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Weekly Chasidic Story #741 (s5772-19 / 13 Shvat 5772) One Hundred PlusThe Roman Emperor Hadrian was not without a sense of humor, albeit a malicious one. Connection: Seasonal - Tu B'Shvat
One Hundred Plus(1) The Roman Emperor Hadrian was a cruel and wicked man. It was under his oppressive regime that the Bar Kochba revolt broke out, which ultimately led to destruction of the city of Betar. However, Hadrian was not without a sense of humor, albeit a malicious one. Once, during one of the Emperor's periodic visits to the Holy Land, he was strolling through an orchard in Tiberias when he came across an old man. The elderly Jew with the long white beard was obviously well on in years, yet he was busily planting saplings in the ground. "Ancient one!" the Roman Emperor called out to him sarcastically. "You must have slacked off in your youth, and thus you need to work so hard in your old age!" "No, your Majesty," the Jew replied. "I worked plenty hard when I was younger, and I see no reason to stop now. G-d willing, I will continue as long as G-d will give me strength." "Please tell me, grandfather," Hadrian urged, "how old are you?" "Today is my one hundredth birthday." "Then surely," Hadrian persisted in taunting him, "you can't expect to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Will you not be in your grave by the time these trees bear fruit?" "Everything is in G-d's hands," the Jew answered. "If G-d wants it to happen, it will happen. But even if it doesn't, my work is not in vain. In the same way my fathers toiled on my behalf, my labor will benefit future generations." "Then here's to your good health," the Emperor said in parting, "And if you're still alive when these fruits ripen, let me know." "I will be happy to fulfill the Emperor's command, G-d willing," the old Jew replied. Years passed, and the young saplings grew into sturdy fig trees. Indeed, the old man lived to eat juicy and delicious fruit, and continued to enjoy vigorous health. The time had come to fulfill his promise to the Emperor. He filled a basket with figs and traveled to the emperor's palace. After some initial difficulties getting past the royal guard the old man was
granted an audience, but the Emperor did not recognize him. "What do you
The old Jew reminded him of their previous encounter, and the promise the Emperor had extracted from him. The basket, he explained, was full of succulent figs for his Majesty's pleasure. The Emperor was shocked. After all, the elderly Jew had already been ancient at the time of their last meeting….The Emperor ordered a golden chair to be brought for the old man to sit on. He instructed that the basket be filled with gold in exchange for the figs. The Emperor's attendants were very surprised at the honor being paid the old Jew, until he related the story. "If the Creator saw fit to grant him such a long life," Hadrian admitted, "it must mean that he was worthy. Is it then not proper that I too should accord him honor?" The old man returned home with much pomp and circumstance, and all his neighbors came out to greet him. (2) So far, the story teaches us that it is beneficial for a person to be active in old age, too. The aftermath of these happenings in the continuation of the Midrash reveals to us what can happen because of jealousy. We shall see that the advice of a wife of bad character causes her husband only trouble. When the old man returned with a basketful of gold, his neighbor's wife shouted at her husband, saying, "Look at your neighbor! All he brought the emperor was a couple of figs, and he became rich from it! And you - you still sit home earning next to nothing! Why can't you make a fortune from our fruit trees too?" Goaded by his wife's prompting, the neighbor filled a big sack with figs, loaded it onto his donkey, and rode to the palace. "I heard that the emperor is fond of figs and exchanges them for gold dinars," he told the palace guards. When Hadrian was told about the man's words, he ordered, "Let him be made
to stand at the palace gate. I command that anybody who enters or The emperor's order was meticulously observed by a sneering and amusement-hungry populace. At night, the man was finally permitted to leave. He rode home bruised, shamed, and fuming with rage. Upon seeing his wife, he threatened her, "You will yet suffer for having caused my degradation with your bad advice!" He told her what he had endured, and she responded in bitter humor, "Why should that annoy you? Go, boast before your mother that today you had a stroke of good luck. You were fortunate to have presented the emperor with figs rather than etrogim. Moreover, the figs were soft rather than hard and green - or else I would never have seen you back alive!
Connection: Seasonal - Tu B'Shvat, the "Rosh Hashana for Fruit
Trees in Israel" that falls this week.
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want, old man?" he asked impatiently. "And what's that in your basket?"
leaves
shall throw the figs he brought in his face!"
Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.