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

41. Everyone Prefers His Own Bundle of Troubles (IFA 14460)

306 41 Everyone Prefers His Own Bundle of Troubles T O L D B Y B E Z A L E L W E X L E R T O A B R A H A M K E R E N The rumor flew through the town: The Messiah was on his way. Soon he would reach their town. The rabbi gathered his flock in the synagogue and told them about the wonderful and exciting event that was about to happen. “My brothers in Israel,” he announced, “the end of the exile has arrived, the end and termination of all our troubles has come. Our righteous Messiah is on his way! “So we can get rid of our troubles, everyone go home and tie them all up in a bundle and put them in a corner of the synagogue. After that, we’ll recite psalms and sing the songs of King David. When the Messiah nears our town, we’ll all go out to greet him—young and old, men and women and children. Now go home and pack all your troubles in a bundle. When the Messiah comes, we’ll leave all our pains behind, here in the Diaspora, and ascend to Zion in joy.” The townspeople scattered to their homes and did as the rabbi had instructed . They all brought their bundles to the synagogue, recited psalms, and waited for the Messiah to arrive. A day passed, two days passed—and still the footsteps of the Messiah were not heard. The rabbi dispatched messengers to see if he was approaching the town, but they did not find his traces. After a prolonged wait, the rabbi again gathered his flock in the synagogue . In a voice full of disappointment, choking on tears, he announced: “My fellow congregants, Heaven has postponed the redemption. Satan the accusing angel has once again proved stronger. You must all go back home. Everyone take his bundle of troubles and wait for the end of the exile, for the full redemption.” A great commotion broke out in the synagogue. They all fell on the pile of bundles of troubles, pushing and shouting. “Where is my bundle? Where is my bundle?” They would not relax until every person had found his own bundle. None of them wanted to exchange his bundle for someone else’s. Everyone preferred his own troubles to the next man’s. 41 / Everyone Prefers His Own  307  COMMENTARY FOR TALE 41 (IFA 14460) Recorded by Abraham Keren from Dr. Bezalel Wexler in 1982 in Haifa. Cultural, Historical, and Literary Background The narrator of this tale integrates two distinct themes that have an independent occurrence in Jewish tradition: the anticipation of the Messiah and the attachment people develop to their own personal troubles. The Messiah In Judaism, the expectation of the coming of the Messiah has been a fundamental tenant of faith that is inherently connected with the uncertainty principle: Neither the time of his arrival nor his identity is known. The coupling of faith and uncertainty, though an essential feature of religion, has generated in this case false messianic claims that historically created havoc in Jewish societies and in daily life. Furthermore, the convergence of high hopes and uncertainty fostered an attitude of irony and skepticism toward any messianic claims that Jews expressed in narratives, proverbs, and humorous tales such as the present story. A study of individuals who claimed messianic attributes has been conducted.1 Jewish history and the position of Jews among the nations have been fertile ground for messianic expectations and movements. Even the national foundation myth, the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 13–15:21), unfolds a story of collective salvation and the transition from slavery to freedom, which are redemptive acts similar to those attributed to the Messiah. However, as a myth of the past, neither the exodus nor Moses, the biblical national leader, has been conceived in messianic terms. Within Jewish history, as told in the Hebrew Bible, there was only a brief period of national political independence during the rule of King David (ca. 1010–970 B.C.E.) and of King Solomon (970/60–930/20 B.C.E.). The disintegration of the kingdom of David began shortly after Solomon’s death, with its division into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, and their final collapse in 722 and 586 B.C.E., respectively. Already during this biblical period of decline, prophets and...