edited by Beatrice Silverman Weinreich

Introduction • xix

PART ONE: Naked Truths and Resplendent Parables: Allegorical Tales
1. Naked Truth and Resplendent Parable • 7
2. A Bit of Herring, a Pinch of Salt, and a Morsel of Bread • 8
3. Things Can Always Get Worse • 9
4. The Luck That Snored • 10
5. The Fever and the Flea • 12
6. Why Dogs Chase Cats and Cats Chase Mice • 14
7. Wisdom or Luck? • 15
8. Pleasing All the World • 19
9. Poverty Grows and Grows • 20
10. The Sacrifice of Isaac and the Caretaker of Brisk • 21
11. The Treasure at Home • 23
12. A Fable of a Bird and Her Chicks • 24
13. Letting In the Light • 25
14. Bad Luck • 26

PART TWO: A Rooster and a Hen, Let the Story Begin: Children’s Tales
15. The Pain in the Neck: A Nonsense Tale • 35
16. The Six-Pointed Homentash: A Purim Take • 36
17. A Tale of Two Brothers • 37
18. Stones and Bones Rattle in My Belly • 44
19. Sóre-Kháne at the Tip of the Church Tower • 45
20. Little Bean • 47
21. A Topsy-Turvy Tale • 50
22. Clever Khashinke and Foolish Banshinke • 51
23. The Granny Bear • 53
24. Moyshele and Sheyndele • 54
25. Next Time That’s What I’ll Say • 57
26. The Naughty Little Girl • 60

PART THREE: Magic Rings, Feathers of Gold, Mountains of Glass: Wonder Tales
27. Hangs the Moon on My Palace Roof • 69
28. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice • 73
29. The Beggar King and the Melamed • 77
30. Of Nettles and Roses • 79
31. The Demon and Sosye • 83
32. How Much Do You Love Me? • 85
33. The Master Thief • 89
34. The Orphaned Boys • 93
35. Two Brothers Who Went to the Devil • 98
36. The Snake Bridegroom • 101
37. The Princess and Vanke, the Shoemaker’s Son • 105
38. The Foolish Youth and Elijah the Prophet • 107
39. The King’s Lost Daughter • 112
40. The Magic Fish and the Wishing Ring • 115
41. The Hunchbacks and the Dancing Demons • 120
42. The Princess of the Third Pumpkin • 122
43. The Orphan Boy Who Won the Bride • 126
44. Forty Hares and a Princess • 130
45. The Merchant’s Son and the Demons • 125
46. The Ram, the Basket, and the Stick • 140
47. The Golden Feather • 142

PART FOUR: Justice, Faith, and Everyday Morals: Pious Tales
48. The Tale of the Stingy Woman • 155
49. The Wheat Poured In at the Door • 157
50. In Heaven and Hell • 158
51. The Miracle of the Tree • 160
52. The Poor Man’s Ruble • 161
53. Blood and Water • 162
54. A Letter to God • 163
55. The Seven Good Years • 167
56. Set a Trap for Another • 168
57. A Succos Tale • 170
58. Only Eleven Little Fish • 172
59. A Passover Take • 173
60. A Shocking Tale of a Viceroy • 176
61. The Leper Boy and Elijah the Prophet • 182
62. The Trustees • 185
63. A Tragic Tale • 186
64. Upon Me • 189
65. The Ballad of the Faithful Wife • 190
66. The Iron Chest • 192
67. Water Wouldn’t Hurt • 195
68. The Unlearned Villager • 195
69. Holding On to One-Quarter of My World • 196
70. The Poor Rabbi and His Three Daughters • 198

PART FIVE: Nitwits, Wits, and Pranksters: Humorous Tales
71. The Clever Girl: A Riddle Tale • 207
72. Then Where’s the Cat? • 210
73. The Best for My Wife • 211
74. The Coat of Patches • 211
75. The Bishop and Moshke: Another Riddle Tale • 214
76. Good Manners and Foolish Khushim • 216
77. Khushim and His Bride • 218
78. The Tale of a Leaf from the Tree of Knowledge • 219
79. Reb Hershele and the Goose Leg • 221
80. Hershele Ostropolyer and the Sabbath Caftan • 222
81. Why Khelmites Are Fools • 222
82. The Angel Spills the Jar of Fools • 223
83. A Shoyfer in Khelm • 223
84. The Hill Pushed Away • 224
85. How Khelmites Lighted Up the Night • 225
86. The Melamed’s Trunk • 226
87. The Rolling Stone • 227
88. A Cat in Khelm • 227
89. Khelmites Who Refused to Tread on Snow • 228
90. The Sundial • 228
91. A Khelm Compromised • 229
92. A Bridge in Khelm • 229
93. Sowing Salt • 230
94. Two Cows for a Melody • 231
95. Froyim Greydinger, the Magic Stick, and the Pot of Soup • 233
96. What Makes Tea Sweet: An Exercise in Logic • 235
97. The Visitor from the World Beyond • 235
98. The Ten Women • 237
99. The Congregation Loves Jam • 239
100. Motke Khabad Needs a Place to Live • 239
101. Why the Head Turns Gray before the Beard • 240
102. The Love Potion • 243
103. Skotsl Kunt: Skotsl’s Here • 246
104. The Clever Little Tailor • 247
105. Two Tunes for Three Hundred Rubles • 250
106. Some True Miracles of God • 254

PART SIX: Sages, Tsadikim, and Villains: Legends
107. Sabbath in Paradise • 265
108. The Baal Shem Tov and the Herdsman • 267
109. Yisroel, the Child Rebbe • 270
110. The Disciple Who Went Astray • 271
111. The Rebbe’s Melody • 272
112. Don’t Go into the Mud in the First Place • 275
113. The Missed Moment of Redemption • 276
114. The Mekarev Rebbe Gets Even with a Stingy Woman • 277
115. The Happy Pair and the Baal Shem Tov • 279
116. The Fleet-Footed Tomeshef Rebbe • 282
117. The Right Order Is Important • 283
118. Reb Khaim Urbakh Rocks a Cradle on Yom Kippur • 284
119. Rain and the Rebbe of Stolin • 284
120. The Miracle of the Dry Well • 285
121. The Reincarnation of Queen Esther • 286
122. The Penitent and the Rebbe of Tshekhenove • 289
123. The Boy Who Put Two Socks on One Foot • 290
124. The Power of the Mourner’s Prayer • 291
125. The Curious Disciple • 293
126. A Common Piece of Earth • 293
127. Reb Malkiel and the 702 Candles • 294
128. A Modern Miracle • 296
129. How Judah Halevi Entered Heaven Alive • 298
130. Rabbi Joshua and the Emperor of Rome • 299
131. A Wonderful Legend of a Cave • 300
132. Waiting for the Messiah • 301
133. The Torah of My Servant Moses • 303
134. Rabbi Jonathan and the Minister: A Disputation • 304
135. He Has Only One Weakness • 306
136. The Rabbi Shows Respect for His Shoemaker • 306
137. Evening the Score • 307
138. Reb Leybele of Mir Goes to the Marketplace • 309
139. Napoleon the First and the Jewish Officer • 312
140. Napoleon in Vilna • 313
141. Nafol tipol: Napoleon, You Will Fall • 313
142. The Cantonist’s Mother and Nicholas the First • 315
143. Czar Nicholas Decrees the Burning of the Talmud • 320
144. Emperor Franz Josef and the Innkeeper’s Infant • 320
145. The Poor Man and Rothschild • 321
146. Rothschild’s Shoes • 322
147. Rothschild’s End • 322

PART SEVEN: Elves and Dibbuks, Ghosts, and Golems: Supernatural Tales
148. The Shoemaker and the Shretelekh • 329
149. The Synagogue, the Church, and the Town Hall • 330
150. The Transmigrating Soul • 331
151. Who’s Milking the Cows? • 333
152. The Passover Elf Helps Great-Grandmother • 334
153. The Old Shul in Motele • 334
154. The Blacksmith and the Horses with Human Hands • 336
155. The Mysterious Gold Chain • 337
156. The Unquiet Grave • 338
157. The Large Stone Synagogue of Berditshev • 339
158. The Golem of Vilna • 340
159. The Ball Shem Tov and the Gilgl • 342
160. The Shretele That Took a Little Nap • 343
161. The Lost Hat and the Pile of Gold • 344
162. The Miracle of the Beer Keg • 345
163. How Doves Saved a Synagogue from Fire • 346
164. The Calf That Turned to Gold • 346
165. A Cave That Leads to the Land of Israel • 347
166. Late-Night Spooks • 348
167. The Demon Sheep • 348
168. The Dibbuk Melody of Tolne • 349
169. The Missing Bridegroom • 352
170. Two Hrubeshoyv Legends • 353
171. Why the Rebbe’s Pipe Must Be Kept Lighted • 354
172. Luckily, the Rooster Crowed Late • 355
173. Neither Eat not Drink What a Demon Offers • 356
174. A Balshem Drives Out a Dibbuk • 357
175. Lantekh, the Bridge Hobgoblin • 359
176. The Demon and the Willow Twigs • 359
177. The Sleepy Tailor and the Zmore • 360
178. The Last Dibbuk • 361

Glossary • 369
Annotations to the Tales • 379
Notes • 403
Bibliography • 407