Lost in the Woods: How a King Proved a Rabbi Right About Why We’re Still in Exile

It was three hundred years ago. The king of Vienna summoned Rabbi Shimshon Wertheimer and asked him a question: “Why have the Children of Israel remained in exile for so many years?”

Rabbi Shimshon answered simply, “Because of the jealousy and hatred that dwell among them.”

The king was displeased. Such terrible suffering and prolonged exile, he felt, could not possibly stem from something so internal and intangible. In great anger, he ordered Rabbi Shimshon to provide a more satisfactory explanation within three days. If not, all the Jews of Vienna would face severe punishment.

A Heavenly Confirmation

That very night, Rabbi Shimshon performed a she’eilat chacham. From Heaven he was told that his answer had been entirely correct, and that jealousy and hatred were indeed what prevented the exile from ending. He was instructed not to offer the king any alternative explanation. “The king himself,” he was promised, “will yet see that you speak the truth.”

Lost in the Forest

Not long afterward, the king set out on a hunting trip deep in the forest, accompanied by his attendants. At some point, he asked to hunt alone. Absorbed in the thrill of the chase, he failed to notice that his attendants had lost track of him.

After hours of searching in vain, they assumed the king had returned to the palace on his own and retraced their steps. The king, meanwhile, remained alone. Only when the sun began to set did he grasp the danger of his situation.

Desperate, he searched for signs of habitation until he reached a river. On the opposite bank he saw houses glowing with light. With no choice, he removed his royal garments, left his horse behind, and swam across the river wearing only a thin undershirt.

A Door With a Mezuzah

Soaked, barefoot, and shivering, the king wandered through the village. He knocked on several doors, but none were opened. The villagers, mostly non-Jews, refused to open the door to the strange figure standing in the cold night.

Then the king noticed a door bearing a mezuzah. Knowing that Jews are compassionate, he knocked. The door opened, and the homeowner saw before him a trembling man, barely clothed, his teeth chattering from the cold.

Without hesitation, the Jew hurried him inside, offered him a hot drink and food, wrapped him in a fur, and laid him beside the blazing stove. Slowly, the king regained his strength.

The Journey to the Capital

The next morning, the king asked his host how far the village was from the capital. “Four parasangs,” the Jew replied.

“Please take me there,” the king requested.

When they arrived, the Jew asked where his guest wished to go. “To the royal palace,” came the reply.

Before they even reached the gates, the guest leaped from the wagon and disappeared inside. Only then did the Jew realize whom he had sheltered.

A King’s Offer

Moments later, guards arrived and escorted the Jew before the king.

“Do you recognize me?” the king asked.

“I have never seen the king before today,” the Jew replied.

“But I know you well,” said the king. “I know your house, your belongings, and your standing in your village.”

“There is no wisdom like the king’s wisdom,” the Jew answered humbly.

“This is not wisdom,” the king said. “I was the man who slept in your home last night. Now tell me, what shall I pay you for saving my life?”

The Jew stood silent.

“You may ask for any amount of money,” the king urged.

Still, the Jew said nothing.

“I will give you fields and vineyards.”

Silence.

“Even an entire city, as a full gift.”

Nothing.

At last, the king grew angry. “If you do not answer immediately, you will not receive even four small coins owed to you as a wagon driver.”

The Cost of Jealousy

The Jew finally spoke. “My lord the king, I am a peddler by trade. Lately, another Jew has begun coming to our village, buying goods and hides. He encroaches on my livelihood. I ask the king to decree that he no longer enter our village.”

The king stared at him in astonishment.

“How true were the words of Rabbi Shimshon,” he said. “This man had the power to become wealthy beyond imagination, yet because of jealousy and hatred, he asked for nothing but nonsense.”

And with that, the king finally understood why exile endures.