Once there lived a wealthy Jewish butcher in a town on the seaside. In his youth he had been quite poor, and had worked very hard to amass his wealth. Unfortunately, he had never had the opportunity to learn Torah, but he took great pleasure in praying and saying Psalms. He never forgot what it meant to be needy, and he constantly went out of his way to help his fellow Jews.
Every Friday afternoon before Shabbat he would distribute meat and money to all the poor families in the town. His good nature made him a favorite among not only the Jews, but also the gentiles of the town. His reputation even spread to the governor who favored him with an important appointment as the chief customs officer of the port. As such, he would collect taxes on imports and also collect a fee for his services. As one of the benefits of his job, he was also permitted to take any one item from amongst the goods. It was in the capacity of customs collector that he amassed an even greater fortune.
One day a ship arrived in port, and he went to inspect the goods on board. After he performed his duties, the captain approached him saying, “I have some especially good merchandise on board today. Something totally unique, but I am not at liberty to divulge to you the nature of this merchandise unless you want to buy it.”
The butcher was very curious and asked what it was, but he always received the same reply: “I will tell you only if you agree to buy it.”
“How much do you want for it?” he inquired. “Ten thousand gold coins!” was the astonishing answer. “You expect me to make the purchase without knowing what I’m buying?” “That’s the stipulation. I assure you, you won’t be disappointed.”
The butcher was all but hooked, but the captain was enjoying his power over the butcher. He was no longer satisfied with ten thousand; he raised the price to twenty thousand coins, and then forty thousand gold coins!
Finally the butcher agreed. “I will pay your price. Just show me the merchandise!”
“Only after you have brought all the money,” the captain answered with a grin, and off went the butcher to fetch the treasure of coins.
Even as he went to collect the coins, the butcher was doubting his sanity. He returned and laid the money on the table. The captain turned on his heel and in a few minutes he returned with the “merchandise”—Jewish men, women and children in tow—bound hand and foot.
The evil captain couldn’t restrain himself, and broke out into laughter: “Aren’t you happy now? What a bargain you got yourself! If you hadn’t bought them, they would have been food for sharks—I certainly have no use for them!”
The butcher took the hapless people with him and left the ship as fast as his feet could carry him, lest the wicked captain have a change of heart. He kept thinking over and over again how G-d had inspired him to spend a fortune on unknown goods in order to save these Jews.
The butcher fed and clothed the former prisoners and treated them with the utmost kindness. One day he noticed a young girl from among them and thought, “This girl would be perfect for my son.” The two young people agreed and preparations were made for the wedding.
On the eve of the great affair, the butcher circulated among the guests, offering a drink here, a dainty there, when he saw a young man sitting in a corner weeping.
“What is wrong? Everyone is rejoicing, why are you so sad?” The poor boy replied, “The girl who is about to marry your son was betrothed to me before we were abducted by the pirates.”
“Why did no one tell me?” the butcher asked. “We are all so grateful to you, that no one dared disturb your happiness,” the boy responded.
The butcher thought for a while, and then called his son to him. After recounting the entire story to the groom, he asked, “What do you want to do about it?”
“There is no question. Let the couple be married today as they had planned so many months ago. I will not stand in their way.”
And so it was, that the entire village celebrated the marriage that very day. The butcher not only made them the wedding, but furnished them with a house and furnishing and enough money to begin a new life.
The Sages said of this man that with his forty thousand gold coins he purchased a place in the World to Come equaled only to that of the greatest tzadikim.
