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Tale 6
of a
A
tale. There was once a king who had a wise man. The king said to the wise man,
"inasmuch as there is a king whose seal states that he is a great man of
might, and a man of truth, and a humble person (in other words, a truthful
person who does not hold of himself): Mighty - I know that he is a great men of
might, for his country is surrounded by the expanse of the sea, and on the sea
is stationed a navy on warships with cannons and they do not allow anyone to
approach, and inwards from the sea there is a great mire (a place where one
drowns) surrounding the country, through which there is only one narrow path,
wide enough for only one person to pass; there too, cannons are positioned, so
that if someone comes to attack, the cannons are fired, so it is impossible to
set foot there.
"But
his signing himself as being a man of truth and humble - this I do not know,
and I want you to bring me this king's portrait." For the king had all the
portraits of all the kings, but the portrait of that king (who signs himself in
such a fashion as mentioned) was not found by any king, for he is concealed
from people, since he sits under a baldachin [veiling canopy], and he's far
from his countrymen.
The
wise man went to that country. He came to the realization that he must come to
know the essence of the country (in other words, the "thing" of the
country; how the country works). And how can he find out the country's essence?
- by way of the country's jests. Because when one needs to know [the essence
of] something, one must know its jesting. For there are many types of jesting:
there is one who really wants to smite the other with his words , and when the
other takes notice he says to him, "I am joshing!" as in the verse,
"Like one who wearies himself shooting firebrands.. and says, 'I was only
joshing.' [Proverbs 26:18-19]," and so there is someone who really means a
jest but still harms the other with his words. Thus there are several kinds of
jesting.
Now,
among the countries, there is a country that includes all countries (i.e. this
country is the principal and the rule for all countries), and in that country
there is a city which includes all the cities of that whole country that
includes all the countries. And in the city is a house that includes all the
houses of the entire city that embodies all cities of the country that includes
all countries. And there in the house is a person who includes the entire house
which includes etc. And there, there is someone who makes all the wise cracks
and jesting of the entire country.
So
the wise man took a lot of money with him and went there. He saw them making
all types of wisecracks and joking. He understood from the jests that the
country is full of falsehood, through and through. For he saw them making fun
of how people are cheated in business, and how he goes to the municitrat
(city court) and there it is utter falsehood and they take bribery there; and
he goes to the sand [state court]; and there as well it is utter
falsehood. And they were all making fun and jest, enacting all these things.
The wise man understood from this jesting that the country is full of lies and
deceit, lacking any truth whatsoever.
So
he went and did some commerce in the country and allowed himself to be cheated
in the exchange, and went and brought suit before the court. They were all full
of falsehood and bribes. Today he gave them a bribe; the next day they didn't
recognize him.
So
he went to a higher court, and there too it was full of falsehood. Until he
came before the senate (supreme court), and there too it is falsehood
with bribery throughout. Until he came to the king himself.
When
he came to the king he spoke up and said, "Over whom are you king? The
entire country is thoroughly full of falsehood, from beginning to end, and
there's no truth in it whatsoever." and he began to tell over all the
falsehood of the country.
When
the king heard his words, he bent his ears to the veil to listen to hear his
words, for it was a great wonder to the king that there was someone to be found
who knew all the falsehood of the country. And the royal ministers who heard
the wise man's words grew very angry at him, but he continued reporting all the
falsehood of the country.
The
wise man spoke up, "One could say that the king is also like them; that he
likes falsehood just as the country does. But on the contrary, one sees what a
man of truth you are, and on account of this you keep your distance from them;
because you cannot bear the falsehood of the country." And he began to
praise the king very much.
And
the king, because he was very humble, and "in the place of his greatness,
there is his humility," for that is the way of a humble man, that the more
he is praised and extolled, the smaller to himself and the humbler he becomes.
So on account of the wise man's great praise and exaltation of the king, the
king entered into great humility and extreme tininess, until he became
absolutely nothing; and he could no longer withhold himself, and he threw aside
the veil to see the wise man: who is it that knows and understands all this?
The
king's face was revealed, and the wise man saw him, depicted his portrait, and
brought it back to the king.
[Notes
Following the Story]
"The
paths of Zion are mournful" [Lam. 1:4]. Zion is the aspect of the tziyuenim
[markers, placemarks] of all the countries, for they all the assemble there, as
it is written, "and see the bone of man, then shall he set up a tziyuen
(sign) by it." [Eze. 39:15]. This is [the meaning of], look upon Zion, the
city of our assemblies" [Isa. 33:20 – C'hazzey Tz'ion K'iryat
M'oadeynoo], the acronym of which is MiTzaCheiK (jesting), for that is
where all the tziyuenim [signs] gathered, and whoever needed to know
whether to do something or some business transaction would know it there (t.n.
see tale 4). May it be His will that it be rebuilt speedily in our days, amen.
Look,
and discern, and gaze, you who study this, how far these matters reach.
Fortunate is one who attends and will attain (Daniel 12) to know and grasp a
little of the secrets of these stories, the likes of which have not been heard
since ancient times.
And
know that all of these verses and allusions that are brought after some of the
stories are only hints and a scant disclosure of the subject matter, so that
they might know that "it is not a meaningless thing," G-d forbid. As
was heard from his holy mouth explicitly, that he said that he is revealing a
few mere hints from a few verses which hint to the secret of the stories, so as
to make known that he is not saying, G-d forbid, prattle. But the essential
secret of the stories is distant from our knowing; "Deep, deep; who can
find it?" [Eccl. 7:24]
Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!
Rabbi Nachman's Legendary Tales
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