A most unusual gift
There were once three siblings who loved adventure. They made a pact for each one to go on a long adventure to a different part of the world where they would stay for ten years. But after ten years, they would return home, each bearing an unusual gift.
The oldest one traveled East. Way out East, the oldest came upon a marketplace where there w/jugglers, musicians, dancers, singers, fire eaters, and magicians. One magician had a Magic Glass through which all parts of the world could be seen. It just so happened that the owner owed a great deal of money, and reluctantly, sold his magic glass to the oldest sibling. The Oldest now had in hand a most unusual gift to bring back home.
Now the Middle sibling traveled West. Way out West was an open market selling all kinds of carpets, gold, glass, spices, silks, and wondrous things to eat. One merchant called, in a singsongy voice, “Come and buyyy my beautiful carpeeet!”
And what a pile of carpets it was! At the very bottom of a pile of carpets, something was moving. “What wondrous carpet is this? O my soul O my soul! What kind of carpet moves by itself?” The merchant motioned the Middle Sibing to come closer, “Buy this carpet, for it is a flying carpet! Wherever you want to go, you will find yourself there in a matter of moments!” And so after some bargaining, the Middle Sibing bought the flying carpet, a most unusual gift to bring back home.
Now the Youngest Sibling travelled south. Way down South, the Youngest came to a place known for its forests. Here and there were only trees, trees of every kind! But one tree was different than all the others. It was a pomegranate tree. So many stories are told about pomegranates. Do you know how many juice kernels are inside a pomegranate? Hundreds? What about 500, 600 ? What about 613! A story teller once counted them and testified that it was true. There were 613 kernels, 613 juicy pieces, just like there were 613 mitzvot in the Torah. What was unusual with this tree was that there were hundreds of blossoms, hundreds of flowers, but there was only one pomegranate fruit, hanging from a branch. The Youngest Sibling looked up at the gleaming crimson red pomegranate, on top of which rested King Solomon’s crown, and wondering, said “What sort of magic do you contain? I don’t know, but I will bring you back to my siblings when it is time to go home.
Ten years passed, and the three siblings finally travelled home. You can imagine how overjoyed they were to see each other. The Oldest Sibling said, “Let me look through my magic glass.” saw in a distant kingdom where the daughter of the King lay ill. The Oldest Sibling said, “Let us help her, O Middle Sibling with the flying carpet!” So they flew to that distant kingdom and when they arrived, they found the King grieving at his daughter’s side. The king said, “Alas, no doctor has been able to help her. Whoever saves my daughter will become part of our family and have half the kingdom besides!”
The Youngest Sibling heard a whisper: “The pomegranate, the pomegranate!” He stepped before the king and said, “O King, let me try to save your only daughter!” The Youngest Sibling, cut open that pomegranate, took out one juicy kernel after another, and fed them to the princess one by one. In just a few moments, the princess looked stronger, stood up, and was eventually fully restored to health. The King overjoyed to see daughter well again, turned to the Siblings and said again, “Whoever saved my daughter will be rewarded.”
The brothers began to argue.
The Oldest Sibling said: If it were not for my magic glass, we would never seen this distant kingdom. I deserve the reward.
The Middle Sibling said: If it were not for the flying carpet we would not have arrived in time. I deserve the reward.
The Youngest Sibling said: If it were not for the magic pomegranate, we could not have cured her.
The Siblings could not decide, so the King turned to his daughter and said “You are known for your wisdom, your grace. Tell me, whom do you think deserves a reward?”
She said “I must ask each of you a question.”
She asked “Oldest Sibling, has your gift changed in any way since you arrived in this kingdom?”
Oldest Sibling said, “No, my magic glass can still see all parts of the world.”
She asked “Middle Sibling, has your gift changed in any way since you arrived?”
Middle Sibling answered, “No, my flying carpet is the same. It can still fly anywhere you want to go in a matter of moments.”
She asked “Youngest Sibling, has your gift changed in any way since you arrived?”
Youngest Sibling answered “Yes, my pomegranate has changed. It is no longer whole because you ate it.”
So the daughter said “I choose you because you gave up something of your own.”
A lavish celebration was prepared for the daughter of the King and the Youngest Sibling who appointed Oldest Sibling and Middle Sibling as advisers to the throne and they all lived happily ever after.
Fun Facts:
The pomegranate is used in rabbinic stories as an example of a fruit that contains many seeds, but not necessarily 613.
The pomegranate is one of the seven species of Israel (along with wheat, barley, grapes, figs, olives, and dates) listed in the Torah in Parashat Eikev .
Pomegranates are a symbol of fertility and love in Jewish tradition, as in the Song of Songs 4:3:example “Your lips are like a crimson thread, your mouth is lovely. Your brow behind your veil [gleams] like a pomegranate split open.”(Israel Defense Forces/Flickr)
The decorative ornaments at the top of many Ashkenazi Torah scroll covers are often shaped like pomegranates and are called rimonim, the Hebrew word for pomegranate.
The pomegranate is often said to have 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 mitzvot (plural of mitzvah ) derived from the Bible. While this is not actually true, some say that this belief comes from a misinterpretation of a passage in the Masechet Berachot 4 which concludes that even “the empty ones among the Jews are full of mitzvot like a pomegranate is [full of seeds.]”
