Parshas Bahaloscha 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
ויאמר לו משה המקנא אתה לי ומי יתן כל עם ה' נביאים כי יתן ה' את רוחו עליהם ... (יא-כט)
In the city of Baghdad, home of the holy Ben Ish Chai, a man was once complaining out loud how the Jews of Hungary had fallen to such spiritual depths and that they were no longer conducting themselves as proper Jews. He enumerated different flaws that were present among them. A number of people rebuked the man for talking negatively about other Jews.
“Your conduct mimics a fly! A fly is attracted to garbage. Even if there’s a beautiful garden, it’ll go to the garbage. There, a scrumptious steak can sit alongside a smelly bag of waste, yet the fly pays no attention to that. All it sees is the garbage.”
The listener focused on the man. “You act like a fly. All Jews - Sephardic, Ashkenazic - have so much good in them, and there is so much good to focus on. Yet, all you seem to want to focus on is the petty nonsense and negativity in them. What you need to do is tell us something good about these people. A story perhaps. This way, you can rectify your misdeed and reprogram your mind to see the good in all Jewish people.” The man felt rebuked and went on to tell the following story.
There was once a king whose kingdom neighbored two countries. Each year, a meeting was held to discuss the political issues relating to each country. They prepared an extravagant meal for the attending kings. This was a very high ranking meeting, and understandably, no one, under any circumstances, was granted entry. However, one king had a Jewish advisor and decided that he wanted his advisor to attend the feast. The other kings were disturbed. “How can this king bring along his Jewish advisor? No one is allowed into the meeting!” But they swallowed their pride and didn’t deny his entry.
At the welcoming ceremony, each king was nobly escorted inside. The Jew also received a befitting escort. However, as he approached the entrance, his escort noticed that a group of local youths were blocking the road, seeking trouble.
As they got closer, he heard that the group of boys were screaming in mockery: “Jew! Jew! Get out! Get out!”
The driver realized what was happening and entered the chariot confronting the Jewish advisor with the dilemma. The Jew smiled and reached into his pocket, took out 1,000 golden coins, and instructed the driver to hand it over to the boys. The thrilled kids moved aside, allowing the chariot to proceed. The Jew arrived at the meeting and was greeted with great honor, too.
One of the kings sparked up a conversation with the Jew and said, “I heard that there were boys in your way. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. These children should really be punished for such improper behavior and disrespect, but unfortuantely, this is not under my control.” The Jew looked at the king and immediately understood who was behind the whole incident. This king had set up the boys as a protest to his participation, blaming the boys to cover up his involvement.
“Don’t be sorry,” replied the Jew. “Not only did they not hurt my feelings, they actually gave me the greatest gift. If I would have had more money on me, I would have given that too. They gave me something nobody has ever given me.”
The king was shocked by the response. “What do you mean?” asked the king. “You just experienced a great embarrassment and humiliation? What could you possibly be thanking them for?”
The Jew explained to the king the reason for his happiness. “I was once a religious Jew but I have slipped away, discontinuing any religious customs. I have lost so much, but the very last inheritance that I have I can’t possibly give up. Now, as I was coming to this glorious meeting with the kings, I was reminded about the most precious possession that I have. More valuable then all the honor I was granted is that I am the son of the Creator of the World. At this very time, when I have risen to the top, I received this message reminding me of the true inheritance that I have. I am a Jew and this makes me proud!”
The man who spoke against the Jews of Hungary concluded: “This Jewish advisor treasures how lucky he is for being a son of Hashem, and this is worth more than all the honor in the world. No matter how far one has fallen from serving Hashem, he must always remember the great present he was gifted with.” With this, he rectified his misdeed of talking negatively about fallen Jewry. Baruch Hashem, we are Hashem’s loyal children and that is the greatest pride that we shall take. (Ben Ish Chai)