. The rich man paid for his passage, while Ibn Ezra, who was dreadfully poor, hired himself out as an oarsman. The ship raised anchor and set sail. A few days later a storm swept the sea. What did the passengers and sailors do? Each man prayed to his god. But their prayers were not accepted. Quite the opposite! The sea grew stormier and stormier! “We have to jettison half of the cargo,” the captain notified the passengers . “Everyone throw half of what he has overboard.” The rich man came to the captain and showed him his two packages. “The two are of equal weight, aren’t they?” The captain weighed them in his hand. “Yes, you’re right. Throw one into the water.” The rich man gave him the bag full of plain rocks. The captain tossed it into the water, leaving the rich man with all his gemstones. “Had I listened to the advice of that beggar,” proclaimed the rich man, “I would have lost half of my wealth now!” Ibn Ezra heard this and sighed. “Now I understand the verse ‘A poor man’s wisdom is scorned.’ ”  270  Folktales of the Jews: Volume 2 COMMENTARY FOR TALE 36 (IFA 13498) Told by Yehudah Hermann to Yifrah Haviv in 1981 in Kibbuz Bet Keshet.1 Cultural, Historical, and Literary Background The biblical proverb “A poor man’s wisdom is scorned” (Ecclesiastes 9:16) frames this tale, occurring in its opening and in its closing. The biblical verse is extracted from the fable of the besieged city that the poor man’s wisdom could have saved had the people listened to him (Ecclesiastes 9:14–16). Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra (1089 or 1092–1165 or 1176) employed this biblical verse in one of his poems.2 The present tale justifies the rejection of the poor man’s advice, rationalizing a negative ethical attitude toward the poor. This attitude contrasts with biblical and talmudic-midrashic law and ethos, which advocates compassion and justice...