בבא קמא נט

In 1847, Rothschild visited ארץ ישראל to inaugurate one of his projects in a moshav. In those days, the Ottoman rulers did not permit Jews to build new homes. To comply with the law, Rothschild had received permits to build four barns for the cows which he owned. Each “barn” had relatively spacious apartments on both a first floor and a second floor. As the inauguration ceremony was occurring, a Turkish inspector appeared and demanded to know who had authorized the construction. “Here are the permits,” the Baron said. The inspector entered one of the “barns” and saw the steps leading to the second floor. “Do you mean to tell me that cows are going to walk up to the second floor?” he asked. “Of course not,” Rothschild answered. “That’s where we’ll store the hay.”

06/10/2021