The Turkey
Prince
From Tales From Reb Nachman (Artscroll /
Mesorah)
Retold for children and illustrated by
Dovid Sears
Once
upon a time, there was a prince who decided that he was a turkey. So he took
off his clothes and sat under the royal table. There he pecked at bones and
crusts of bread - and even at people's legs. Sometimes he
made turkey sounds so loud that everyone had to run out of the room holding his
ears! Famous doctors from Austria tried to cure him, but they all gave up. His
father the king didn't know what to do. All of his wealth and power didn't seem
to matter any more.
At
last, a wise man came to the palace. He wore a long black coat and hat, and his
high boots were muddy and worn. His beard had been gray for many years, but he
still seemed young and strong. I will cure the prince," he said. "But
you must let me do it my way, even if it seems strange."
The
king agreed. He ordered his servants to do everything the wise man said.
The
next morning after breakfast, the wise man took off his clothes. He sat down
under the royal table near the king's son. And he, too, pecked at crumbs and
bones, as if he always ate this way.
"Who
are you?" asked the prince. "And what are you doing here?"
"Who
are you?" asked the wise man. "And what are you doing here?"
"I
am a turkey," answered the prince.
"I
am also a turkey," answered the wise man.
Then
they both continued to crawl across the thick carpet on their hands and knees.
They clucked and gobbled and looked for pieces of food. They did this together
for many hours and became friends.
The
next afternoon, after a lunch of corn flakes and dust, the wise man signaled
the royal butler to bring two shirts. The wise man asked the prince, "Do
you think turkeys can't wear shirts just like people? We can wear shirts and
still be turkeys!" And they both put on shirts.
A
day later he signaled again, and the butler brought them pants. As before, the
wise man asked, "Do you think turkeys can't wear pants just like people?
We can wear pants and still be turkeys!" The wise plan worked well. In a
few days he and the prince were dressed like everyone else in the palace. But
they still crawled and pecked at crumbs.
Now
it was time for the second part of his plan. The wise man signaled again, and
the servants brought platters of meat and potatoes, salads and fruits and sweet
rolls from the table. "Do you think turkeys can't eat good food just like
people?" asked the wise man. "We can eat everything people eat and
still be turkeys!" So they still sat under the table, but they ate the
same food as the royal family.
Finally,
the wise man asked, "Do you think turkeys can't sit at the table just like
people? We can sit at the table and still be turkeys!"
For
many days the wise man continued talking to the king's son in this way. Then,
finally, the prince awoke one morning and realized that he was not a turkey
after all.
***
Deep
down inside, we all want to be good people and live a holy life. But sometimes,
we think we are so far from Hashem that
we are like turkeys under the table, pecking at crumbs. That's why Hashem put tzaddikim in this
world. They can help us see that we are really Hashem's children. Then we are able to sit at His royal table and
taste the sweetness of His Torah. And that's where we really belong!
©
1987 Mesorah Publications