The tables were set for twenty-thirty people with a few meager pieces of fish, cucumbers, onions and potatoes and two loaves of bread. But the two candles, the white tablecloth and the bottle of wine betrayed that something festive was happening.
It was a brit; the festival of circumcision the Jews had been making on their eighth day old male babies since the days of Abraham. But this was not just any brit.
It was the brit of the first born child of a simple, poor Jew by the name of Reb Yitzchak (Isaac) after twenty years of barrenness!!
That's right! For twenty years G‑d had not answered his and his wife's prayers - until now! But for some reason Reb Yitzchak wouldn't allow the event to begin. The crowd was getting impatient but hour after hour passed and he kept telling everyone to wait for just a few more minutes.
An older man, a stranger with old, patched up garments entered the door and looked around. He was obviously some sort of vagabond or wanderer and looked like someone who needed a meal and a handout. But as soon as he entered Reb Yitzchak smiled with joy and yelled out "Let us begin".
He escorted the fellow to the center of the room where there had been placed a large chair and sat him down. He was to give him the honor of being 'Sandek' (the one who holds the child at the circumcision) an honor usually reserved for either the father of the child or the most honorable person present.
After the circumcision was finished and the name Shlomo (Solomon) had been given to the child, they all sat down and began the 'festive' meal at which point the disheveled 'Sandek' stood and began to speak.
He spoke simply about how the name 'Shlomo' was reminiscent of how king Solomon was offered one wish by G‑d and he chose wisdom (Kings 3:5-9). So also, he concluded, this child will be wise and teach the Jews wisdom.
After the meal everyone asked Reb Yitzchak who the old fellow was and he answered.
"The story is a long one but I will make it short.
"For years my wife and I lived at the edge of poverty. Our house was, and still is, a one-room ruin and many nights we had to go to sleep hungry. But what bothered us most was that we had not been blessed with children. We prayed, did good deeds, everything possible with no results.
"Well, one day I happened to be wandering aimlessly at the edge of the river praying to G‑d for some sort of miracle when suddenly a glimmering in the mud caught my eye.
"I bent down and picked it up and.. lo and behold it was what looked like a large precious stone. Huge!! I ran to the jeweler and after looking at it for a minute or so declared that not only was it a genuine diamond but it was the largest stone he had ever seen in his life and was worth .... a fortune!!
"I excitedly ran home to tell my wife about our amazing blessing and we decided to sell it as soon as possible ... it was dangerous keeping it in the house and give a large portion of the money to charity.
"I left for a few moments to see if I could find a buyer and just after I left the jeweler arrived. He excitedly produced a bag of golden coins, poured them on the table and offered my wife a small fortune for the gem.
She almost took the money then and there, but he happened to blurt out in glee that the priest would probably be overjoyed! He had been searching for months for a diamond like that to be used as one of the eyes in the massive statue in......the church!!
"When my wife heard that she almost fainted. The stone would be used for idolatry, she would be supporting idolatry!!! But she hid her surprise and calmly answered that she would have to ask me.
"Of course when I came home and heard the story I refused. I was sure that if G‑d wanted us to be rich He would do it in a completely permissible way.
And sure enough He did!!! (or so I thought at the time).
"The next day there was a knock at my door and when I opened it there stood the local duke with a job for me. He wanted me to accompany him, at a very high wage, for a week on a sea journey to buy some things for his business. He said that he would be dealing with Jews and needed a Jew with him to help. He heard that I was honest etc. and even paid me something in advance.
"Needless to say I took the offer and the next day we set sail. But after a few days at sea he pulled out an even larger bag of coins than the jeweler did and offered it all for the diamond. He must have known that I would be afraid to leave the stone at home with only my wife to guard it. He said that if I refused it wouldn't be good for me and my wife... and he was dead serious.
I was stuck!
There was nowhere to run and at any time he could have just killed me and taken it, so I sort of owed him a favor. And the duke kept stressing that it was enough money to make me a rich man for the rest of my life!
I had to think fast. In my mind it was obvious that I could not give him the stone... so I pretended to be happy and told him I agreed.
"Then I kissed the diamond as though saying goodbye, held it up to the sun and declared 'Ahhh, just look at this beautiful gift from heaven!" and suddenly 'slipped' on the deck and 'accidentally' tossed the diamond from my upraised hand over the railing of the ship and into the churning sea below us.
"I even screamed in horror and began weeping so convincingly that the duke actually began to comfort and console me. But inside I was rejoicing that I avoided being a partner to idolatry.
"At that moment suddenly everything became silent, I didn't hear anything around me, rather a voice, like an echo, issued from heaven and said: 'Rejoice Reb Yitzchak. Because you lost riches to avoid idolatry you will have a son that will illuminate the Torah like a precious gem'
"A year later my wife gave birth to our son and the very night she gave birth I had a dream. A holy Jew with a long white beard and joyous eyes appeared and said,
"'Ask what you want the child to be blessed with and it will be given; perhaps riches, perhaps long life, perhaps wisdom'.
"Immediately I yelled out 'Wisdom!
"'The old man smiled and said, 'Because you requested wisdom as did Melech Shlomo (King Solomon) so your son should be called Shlomo and he will enlighten the Jewish people with his wisdom in the written and oral Torah.' Then he added, 'Tomorrow wait for me. I want to hold the child at the time of circumcision.'
"That man," continued Reb Yitzchak, "was the one that we waited for, I recognized him when he entered the door. I'm certain that he must be none other than Elijah the prophet" (who attends every Jewish brit but is rarely seen or recognized.)"
The child, Shlomo ben Yitzchak was none other than the great Rashi whose genius commentaries, found on every page of the Pentateuch and Talmud have made the Torah clear and helped keep Judaism alive for the last almost one thousand years.
Reprinted from an email of Shabbos Stories - Chabad of Bel Air.
