Krakow, the cradle of Polish education and
tolerance, is home to a Jewish quarter called Kuzmir. Over three hundred years
ago, at the corner of two streets Izaaka and Jakuba a synagogue was built. It
was founded by Isaac Jacobovitsh, a descendant of one of the richest merchant
families in Poland at that time. He himself was the wealthiest Jewish merchant,
banker and owner of numerous houses and stalls in the 17th century
Krakow. However, the legend describes him as a poor person who came to wealth
after having found a treasure hidden in his garden.
A few centuries ago, in a Jewish quarter of Krakow
lived a pious Jew by the name of Eisik. He didn’t have much and yet was a very
grateful person praying to God day and night. He accepted his difficulty
humbly.
One peaceful night, he had a very strange dream. He
saw the most magnificent city with golden roofs and a stone bridge across a
foamy river. A voice in the dream told him, “Go to this Bohemian city, called
Prague, cross the bridge over the Veltava River. Once there you will hear some
good news, which will change your life forever.”
In the morning, when Reb Eisik woke up, he wasn’t sure
what to make out of his dream. It didn’t seem realistic to leave his wife and
children and venture on such long journey with little money he had.
However, after two more nights with the same dream,
Reb Eisik decided it was time to reveal it to his wife. “And how are you going to
get there? We have no spare money for such extravagance.”
“I will walk,” responded Eisik.
He packed a bundle with food, hung it on a stick,
and threw it over his right shoulder. After bidding his family farewell, he
left.
The long and exhausting wanderings, at last, brought
him to the city of his dreams. Seeing the golden roofs, he followed the sound
of the foaming river, where he saw the same stone bridge. With his heart
throbbing madly, he walked slowly over the bridge, admiring the Hradcany Castle
situated on a hill. Upon reaching the end of the bridge, he was expecting to
hear the voice any second. But the only thing he was hearing was the frothy
river hitting against the boulders.
With his sinking heart, he walked the bridge back
and forth. But he didn’t get discourage as he trusted in God’s power and day
after day he came back to the bridge. On the seventh day a man came up to him
and asked, “Why do you keep crossing the bridge? Are you looking for
something?”
Reb Eisik hesitated for a moment, but after seeing the
gentle face of the older man, he told him about the dream.
The man laughed and said, “I once had a dream of
some priceless treasure buried among the roots of an old pear-tree in Krakow,
in the garden of a Jew called Eisik.”
Upon hearing those words, Reb Eisik tried very hard to
suppress his smile. While telling about his dream, he didn’t tell the man where
he was from and what his name was.
After saying his goodbye, he swiftly made his way
back to Krakow. This time, the journey seemed less strenuous and much shorter,
as the good news gave Eisik a lot of strength.
Upon his return home, Reb Eisik went straight to his
garden and dug under the pear-tree. His wife seeing him as poor as he was
before he left and now digging under an old tree was not sure if he was still
of sound mind.
Nevertheless, it didn’t take long, when his spade
made noise, such as hitting against a stone. He quickly removed the soil with
his hands unveiling a huge metal coffer. He lifted its heavy lid and found a
glistening treasure. All this gold and precious jewels made him the richest man
in Krakow.
To thank God for his good fortunes, Reb Eisik erected a
synagogue in his district, which was named after him and still can be viewed in
Kuzmir.
Source: The Jews of Poland in Tale and Legend by Ewa
Basiura
Note: Similar story, Kaatje’s Treasure (April post),
is of an old woman having the same dream and traveling to Amsterdam, where an
old man laughs at her dream and tells her his, which reveals treasure in her
garden.
No comments:
Post a Comment