A destitute Jew, whose fortunes sunk so low that he didn’t have even a loaf of bread to eat, asked the רב to pray for him. The רב prayed but his תפילות were not answered. Desperate, the Jew went to the Priest to ask that he pray for him. The Priest assured him that his prayers would be answered but he and his family must agree to convert. The desperate Jew agreed. Happy, the Priest gave him a valuable gold cross as a gift. The Jew took the cross, went home and broke it into pieces. He melted down the gold and sold it for a small fortune which he used to purchase merchandise and within a short time became wealthy. When the Priest heard this, he confronted the Jew and said “Now you see the goodness of the one whom we worship. Why haven’t you honored your commitment to convert?” The Jew responded: “My success isn’t the result of his goodness. I had to break his arms and legs to get him to help me.”
06/10/2021