Rabbi Yisrael Najara, lived in Zefas and was a contemporary and student of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the Ari Hakadosh. He liked to walk along the river in the valley below the town. There he would compose the tunes and songs through which he expressed his love and awe to Hashem.
Once, he was attacked by a band of Arab ruffians, who upon discovering that their captive had neither money, nor wealthy relatives who would pay a ransom, promptly decided to kill him.
Grudgingly, they consented to his request to be allowed to say his final prayers and play one last tune. As he played his played his flute, the donkeys and camels of the thieves rose on their hind legs and began to shuffle, as if dancing to the music. The robbers became terrified at the sight and fled.
Rabbi Najara, meanwhile, had become so absorbed in his music that he was oblivious to what was happening around him. Strolling back towards Zefas, he continued to play his flute. The townspeople stood mesmerized as he entered the city, followed by a procession of dancing donkeys and camels.
Reprinted from the Parshas Shlach 5785 email of Rabbi Dovid Caro’s Inspired by a Story.
