A Teaching Fable
The Rabbi

Secondary and adult
Re-told by John Morgan

The Rabbi found himself on this Friday morning a little bit tired of hearing about other people's troubles. In a small town like Klaneshtetl, everyone knew everyone's business and there were no secrets. But Rabbi Mark was there and they trusted him and they paid his wages and they used him endlessly. And it was the end of a hard winter and things had not been easy and everyone went with their troubles to the Rabbi, who had a few little troubles too, and who could he go to ? Only to his wife Sophie, and he wouldn't do that. Not just now. She hadn't been well, and that had been a trouble too. Still, thank God, she was on the mend and he would manage. He had broad shoulders for trouble, the Rabbi, and humour also, and as many times in the past, he looked at the problem of his flock's trouble with a glint of humour. A plan emerged, and at the evening service he said he would, next day, on the Sabbath, make an important announcement, in the synagogue.

The place was crowded. Mark looked around, his sensible middle-aged eyes missing nothing. "My sermon today", he said, "spoke of God's help with heavy loads. Well, it seems to me that in this town everyone has heavy loads and everyone could do with some help. Many of you have come to me and told me of your sack of trouble. Many of you have said to me, "Rabbi, nobody has a peckel like mine. Nobody. It worries me that I can't do much to help".

"So", said the Rabbi, "I have asked God, and in a dream I was shown the way, if not to help, at least to give you a rest from your peckels. Everyone says that their peckel is the heaviest and that nobody else can have trouble like they've got . Am I right ?"

"It's true", murmured the congregation. "It's true. How can anyone else know the troubles we've got ? Sacks. Peckels".

The Rabbi waited for silence. "In the next week", he said, "everyone will write his troubles on pieces of rock and put the rocks in a sack, a peckel. On Friday, you will bring the peckels to my house and leave them outside my door, and for the whole weekend I will look after them. You will be absolutely free of your troubles for the whole weekend".

There was an exciting hubbub as people saw the great wisdom of their Rabbi. "And", said their Rabbi loudly and clearly, "on Monday morning you can all come and take away any peckel you like! Is that agreed ?".

The congregation roared their approval of this marvellous plan, and it was done, and by teatime the next Friday the pile of sacks of rocks outside the Rabbi's door was huge and the town {and the Rabbi} had a peaceful and happy weekend, with smiling faces and splendid singing at the religious services.

On Monday morning, the Rabbi got up early and watched from his window. The town people gathered in front of the pile of peckels and looked and weighed up and wondered. Then each took away his own, and the Rabbi went and had his breakfast with a smile on his face.