Hatred is such a powerful force that it can cause a person to do things he otherwise would never do. This is seen from the following story:
Rav Yitzchak Abarbanel was both a great scholar in terms of Torah and worldly knowledge. The king of Spain recognized how wise he was and appointed him to be his advisor. His advice was so effective that he soon was appointed to be the king’s chief advisor, which led the ministers to envy him. Out of jealousy, they plotted his assassination, but they feared to lay a hand on him, knowing the great esteem in which he was held by the king.
They conspired together and devised a plan on how to turn the king against him. They agreed that they would pretend that they wanted to rebel against the king, and they divided the roles among themselves: one was designated to become the king after overthrowing the current king, another was chosen to be his deputy, etc., and in this way, all roles were distributed.
Afterward, they planned to go to Rav Yitzchak and ask him to also sign on as part of their plan. They then planned to go to the king and show him Rav Yitzchak’s signature, thereby probing that he was rebelling against the kingdom. They were sure the king would kill him, and in this way, they would be able to get rid of him.
And so they did. Ten royal ministers wrote a plan of rebellion against the king, and they took the letter to Rav Yitzchak’s house. When they entered his home, he was happy to see them and received them with a smile. After some polite conversation, they handed him the letter of rebellion, saying to him, “This is what we have decided. We want you to sign the letter of rebellion, and we will offer you an important position in the new government.”
Rav Yitzchok took out a pen and ink, and wrote as follows: Since you, gentlemen, have agreed to this, ‘under compulsion,’ I, Yitzchak Abarbanel, also agree.”
The men took the paper but did not notice the words “under compulsion.” When the ministers left his house, Rav Yitzchak took all his possessions, kept part of it with him, and hid the rest in a secret cellar in his house. After that, he took his wife, sons, and daughters, placed them on horses, and secretly fled the city. Hashem protected them, and they left the city safely.
They traveled from city to city until they reached a land that was not under the rule of the king of Spain. Not long after, Rav Yitzchak’s wisdom became well known there, and his good name reached the ears of the king of that country. The king summoned him and appointed him as his advisor, and he received even greater honor than he had in Spain.
The day after Rav Yitzchak’s escape, the ministers went to the king and said to him, “Our lord, you honor Rav Yitzchak Abrabanel greatly, and you love him dearly. Look what he has written against you!”
They showed him his signature, agreeing to rebel against the king. Upon seeing this, the king became very angry and sent for Rav Yitzchak, but they did not find him in his house. The king sent messengers to search for him throughout all the markets and streets, but all their searches proved futile. The messengers returned to the king and said to him, “Our lord, we did not find Rav Yitzchak, nor did we see anyone leaving the city.”
The king began to investigate the matter of the rebellion against him, and it became clear that the ten ministers had wanted to rebel, and he commanded that they be executed.
Meanwhile, Rav Yitzchok’s name spread all over, and his success in his new land was heard about in all neighboring countries. Eventually, the king of Spain heard about it. He sent a letter to the king of the land where Rav Yitzchak was residing, writing as follows:
“I have discovered that there is a man who serves as one of your advisors, named Rav Yitzchak, son of Yehuda, Abrabanel. I wish to advise you not to trust him, nor to rely on his advice, for he is a fraud. I showed him only kindness, but he repaid me by trying to kill me. Here is the letter he wrote against me, in which he signed to rebel against me, along with other wicked men. Before I could apprehend and punish him, he fled our land and was not found. Now I have learned that he is with you, and surely you will acknowledge my words as truthful.”
When the king received the letter, he sent for Rav Yitzchak and said to him, “It seems that you are a deceitful man. The king of Spain has done you much kindness, and you wished to rebel against him and kill him. Afterwards, you fled from him and came to serve in my house. Surely, you also intend to rebel against me as you did to him.”
Rav Yitzchak replied, “Heaven forbid! I would never do such a thing. I am completely innocent and all the claims against me are lies.”
The king asked angrily, “How can you claim that they slandered you when your signature is found alongside the rebels’ signatures?”
Rav Yitzchak replied, “If you find my signature alongside theirs, then you may kill me!”
The king immediately brought out the paper that bore the signature, showed it to him, and said, “Is this your signature or not?”
Rav Yitzchak said, “My lord, please read carefully what I have written.”
The king now saw that Rav Yitzchak had written only that he signed “under duress.”
Rav Yitzhak explained to the king that he was forced to sign the document of rebellion out of fear and coercion, because the ministers came to him in the dead of night, and if he had not signed with them, they would surely have killed him. He added, “I am confident that the king will judge me favorably, for the king of Spain investigated the matter and revealed the truth, and he executed the rebels. And if I were wicked and deceitful, I would not have written that I only signed under duress, and I would have remained in Spain and not fled.”
The king sent a letter to the king of Spain, explaining Rav Yitzchak’s defense. When the king of Spain read the letter, he realized it was the truth. He recognized that Rav Yitzchak had acted wisely and faithfully. He then sent another letter to the other king, asking him to send Rav Yitzchak back to him so he could re-assume his old position as his chief advisor.
