Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide

The King’s Lesson: A Story of Sayver Panim Yafot (cheerful attitude)
This story is adapted from a version in Stories from Our Living Past by Francine Prose,
Behrman House, 1974.
One night, an important man came to visit King
Solomon, the wise king of Israel. The king served the
man a fancy meal. But King Solomon was tired, and he
was in a bad mood because he couldn’t find a book he
had been reading. He hardly spoke to his guest, didn’t
smile, and yawned loudly. After dinner, the king’s guest
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frowned. “I hope we can talk tomorrow,” he said. “Of course,” nodded Solomon, and
went off to his royal bedroom to sleep.
But the next morning, when King Solomon woke up, he was no longer in his room, or in
his palace. He looked around and saw that he was lying in the gutter of the marketplace!
His royal pajamas were gone, and he was wearing dirty, torn rags. His beard was matted
and his hands and feet were filthy. Before long he noticed that he was very hungry, and
his stomach kept rumbling.
Near dinner time, a rich shop owner was hurrying through the marketplace. This shop
owner rarely noticed beggars, but he saw that there was something about this beggar,
something different. He didn’t act like the other beggars the store owner was used to
seeing. The store owner looked closely, and suddenly he recognized the beggar as King
Solomon!
“Your Majesty!” he cried. “What could have happened that you are sitting here like a
beggar?”
“I don’t know,” sighed Solomon. “Maybe I am being taught a lesson, although I’m not
sure what that lesson could be.”
“Well then,” smiled the store owner. “Tonight it would
be my honor to have you as my guest.”
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King Solomon eagerly followed the store owner to his mansion. As soon as they entered
the dining hall, servants brought in platters of meat, pitchers of wine, and bowls of
delicious fruits and vegetables.
“My only regret,” said the store owner, as he piled food on his plate, “is that this feast is
so small compared to the wonderful feasts you used to give. Aren’t you sad, my poor
king, to think you will never give such wonderful feasts again? It is so terrible that now
you will be poor and homeless the rest of your life!” The store owner went on and on like
this until Solomon’s throat was so choked with tears that he could hardly swallow. “I’m
not so hungry after all,” he murmured, and left the store owner’s house.
Vision for Conservative Early Childhood Programs: A Journey Guide
USCJ Department of Education
Maxine Handelman
Handelman@uscj.org
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