the Multifaith Storytelling Institute
  • Our Team
  • GLowing Reviews
    • Video Zoom
    • Video
  • Our Schedule
    • Discover Yourself! February 2023
  • Contact
  • Story Library

This Too Shall Pass

7/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
     One day the wise king Solomon, decided to humble his most trusted ministers, Benaiah ben Yehoyada. He said to him, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for Sukkot, which gives you six months to find it.”

   “If it exists anywhere on earth, your majesty,” replied Benaiah, “I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?”

     “It has magic powers,” answered the king. “It can make a happy man sad and a sad man happy.” Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.

     Spring passed and then summer and still Benaiah had no idea where he could find the ring.

On the night before Sukkot,  he decided to take a walk in one of the poorest quarters of Jerusalem. He passed by a merchant who had begun to set out the day’s wares on a shabby carpet. There were rings and earrings and bracelets. “Have you by any chance heard of a magic ring that makes a happy man sad and a sad man happy?”

     The merchant had heard of no such ring. But then, as if by magic, the merchant’s father appeared. With an old gnarled finger he beckoned to Benaiah. As he watched, the grandfather took a plain gold ring from the display case and engraved something on it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.

     That night the entire city welcomed in the holiday of Sukkot with great festivity. “Well, my friend,” said Solomon, “have you found what I sent you after?” All the ministers laughed and Solomon himself smiled.

     To everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a small gold ring and declared, “Here it is, your majesty!”

As soon as Solomon read the inscription, the smile vanished from his face. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the gold band:
Gimel, Zayin, Yud, ג׳ז׳י,  which began the words:
“Gam zeh ya’avor” - גם זה יעבור- “This too shall pass.”

********
Re-crafted from various sources by Mark Novak. This tale also appears in Sufi literature. Apparently it is an ancient Jewish/Persian saying.
0 Comments
    Online Cohort #12
    with Mark & Renée 
    January 3 and 10
    Registration and info here

    ​Discover Yourself! #7
    with Shulamit
    January 14 and 21
    Registration and Info
    here
    ​

    Author

    Mark Novak is co-founder of The MultiFaith Storytelling Institute

    Archives

    July 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All
    Answers
    Arabia
    Becoming
    Change
    Cherokee
    Community Building
    Connections
    Dancing
    Death
    Divinity
    Dreams
    Education
    Faith
    Falcon
    Focus
    Gratefulness
    Hindu
    Hope
    Image Of God
    Inner Beauty
    Judging Others
    King Solomon
    Krishna
    Leadership
    Loss
    Messiah
    Mindfulness
    Monastery
    Monk
    Nasuddin
    Nature
    Niggun
    Paying Attention
    Peace
    Poor
    Responsibility
    Sufi
    Teaching
    Uncertainty
    Wisdom
    Zen

    RSS Feed

MFSI


is a registered 501(c)(3) corporation
An educational outreach arm
of MInyan Oneg Shabbat
Washington, DC 20015
​202-203-9622

Contact Us   

  • Our Team
  • GLowing Reviews
    • Video Zoom
    • Video
  • Our Schedule
    • Discover Yourself! February 2023
  • Contact
  • Story Library