Ten Me A S orY

ThE butcast

The Prince

rince

Elizabeth Applebaum AppleTree Editor

Jewish history is filled with fas-
cinating tales and legends.
They become all the more fun
when you can act them out
yourself with these finger pup-
pets. (To use, simply cut out
figures, shape strips around
fingers and affix at back with
tape.) A parent can read the
story below while a child acts
out the story

(Adapted from a Jewish legend)

The Rabbi

The Princess

The Panel Of Judges

any years ago there lived
a king who had only one
child, a son whom he
loved with all his heart. The son was
a clever boy, but spoiled. No one
taught him manners, or corrected
him, or guided him in any way. And
so the boy grew to be an arrogant
and thoughtless prince.
"I can do whatever I choose," he
said to the people. "I will be king
one day, and you will do exactly as
I say."
Consequently, the people grew to
loathe the prince. For many years
they tolerated his terrible behavior,
but finally they could take it no
more.
A petition was sent to the king,
pleading with him to speak with the
defiant lad.
At first the king was furious. Yet
when he thought the matter over he
decided what the people had said
might have merit. He appointed a
panel of three judges to study the
matter. With their judgement, they
declared the prince intolerable.
"I see that I was wrong not to
have more carefully parented my
son," the king said. "Now both of
us shall suffer."
The prince was called before the
king, but he appeared bored. The
king told the boy he was to go out
in rags, with no money to his name,
and that he was not to identify him-
self as royalty.
Only when the king told his son
that he was not return "until you can

count to five," did the prince at last
react.
"Until I can count to five?" he said.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
But the king said no more.
And so the boy left, and he quickly
found how challenging his new life
would be. In no time he was cold
and hungry and lonely. He had
nowhere to sleep, and no one to
whom he could turn. For many
months he walked the streets, with lit-.
tle food or drink. His only money
came from a kindly rabbi, who gave
him odd jobs.
At last, the prince met up with a
beggar who advised him to seek
refuge at a shelter founded by a
beautiful princess. She was curious
to hear why the young man had
come her way. But the prince
remembered his father's admonition
and did not identify himself. Instead,
he said only, "Once I lived a life of
wealth and ease, but I did not
appreciate my good fortune. And
now I shall be forevermore thus,
unless I can learn to count to five."
The princess asked, "But what do
you mean?"
"I know not," the prince said.
"Only this is what my father told me
to do."
The beautiful princess, who had a
kind heart, decided to turn for
advice to a rabbi she knew — the
same rabbi who had once provided
the prince with small jobs. He
agreed immediately to come meet
with the mysterious young man.
"I will help you," the rabbi said.

"Let us begin with one: Do you
know what it means to be hungry?"
"I do," the prince said.
"And two: Do you know what it is
to be cold?"
"Indeed I do."
"Three: Do you know what it is to
feel grateful?"
"I have learned," the prince said
solemnly. "I have learned."
"Four: Do you understand kind-
ness?"
"Yes," the prince answered, "For I
have been helped by many."
"And last," the rabbi said, "do you
know now what it is to be humble?"
The prince began to weep as he
nodded his head.
"Then you truly have learned to
count to five," the rabbi said. "Go,
and return to your father."
The young man thanked the rabbi,
then turned to the princess. "I will be
back," he said. "And I will come
with a request."
And so the prince returned home,
and his father listened and
embraced his son. "Never again
shall I be haughty or selfish or foolish
or cruel," the prince told his father.
Months later, the prince returned to
see the princess. At first she did not
recognize the young man, who was
now garbed in such finery. But when
at last she did, he fell to his knee
and asked for her hand in marriage.
The princess agreed, and returned
with her prince to the kingdom.
There, the two lived for many years
and ruled always with kindness and
gentle hearts. ❑

The King

1/30
1998

73