Introduction
Once upon a time...
A deadly famine struck the Land of Israel, it has not rained in nearly a year. Thousands have succumbed to hunger and the people fear that the upcoming months will bode more bad news.
It is the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time when all Jews are anxious of their fate for the days ahead. Will the heavens open their storehouses of rain for the desperate people of Israel? Will God look kindly upon his people? Will they be remembered and written in the Book of Life? Or have their sins been too great to ignore? Will they die by hunger? Or will they survive another year?
In a small town in the Galilee there lives a man known as "the Chasid" (the pious Jew). Like all the other townsfolk, the Chasid is contemplating his fate in the coming year and he wracks his brain to think of a noble deed he can perform to ensure he is written in the Book of Life. After making up his mind, he leaves home with his satchel, tells his wife he is off to the markets, and makes his way.
Once he reaches the town centre, he is greeted by a sorry sight. The local vendors have few wares to sell. Their prices are steep and their mood is sour. But rather than purchase food items for the holiday meal, the Chasid gives away his last coin, a full Dinar, to a poor man begging for charity. The poor man showers the Chasid with blessings and scurries off to purchase some food. The Chasid turns around to head for home with empty hands, but with a full heart....
פרק א
מַעֲשֶׂה בְּחָסִיד אֶחָד שֶׁנָּתַן דִּינָר לְעָנִי בְּעֶרֶב רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה בִּשְׁנֵי בַצּוֹרֶת,
וְהִקְנִיטַתּוּ אִשְׁתּוֹ,
וְהָלַךְ וְלָן בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת.
וְשָׁמַע שְׁתֵּי רוּחוֹת שֶׁמְסַפְּרוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ.
אָמְרָה חֲדָא לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, בּוֹאִי וְנָשׁוּט בָּעוֹלָם, וְנִשְׁמַע מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד מַה פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּא לָעוֹלָם?
אָמְרָה לָהּ חֲבֶרְתָּהּ: אֵינִי יְכוֹלָה, שֶׁאֲנִי קְבוּרָה בְּמַחְצֶלֶת שֶׁל קָנִים. אֶלָּא לְכִי אַתְּ, וּמַה שֶּׁאַתְּ שׁוֹמַעַת אִמְרִי לִי.
הָלְכָה הִיא וְשָׁטָה וּבָאָה.
וְאָמְרָה לָהּ חֲבֶרְתָּהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, מַה שָּׁמַעְתְּ מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד?
אָמְרָה לָהּ: שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁכָּל הַזּוֹרֵעַ בִּרְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה בָּרָד מַלְקֶה אוֹתוֹ.
הָלַךְ הוּא וְזָרַע בִּרְבִיעָה שְׁנִיָּה.
שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ לָקָה, שֶׁלּוֹ — לֹא לָקָה.
פרק ב
לַשָּׁנָה הָאַחֶרֶת הָלַךְ וְלָן בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת, וְשָׁמַע אוֹתָן שְׁתֵּי רוּחוֹת שֶׁמְסַפְּרוֹת זוֹ עִם זוֹ.
אָמְרָה חֲדָא לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ: בּוֹאִי וְנָשׁוּט בָּעוֹלָם וְנִשְׁמַע מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד מַה פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּא לָעוֹלָם.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, לֹא כָּךְ אָמַרְתִּי לָךְ, אֵינִי יְכוֹלָה שֶׁאֲנִי קְבוּרָה בְּמַחְצֶלֶת שֶׁל קָנִים?! אֶלָּא לְכִי אַתְּ, וּמַה שֶּׁאַתְּ שׁוֹמַעַת בּוֹאִי וְאִמְרִי לִי.
הָלְכָה וְשָׁטָה וּבָאָה.
וְאָמְרָה לָהּ חֲבֶרְתָּהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, מַה שָּׁמַעְתְּ מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד?
אָמְרָה לָהּ: שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁכָּל הַזּוֹרֵעַ בִּרְבִיעָה שְׁנִיָּה שִׁדָּפוֹן מַלְקֶה אוֹתוֹ.
הָלַךְ וְזָרַע בִּרְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה,
שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ נִשְׁדַּף וְשֶׁלּוֹ לֹא נִשְׁדַּף.
פרק ג
אָמְרָה לוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ: מִפְּנֵי מָה אֶשְׁתָּקַד שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ לָקָה וְשֶׁלְּךָ לֹא לָקָה, וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ נִשְׁדַּף וְשֶׁלְּךָ לֹא נִשְׁדַּף?
סָח לָהּ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הַלָּלוּ.
אָמְרוּ: לֹא הָיוּ יָמִים מוּעָטִים עַד שֶׁנָּפְלָה קְטָטָה בֵּין אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ חָסִיד וּבֵין אִמָּהּ שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ רִיבָה.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: לְכִי וְאַרְאֵךְ בִּתֵּךְ שֶׁהִיא קְבוּרָה בְּמַחְצֶלֶת שֶׁל קָנִים.
לַשָּׁנָה הָאַחֶרֶת הָלַךְ וְלָן בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת וְשָׁמַע אוֹתָן רוּחוֹת שֶׁמְסַפְּרוֹת זוֹ עִם זוֹ.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, בּוֹאִי וְנָשׁוּט בָּעוֹלָם וְנִשְׁמַע מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד מַה פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּא לָעוֹלָם.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, הֲנִיחִינִי, דְּבָרִים שֶׁבֵּינִי לְבֵינֵךְ כְּבָר נִשְׁמְעוּ בֵּין הַחַיִּים.
Act One
There was an incident involving a pious man who gave a poor man a dinar on the eve of Rosh HaShana during drought years,
and his wife mocked him for giving so large a sum at so difficult a time?
And in order to escape her incessant mockery, he went and slept in the cemetery.
That night he heard two spirits conversing with each other.
One said to the other: My friend, let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain what calamity will befall the world.
The other spirit said to her: I cannot go with you, as I am buried in a mat of reeds, but you go, and tell me what you hear.
She went, and roamed, and came back.
The other spirit said: My friend, what did you hear from behind the heavenly curtain?
She replied: I heard that anyone who sows during the first rainy season of this year, hail will fall and strike his crops.
Hearing this, the pious man went and sowed his seeds during the second rainy season.
Ultimately, the crops of the entire world were stricken by hail and his crops were not stricken.
Act Two
The following year, on the eve of Rosh HaShana, the same pious man went and slept in the cemetery at his own initiative, and again he heard the two spirits conversing with each other.
One said to the other: Let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain what calamity will befall the world.
She said to her: My friend, have I not already told you that I cannot, as I am buried in a mat of reeds? Rather, you go, and tell me what you hear.
She went, and roamed, and returned.
The other spirit said to her: My friend, what did you hear from behind the curtain?
She said to her: I heard that those who sow during the second rainy season blight will strike his crops.
That pious man went and sowed during the first rainy season.
Since everyone else sowed during the second rainy season, ultimately, the crops of the entire world were blighted and his crops were not blighted.
Act Three
The pious man’s wife said to him: Why is it that last year, the crops of the entire world were stricken and yours were not stricken, and now this year, the crops of the entire world were blighted and yours were not blighted?
He related to her the entire story.
They said: It was not even a few days later that a quarrel fell between the pious man’s wife and the mother of the young woman who was buried there.
The pious man’s wife said to her scornfully: Go and I will show you your daughter, and you will see that she is buried in a mat of reeds.
The following year, he again went and slept in the cemetery, and heard the same spirits conversing with each other.
One said to the other: My friend, let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain what calamity will befall the world.
She said to her: My friend, leave me alone, as words that we have privately exchanged between us have already been heard among the living.