Posts
Tale
5
Of
A
King's Son Who Was Made of Precious Stones
There
was once a king who had no children. He went and got involved with
doctors, so that his kingdom should not be turned over to strangers,
but they did not help him. So he decreed on the Jews to pray for him
to have children. The Jews sought a tzadik to pray and bring about
that the King should have children. They sought and found a hidden
tzadik, and they told him to pray for the king to have children. He
replied: he knows nothing at all; they informed the king (inasmuch as
there was a hidden tzadik there, but he said he knew nothing). The
king sent a royal order for him, and they brought him before the
king. The king began talking kindly with him, "You know very
well that the Jews are in my hands. I can do with them what I will.
Therefore I ask you with goodness, pray that I have children."
The tzadik ensured the king that the same year he would have a child,
and he went home. The queen bore a daughter, and this princess was
extremely beautiful. When she was four years old, she knew all the
wisdoms and languages, and could play musical instruments. Kings from
all the countries would travel to see her, and it was a great joy for
the king.
Afterwards,
the King very much wanted to have a son so that his kingdom should
not pass on to a stranger, so he decreed again on the Jews that they
should pray for him to have a son. They searched for the first
tzaddik, but they could not find him, for he had already passed away.
They continued searching and they found another hidden tzaddik. And
they told him that he should give the King a son, and he said that he
does not know anything. So they informed the king, and the king said
to the tzaddik also as before, "You know very well the Jews are
in my hands, etc." The sage (i.e. this tzadik) said to him, "But
will you be able to do what I order?" The king said, "Yes."
The sage said to him, "I need you to bring all the types of
gemstones (lit. good stones), because each gemstone has in it a
different segulah (ability, charm)." And by the kings
there is a book which documents all types of gemstones. The king
said, "I will spend half of my kingdom in order to have a son."
And the king went and brought him all the types of gemstones. The
sage took them, and ground them, and took a goblet of wine and poured
them in the wine. And he gave half of the cup of wine to the king to
drink, and the other half to the queen. And he told them that they
would have a son who would be thoroughly composed of gemstones, and
he would have in him all of the segulos of all of the
gemstones, and he went home. The queen gave birth to a son, and the
king rejoiced very greatly, but the son that was born was not made of
gemstones. When the son was four years old, he was extremely
handsome, very wise in all the wisdoms, and knew all the languages.
Kings traveled to see him. The princess saw that she was no longer so
important, and she was jealous of him. Her only consolation was that
the tzaddik had said that he would be completely of gemstones; it was
good that at least he was not made of gemstones.
Once,
the prince was carving wood and he nicked his finger. The princess
ran to bandage his finger and she saw a gemstone there. She was
extremely jealous of him, and she made herself sick. Many doctors
came but were unable to heal her at all. Sorcerers were called. There
was a sorcerer there, to whom she disclosed the truth, that she had
made herself sick because of her brother, as mentioned. And she asked
the sorcerer if it was possible to perform a spell on a man to make
him leprous. He said, "Yes." She said to the sorcerer,
"What if he asks another sorcerer to annul the spell so that he
will be healed?" the sorcerer said, "If the sorcery is
thrown into the water, it can no longer be annulled." She did
so, and threw the sorcery into the water. The prince became very
leprous. He had leprosy on his nose, on his face, and on the rest of
his body. The King got involved with doctors and with sorcerers, but
they were of no avail. So the king decreed on the Jews to pray. The
Jews sought the tzaddik (who had prayed for the king to have a son,
as mentioned), and brought him before the king. Now, this tzaddik
would always pray before Hashem Yisburach, inasmuch as he had
promised the king that his son would be completely made of gemstones,
and it had not been fulfilled. And he complained to the Eibishter
(the Most High; G-d), "Have I done this for the sake of honor? I
have done this only for Your honor, and now, it has not been
fulfilled the way I said." And the tzadik came to the king. The
tzaddik prayed (namely, for the leprosy of the prince to be healed),
but to no avail. He was informed that it was sorcery.
Now,
this tzaddik was higher than all sorcery. The tzaddik came and
informed the king that it was sorcery, and that the sorcery had been
thrown into the water, so the prince could not be healed except by
throwing the sorcerer who performed the spell into the water. The
king said, "I give you all the sorcerers to throw into the water
so that my son will be healed." The princess was afraid, so she
went to the water to pull the sorcery out of the water, for she knew
where it was. She fell into the water. A great tumult erupted over
the princess's falling into the water. The tzadik came and said that
the prince would be healed. And he was healed, the leprosy withered
up and fell off, and his entire skin peeled off. And he was entirely
of gemstones, as the tzaddik had said.
[See
Conversations of Rabbi Nachman item # 147 regarding the events
surrounding this story which suggests that this story houses the
secret of the Divine Name of 42 letters].
Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman!
Rabbi Nachman's Legendary Tales
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