There once was a Jewish man who lacked a good source of livelihood. He decided to advertise himself as a fortune teller who could see into the future and to charge for his services. When people came to him, he would assure them that their future looked bright, that they would be successful, etc., so that they would like what he said and would continue to come back.
One day, thieves broke into the king’s palace and stole some precious treasures. No matter how hard the police investigated, they could not locate the thieves. They had heard about the Jewish fortune teller and informed the king about his supposed abilities.
The king summoned him and ordered him to reveal the identities of the thieves. The Jew began to panic, unsure of what to say, as he knew he would be severely punished if he couldn’t come up with an answer. He told the king, “I can’t answer you right now. I need 30 days to look into it before I can have an answer. I also need 30 apples...”
