Digital Maggid
Then the king became adamant that he should have a son so that the kingdom would not go to foreigners. And he again decreed that the Jews should pray that he should have a son. So they looked for the first tzadik, but they could not find him because he had already died. So they looked further and eventually found another Rent-A-Sage. And they told him to give him a son. But he said he didn’t know anything about it. They informed the king and the king said to this tzadik also: you know, obviously, that I have the Jews in the palm of my hand, and so on…. The sage said to him: But know you this, that you must do whatsoever I tell you. The king agreed, and the sage said to him: I require that you bring various jewels, for every gemstone has within it a different remedy (s’gula) and among the kings there is available a book wherein is written concerning the various jewels. And the king said: I will bring them out, to half my kingdom’s jewels. And the sage took them and he knocked them together. He took a cup of wine and put the stones in the wine. He gave half the wine to the king to drink, and the other half , the queen. And he said to them that they would have a son through the jewels, due to the remedies (s’gulot) within all the jewels, and he went home.
The queen had a son and this was a great joy to the king. Only the son did not really come from the jewels. At the age of four he was a very great person, he knew all wisdom and language and the purpose of things. And all the kings in all the lands came to see him. But when the daughter of the queen saw that she was not so important as this, she became jealous and only this was a comfort — that the sage had said that the son would be from the jewels only, but it was good that he was not from jewels.
The King’s Son, part II
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The King’s Son, part I
by Digital MaggidThis story is from Sipurei Ma’asiyot (Mayses), which is a collection of stories attributed to Rebbe Nachman of Bratslov (aka Breslov, aka Bresslover or Bratslover). I’m honestly not sure whether the stories in this book are available in English translation or not. The book I have is Hebrew and Yiddish. Between the two I offer you this:
The King’s Son Was of Rubies (Hebrew title)
Once there was a king. The king had no children, so he went to the doctors, so that his kingdom should not fall into foreign hands, but they could not help him. So he decreed unto the Jews that they should pray for him, that he should have children. And the Jews set about looking for a hired tsadik (ie. Rent-A-Sage), so that he might pray that he (the king) should prevail, and that the king should have children. They looked for and found a Rent-A-Sage, and they told him that he should pray for the king that he should have children. He answered them that he did not know anything. They informed the king of this (that he was a Rent-A-Sage, only he said he knew nothing). The king sent an okaz (?) after him and they brought him back to the king. The king began to shmooze him up good: you know, obviously, that I have the Jews in the palm of my hand. I can do whatever I please with them. So then I beg of you, pray well for me that I should have children. So the Rent-A-Sage promised the king that he would have have a child that very year and went home. And the queen had a daughter and the daughter of the queen was a very great person and at the tender age of four, she knew all wisdom and language and the purpose of things. And all the kings in all the lands came to see her and so it was a great joy to the king.
(to be continued)
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