I read this tale somewhere and then wondered where, in fact, I'd come across it. Much searching amidst the piled up books, notes and journal articles but it had disappeared! If only I could remember what I was reading last...Lewis Hyde, Wendell Berry? Hadn't I jotted something down? You could clearly see the word written down in your own handwriting: journey. And then, as you look at the window, the startling fact: it doesn't matter where you saw it! Why do you think you can possess it...
A Rabbi has a dream in which God tells him to travel to Prague because there, under a bridge, he will find some treasure. But when he gets there he sees that the bridge is heavily guarded. He waits patiently by the bridge, hoping the guard will fall asleep or be distracted by something. But three days pass like this; him just silently observing the guard. On the third day the guard speaks to him: What are you doing there in the shadows? I've noticed you there for the last three days".
The rabbi tells him about the dream and how he traveled all the way from Krakow just to find this treasure. The guard laughed at him: "You fool! I had a dream as well in which God told me go to Krakow where I'd find some treasure buried under the stove of a rabbi's house but I'm not so silly! I do my job here to the best of my duty".
On hearing this the rabbi returns home and, sure enough, finds the treasure under his stove.
~~~
1. The importance of trust (tawaakul).
2. What comes to fruition sometimes comes about indirectly.
3. Duty, loyalty, fidelity to what, or who?
4. What is of importance is sometimes close at hand, under one's very nose but also:
5. One has to make the journey to find home.
Lost and found.
~~~
Update, Horatio:
I found an old book by Buber in the library. Although locked up because it was in a "fragile condition" I managed to liberate it for a few hours. D took some photos of the small book (44 pages) and then transferred them to me (yes, technology does have some advantages!). After printing them I briefly flicked through the pages to check if the operation had been successful and noticed that all was okay except for one page. Half of the top line had been chopped off. So, I wrote the missing words out by hand:
..had never shaken his faith in God.
Was then astounded to find that this was in fact the very same story I'd been looking for!
A Rabbi has a dream in which God tells him to travel to Prague because there, under a bridge, he will find some treasure. But when he gets there he sees that the bridge is heavily guarded. He waits patiently by the bridge, hoping the guard will fall asleep or be distracted by something. But three days pass like this; him just silently observing the guard. On the third day the guard speaks to him: What are you doing there in the shadows? I've noticed you there for the last three days".
The rabbi tells him about the dream and how he traveled all the way from Krakow just to find this treasure. The guard laughed at him: "You fool! I had a dream as well in which God told me go to Krakow where I'd find some treasure buried under the stove of a rabbi's house but I'm not so silly! I do my job here to the best of my duty".
On hearing this the rabbi returns home and, sure enough, finds the treasure under his stove.
~~~
1. The importance of trust (tawaakul).
2. What comes to fruition sometimes comes about indirectly.
3. Duty, loyalty, fidelity to what, or who?
4. What is of importance is sometimes close at hand, under one's very nose but also:
5. One has to make the journey to find home.
Lost and found.
~~~
Update, Horatio:
I found an old book by Buber in the library. Although locked up because it was in a "fragile condition" I managed to liberate it for a few hours. D took some photos of the small book (44 pages) and then transferred them to me (yes, technology does have some advantages!). After printing them I briefly flicked through the pages to check if the operation had been successful and noticed that all was okay except for one page. Half of the top line had been chopped off. So, I wrote the missing words out by hand:
..had never shaken his faith in God.
Was then astounded to find that this was in fact the very same story I'd been looking for!
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