Weekly Chasidic Story #1422 (5785-24) 10Adar 5785 (March 10, 2025)

"Another Purim 26 Days Before Purim"

This royal reception could have continued successfully for many years had it not been for one of the king's ministers, who hated the Jews and was deeply disturbed by the king's fondness for them.

Why this week? This Friday is the general Festival of Purim.

Story in PDF format for more convenient printing.

Another Purim 26 Days Before Purim

In the city of Saragossa, Spain, in the 1600's, a large Jewish community lived peacefully and securely. The Jews were allowed to observe the commandments of the Torah and conduct their lives freely. The king was beloved and admired by all-Jews and non-Jews alike-because of his kindness, and the Jews greatly honored him. How so?

Whenever the king appeared in the streets accompanied by his royal entourage, the leaders of the Jewish community would go out to greet him, carrying the beautiful and ornate Torah cases made of gold and decorated with precious gems, with silver bells on top. However, before doing so, they would remove the Torah scrolls from the cases and leave them in the synagogue's ark, as it was forbidden to carry Torah scrolls unnecessarily.

The king was unaware of this custom and was not supposed to know. He believed that the Jews were greeting him with their most precious and sacred possession-the holy Torah scrolls.

This royal reception could have continued successfully for many years had it not been for one of the king's ministers, a high-ranking official who despised the Jews and was deeply disturbed by the king's fondness for them. This wicked man, named Marcus, was constantly looking for ways to harm the Jews while also seeking to elevate his own status in the king's eyes.

At some point, Marcus discovered that the cases the Jews carried were empty, with the Torah scrolls left in the synagogue. Overjoyed by this revelation, he eagerly awaited an opportunity to expose the "deception" and take revenge on the Jews.
That opportunity arrived at a royal banquet. The king, sitting among his ministers and friends, praised the honor shown to him by the Jews.

"Whenever I appear in the streets, the Jews welcome me with great respect. Their leaders march at the front, carrying their sacred and beautiful Torah scrolls."
Before the king could finish speaking, Marcus rose and addressed him.
"Your Majesty, know that the Jews who come out to greet you are great deceivers! The cases they carry are empty! The actual Torah scrolls are left in the synagogue. They are mocking and deceiving you!"

The king was shocked and upset upon hearing this. Marcus seized the moment and suggested that the king personally inspect the cases the next time he paraded through the city. If they were indeed empty, he should order the execution of the "treacherous" Jews.

The king in his rage agreed, but being also suspicious, he added, "If your words are proven false, Marcus, you will suffer the fate you wished upon them."

Confident of his scheme's success, Marcus eagerly anticipated the upcoming royal procession, believing it would mark the downfall of the Jews-and his own rise in the royal court.

* * *

That night, the synagogue's caretaker could not sleep. A heavy unease filled his heart. The next morning, the king would march through the city, and something felt terribly wrong. Finally, he drifted into an uneasy sleep, and in his dream, he saw an old man with a glowing white beard, whose face radiated divine light.

The old man spoke: "Dear caretaker, rise quickly! Do not waste time. Run to the synagogue and place the Torah scrolls back into their cases. Tell no one."

Before the caretaker could respond, the old man vanished.

Terrified and trembling, the caretaker sprang from his bed, completely convinced that the intense dream was real, that it was Eliyahu the prophet that had spoken to him, and that he must act. He washed his hands, dressed, and ran to the synagogue. With shaky hands, he replaced all the Torah scrolls into their cases, just as instructed. Only then did he finally feel at ease in his heart.

What he didn't know was that the caretakers in all the other synagogues in Saragossa had also dreamed the same dream, so each of them had also replaced the scrolls under their care back into their respective cases.

The next day, trumpets blared through the streets of Saragossa, announcing the king's arrival with his royal entourage. As always, the Jewish community gathered in large numbers to welcome him, with their leaders at the forefront, holding the ornate Torah cases.

As the leaders approached the royal carriage, the king halted the procession. Marcus, seated beside the king, smirked and declared, "Your Majesty would surely like to see what lies inside these cases the Jews carry in his honor."

"Certainly," replied the king. "Open the cases."

A great fear gripped the Jewish leaders, for the caretaker had revealed nothing to them, as he had been instructed. They knew that the scrolls were usually removed before the procession, and if the cases were found empty, the king's wrath could be catastrophic. With trembling hands and whispered prayers, they obeyed the order.

To their astonishment and immense relief, every case contained a Torah scroll.

The king immediately realized that Marcus had slandered the Jews. Burning with anger, he shouted, "How dare you falsely accuse my most loyal subjects, who truly honor me?"

Marcus turned pale.

"You wanted me to execute them," the king continued, "but it is you who will be punished instead, exactly as I warned you!"

The king ordered his soldiers to seize Marcus and execute him immediately. The royal command was swiftly carried out, and thus the treacherous Marcus met his end.

The king, now even more impressed by the Jews' devotion, praised them greatly and, as a gesture of gratitude, exempted them from paying taxes for three years.

* * *

That day, the Jewish quarter of Saragossa erupted in joy and celebration. Their hearts overflowed with gratitude to G-d for the great miracle that had saved them from certain death.

From that time on, the 17th and 18th of Shvat were observed by the Jews of Saragossa as their own "Purim," days of prayer and thanksgiving to G-d [and feasting!] for saving them from the "Haman" of their generation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from Sipurei Tzadikim #352 (Adar 5779 / March 18, 2019), where it sites as a source, "Od Yosef Chai"., and from an article on TabletMag.com by Chaya Sara Oppenheim.

YT note: Important! From experience, I assume that many of you are suspicious as to the veracity of this report. To put your minds at rest, please click to:
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/holidays/articles/second-purim-megillat-saragossa

For those who would like the Word file for my expanded version of the story based on the Tablet article, simply send a request to <editor@ascentofsafed.com>.

Yerachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.

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