The Master's Trusted Servant

The Master's Trusted Servant

Baal HaSulam

 

This is a story

About a man, a trusted servant

Of a certain master,

Whom the master loved as himself.

One time,

The master went away,

Leaving his business in the hands of his substitute,

A man who hated the servant.

What did he do?

He took the servant

And whipped him five lashes

In public for all to see,

To degrade him and humiliate him.

 

When the master returned,

The servant approached him

And told him what had happened.

The master was infuriated.

He called for his substitute

And ordered him to immediately give the servant

One thousand coins for each whipping.

The servant took the money and returned to his home.

His wife found him weeping,

Anxiously she said:

"What happened between you and the master?"

He told her.

She asked, "So why are you crying?"

He replied, "I am crying because

He whipped me only five lashes.

I wish he had whipped me

At least ten lashes,

Since now I would have

Ten thousand coins."