When the king of Galicia died without leaving any heirs or wills behind, it was up to the nobles of the land to choose a new king. They sought a king who would project strength and benevolence simultaneously so that the country could flourish in peace and prosperity.
After long and careful deliberations, King Paul was crowned from amongst the other nobles. With his strong leadership qualities, compassionate nature, and inborn charisma, he possessed the necessary character to lead the kingdom. In addition to all of this, Paul had a young son, and it was the hope of the nobles that he would one day succeed his father, perpetuating his legacy as king of the next generation.
One of the first things King Paul did after his coronation was call a meeting with his advisors to discuss the greatest threats to peace within his kingdom. “I want all my subjects to live in complete harmony,” he explained. “It is important to me that there be no rifts between the citizens of my kingdom. What, would you say, is the greatest divisive factor tearing this country apart?”
The advisors looked at each other. “Religion, Your Majesty,” one of them said at last. “There are many different religions practiced in Galicia, and the relations between the various religious groups is hostile.”
“Are some religions treated more decently than others?” the king wanted to know. “Are some religious groups reviled and others honored?”
“Well, of course,” the king’s most senior advisor, seated to his right, confirmed. “Your Majesty, we are talking about people like Jews. They are certainly not treated equally to upright Christians.”
King Paul shook his head. “That will have to stop, beginning today. This is what causes tension and rifts in the country, and it is not good for the kingdom as a whole. However one person feels about another is not just a personal matter, but a national matter. If we are to be a strong people, we must be a united people. And the first step to accomplishing that is to establish equal rights for all the citizens of this country, regardless of which religion they practice.”
Under the king’s directive, a national holiday was announced. It was to be a festive week-long holiday, celebrating freedom and equal rights. “Let each man celebrate according to his own religion,” the king told his advisors. “But regardless of how, everyone has to celebrate, to commemorate the establishment of equality under the law”
When the news reached the Jewish community in Galicia, it seemed to be an incredible gift. Not only would they be granted equality, but they would also be allowed to celebrate the national holiday on their own, without being forced to participate in gentile festivities. A small group of Jews went to the great tzaddik and mekubal, Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi, to relay the good tidings.
But Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi did not seem to share their excitement. “Absolutely not,” he declared. “We will not celebrate a holiday that was invented by the gentiles. The only yomim tovim we celebrate are those given to us by Hashem.”
“We won’t have to join the gentile festivities,” they tried explaining to him. “We can celebrate within our community, in our own way.”
“Even so,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi insisted. “We cannot participate in a holiday arranged by non-Jews, even if we conduct our own private celebrations. We are a nation separate from the gentiles, and what they do has nothing to do with us.”
The small group of Jews let out a collective sigh. The king had explicitly expressed his desire to have all his subjects celebrate, equally, the establishment of their equality. If the Jewish community were to abstain from celebrating the holiday, the king was likely to see that as a rebellion against his newly-minted throne.
“We will not have any festivities to mark this new holiday,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi reiterated sternly. “And if there is any Jew in this community who does celebrate the holiday, I must be immediately informed of his name.”
The mekubal’s words sparked a deep controversy in the community. The people were terrified of igniting the ire of their new king, but they were also afraid to defy the orders of Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi. On street corners and in shops, the loaded question was tossed back and forth. Could they ignore the king’s directive? Could they really celebrate if Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi forbid it?
The holiday was called for Parshas Balak, and when that week rolled around, the Jewish community had splintered into two distinct parts over the question. A greater portion of the community chose to risk angering the king and obeyed the mekubal. They continued about their business as usual and avoided any festive activity that could be misconstrued as celebrating the national holiday.
About one-third of the community, however, did not go along with Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi’s ruling. They felt that there was nothing wrong with celebrating the holiday, and so they did. They made a grand Kiddush and families gathered together joyously.
“There are many families who are celebrating the national holiday,” someone informed Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi, as he had instructed.
“Write down their names,” the mekubal said gravely. “Write down the names of all the Jews who participated in this non-Jewish holiday.”
Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi then arranged a gathering in the shul for the entire community, and he stood at the podium to address the crowd. His expression was extremely serious. “A terrible breach occurred within our community,” he began. “There were many Jews who, unfortunately, did not understand what it means to keep separate from the gentiles and participated in a foreign holiday.”
The room was utterly still as the crowd waited to hear what Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi would say next. He continued, “It is our obligation to stay away from the gentiles, to keep ourselves pure and separate. Our separation is what enables us to earn Hashem’s protection. Now that the boundaries have been breached, I fear the decree that is hovering over our heads. A bitter, painful decree, brought about by those who have observed the holiday. And they will be the ones who will have to pay for it in the end.”
Six months later, his eerie words came to life. A blood libel was brought against the Jews of Galicia, but this was not just an ordinary blood libel. The venomous anti-Semites had chosen not just any gentile child to butcher before laying the blame on the Jews.
They chose the young prince himself, the only son of King Paul.
In the dead of the night, the little prince was abducted from his bed and murdered in cold blood. The murderers then wrapped his body and threw it into the Jewish quarter. It was the perfect setup for a vicious libel that would ensure the destruction of all the Jewish cities in Galicia, just as the anti-Semites waned.
When the palace staff realized that the prince had vanished from his bed, a massive search immediately began, and it did not take long for his body to be discovered in a pile of trash in the nearby Jewish quarter. As expected, the king was heartbroken over his son’s ghastly murder and furious at the Jews for their role.
“I will exact my revenge from those traitorous Jews,” the king vowed. “It is utterly despicable to fathom that this is how they pay me back for my benevolence! I gave them equal rights and compassion, and then they stab me in the back!”
The Jewish community was plunged into a period of intense fear and prayer. They understood the danger that they were in and knew that only a miracle could save them from the bereaved king’s revenge. A delegation was sent to the great mekubal, Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi, to request that he intercede on their behalf with the king.
“You must realize that we are the ones who brought this upon ourselves,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi admonished with a sigh. “Those of us who chose to join the gentiles in their celebration have directly caused this terrible decree. It is their actions that have enabled harm to befall us.”
The delegation bowed their heads in understanding. They understood that the only way Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi would able to accomplish anything on their behalf was for those Jews to fully repent.
Soon, the families who had defied Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi and celebrated the holiday came to him, tails between their legs, begging for forgiveness. They expressed regret for their actions, which they now understood was wrong, and pleaded with the mekubal to help them.
Seeing their sincerity, Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi agreed to go see the king. “But the entire time that I am there, I want you all to gather in the bais medrash and pour out your hearts in teshuvah for your sin,” he stipulated, and they all nodded in agreement.
It took some time for the mekubal to ready himself spiritually for the dangerous endeavor he had undertaken. He was preparing to dabble in the perilous world of kabbalistic action, which he understood posed a real risk to his own life, and he could not do it without serious spiritual preparation. He went to the mikvah, immersed himself in his intense thoughts, and then he was ready to go.
As all the Jews of the city crowded into the bais medrash to daven, Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi donned his Shabbos clothing and began to walk toward the outskirts of the city. He was stopped before he could get too far.
“Where are you going?” a soldier demanded. He seemed to have been posted on guard duty at the entrance of the city.
“I’m a Jewish rabbi, and I’m going to see the king,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halebi responded.
“You are doing no such thing,” the soldier informed him. “No Jew is allowed to leave the city until the king decides what to do with you.”
“But it’s important,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi countered. “Can you please send a message to the king that I am a rabbi and I really need to speak to him?”
“Wait here,” the soldier said tonelessly, disappearing into this tent to confer with his supervisor.
The message was sent to the king, and Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi waited at the entrance of the city for the reply to come. It took a few hours, but when it came, the king’s response was positive. A trembling Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi was led to the palace.
All the high-ranking priests and advisors were present in the audience room with the king. The king, was truly ready to hear another side to the story and willing to pardon the Jews if it came to light that they were not responsible for his son’s death, the other officials, on the other hand, were eager to see the upstart rabbi punished for his audacity.
“Speak,” King Paul ordered when the mekubal entered the room and bowed.
“Your Majesty,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi said in a clear, steady voice. “I wanted to tell you, now, in front of everyone, that I am the one guilty of murdering your son. The other Jews do not deserve to be put to death. Kill me, and me alone, since I am the one who did it.”
“And why did you do it?” the king asked hoarsely, shocked by this admission.
“That I can only tell the king privately,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi said quietly.
The king held his gaze for a few moments, trying to decide if he could trust him. “Leave the room,” he ordered the priests and advisors. “I would like to hear what he has to say.”
When they were alone, the king turned expectant eyes to the mekbal, who threw himself at the king’s feet. “Rise,” the king said. “Rise and tell me your motive.”
Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi stood up and removed a piece of parchment from his pocket. He folded it up and handed it to the king to read.
King Paul squinted at the parchment. “It’s empty,” he stated.
“His Majesty should put the paper close to his heart,” the mekubal instructed. “Then put it into his pocket for just a moment. And then he’ll be able to read the words.”
The king followed his directions and when he looked at the parchment again, it was no longer empty. There was a list of ten names on the page, ten familiar names. Each of the men on the list was a noble or clergyman close to the king’s inner circle.
“This is a complete list of names of all those who were responsible for the murder,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi explained.
The king had a bewildered expression on his face. “I don’t understand. Is this magic?”
“Not magic,” the mekubal said carefully. “But Heavenly intervention to ensure that the wrong people are not accused of a crime they did not commit. The men listed on the paper are the true perpetuators of murder, and they should not be allowed to walk the world freely, capable of repeating their crime, while an entire community of innocent Jews is destroyed.”
“Absolutely,” the king agreed. “But how do I know that you are telling me the truth? Perhaps you framed these men to save your own skin?”
“That should not be too difficult for His Majesty to investigate,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi said quietly. “And if it turns out that I am lying, you can always fall back on your original plan of annihilating my people.”
“You are a wise man,” the king said, impressed. “I will do as you say.”
“If I may, I would like to be present when the punishment of the murderer is discussed,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi requested. “Perhaps this can happen now, while the advisors still think that I am responsible. I would like to make my own suggestion.”
“That should not be a problem,” the king replied, calling his advisors back into the room. “The rabbi has explained his motive to me,” he told the group. “What terrible death do you think he deserves?”
“Poison,” said one advisor. “But the slow-acting kind of poison, one that will put him through immeasurable pain while he begs for death to overtake him.
“Hanging,” another opined. “It’s by far the most painful, and it’s also a public spectacle, which will deter future murderers.”
Then, to everyone’s surprise, the condemned rabbi himself spoke up. “The one who killed the king’s son should be brought to the central arena tomorrow, where he will be killed publicly for everyone to see. A hat made entirely of metal should be heated up until its red hot, and the hat should be placed on the murderer’s head. This will guarantee a gruesome and painful death.”
The other advisors nodded in agreement, although they did not understand why the rabbi had arranged such a terrible death for himself. “He’s a strange bird,” one advisor murmured.
Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi was placed into custody to await the following morning while the king began to make discreet inquiries into the ten names on the list the rabbi had given him. When it was clear that the mekubal’s information was accurate, he had ten metal hats prepared.
When the appointed time arrived the next morning, a huge crowd gathered in the arena to witness the rabbi’s cruel death. They watched eagerly as he was led onto the raised platform. The king sat before him. “Speak,” he ordered.
“Let the witnesses come forth and say the truth,” Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi thundered. “Let those who hate the king in their hearts, those who have stolen his child and murdered him in cold blood, admit to their crimes! Let them tell us just how far they were ready to go to in their efforts to incite the king against the Jews!”
And then, to everyone’s amazement, a small group of priests and noblemen began to point fingers at each other. “He’s the one who thought of it!” a shiny-headed priest with a pointy beard declared, shoving one of the king’s advisor’s angrily.
“You were the one who pressured us to go ahead!” the nobleman pushed back furiously.
In full view of the crowd, all ten men proceeded to incriminate themselves in the murder of the little prince. And before they even had a chance to process what was happening, Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi was released from his chains and the ten men were led up to the platform instead, where they were duly executed through the burning metal hats that they had so eagerly approved the day prior.
“I am so grateful to know that you were not the murderer,” the king told the mekubal as they left the arena. “In my heart, I always knew that the Jews were a good people. From now on, I will continue to ensure your people are treated kindly and fairly under my rule. In return, I ask that you pray for my health and the health of my family, so that such a thing should not happen again.”
Rav Chaya Hosha Halevi assured him that he would pray for him, and then returned to the Jewish quarter, where he was greeted with immense gratitude. He utilized the opportunity to caution the people about remaining separate from the non-Jews in every way. For even if one does not actually mingle with the gentiles, celebrating their holidays, wearing their clothing, or talking their slang, breaches the boundaries that separate us from the other nations.
Have a Wonderful Shabbos!
This story is taken from tape #TB81