40 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
40 lines
2.3 KiB
Plaintext
Long ago in a Polish town there lived a wise Rabbi. One night a
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peddler came to the Rabbi's house. "Rabbi", he said, "I am going to kill
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myself!" "Heaven, forbid!", cried the Rabbi, what could make you have
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such a sinful thought. "Is it better that I should starve to death!
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Today my horse died and without a horse I cannot earn my living!" "Look",
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said the Rabbi, "the Holy One, Blessed be He, will provide for you.
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Tonight, at midnight, meet me at the stable of the Count." The peddler
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had no idea what the Rabbi could mean, but obediently he arrived at
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the Count's stables at 12 o'clock sharp. The Rabbi took him to one of
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the stalls and told him to take the beautiful white stallion standing
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there. "Oy, vay!", said the peddler, "I can't do this, the Count will
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have me hanged!". "Don't worry", the Rabbi assured him, "take the horse
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and go in peace." Since in those days one did not disobey a rabbi, the
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peddler did as he was told.
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When he had gone the Rabbi lay down in the stall and went to sleep. The
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next morning the Count arrived with his groom and seeing the man asleep
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on the floor, kicked him and cried: "Hey you, who are you, what are you
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doing here, where is my horse?!" The Rabbi sat up and rubbed his eyes.
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Then he jumped to his feet and raised his hands to the sky and cried:
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"Thanks be to God, creator of the Universe!" "What's this, what's this",
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cried the Count,"what is going on, who are you, where is my horse??!"
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"Don't you understand?", said the Rabbi, "I was your horse! I used to
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be a famous scholar. But one night I succumbed to the Evil Impulse and
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went to a prostitute. In punishment the Holy One turned me into your
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horse. But in my misery I repented and prayed for forgiveness. Finally
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my prayers were heard and I have been changed back into a human being.
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Thanks be to God, creator of the Universe!". Now the Count was a
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devout man and a respector of miracles and so he also cried "Thanks
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be to God, creator of the Universe!" and let the Rabbi go.
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Several weeks later the Count was riding through the town. Suddenly
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he spied the peddler leading his beautiful white stallion. He leaped
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from his carriage and ran to the beast, struck him brutally on the
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rear end with his riding crop and shrieked: "Scoundrel! Ingrate!
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Going to prostitutes again??!!"
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Dan Fivel
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--
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