Once it happened that the holy sage Rabbi Adam, who had powers equal to those of the greatest sorcerer, looked into his magic mirror and saw a faraway kingdom where evil ministers were going to pressure its king to sign a wicked decree against the Jews that very day. The decree had already been written, and all that remained was to have the king sign it and affix his royal seal. Then Rabbi Adam, who had at his command many great powers, took down a bottle of ink from the shelf and poured a small amount into the palm of his hand, forming a mirror. After this he unfolded from a prayer book the paper on which he had written the Name of God. And at that moment every shadow and every echo disappeared, and everything became bright. And when he looked into the mirror, he saw the room in which the evil ministers were meeting with the king at that very moment, and with his eyes fixed on that scene, Rabbi Adam pronounced the secret and Ineffable Name.
A moment later Rabbi Adam appeared before the king and his ministers, a most dignified visitor. All were greatly surprised, and could not imagine how he could have entered the palace, especially since the ministers had left strict orders that no one was to be admitted to the king but themselves. So great was their wonderment that they were speechless, and did not think to object when Rabbi Adam said: I must have a word with the king. Instead, they all moved aside to let him pass, and he accompanied the king outside that room into the palace garden.
Now the king was very curious to know what it was that the old man wanted to see him about, but Rabbi Adam refused to say anything until they reached the well. There he motioned for the king to look down, and when he did, the king saw on the surface of the water an image of a ship standing ready to sail. The king could not understand how such an image was possible in a well, and he raised his eyes to ask Rabbi Adam about this. But when he did, the king found that he was standing on a dock before the very ship he had just seen reflected in the well. The king was dumbstruck, and whirled around to look for the palace, but it was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a vast wilderness behind him. The king's heart sank when he saw this, and he grew very afraid. Just then he saw that the ship was about to cast off, and he ran to board it as fast as he could, and reached it only a moment before it set sail.
The king sailed on that ship for several weeks, but he was unable to speak with any of the passengers, for he did not know their language. At last the ship arrived in the port of a beautiful city, and all of the passengers disembarked, and so too did the king. He wandered from street to street, observing the city with fascination, amazed by the beauty of the place. Now and then he would approach a passerby and ask him for the name of the city, but in vain, for no one understood him.
After he had walked for some time, the king reached an inn and realized that he desired to refresh himself. But when he entered the inn and tried to speak to the innkeeper, he found that no one spoke his language. Unable to make himself understood, the king left the inn hungry and disappointed, and wandered around the streets and markets. What shall I do? the king thought. I shall die of hunger if I do not find anyone to whom I can speak. Then he saw a boy in the street, and tried to explain his situation to him, but again they were not able to communicate.
Suddenly the king saw someone he thought he recognized.
It was a Jewish musician who had once tutored his daughter, the princess, in the playing of musical instruments. He will surely help me, the king thought, greatly relieved at having found someone he knew. And the musician did recognize the king at once, although he was amazed to find him there, especially since that country and the king's were at war. He greeted the king, and asked him how he had come to be there. And then, speaking in a rush of words, the king told the musician what had happened to him, and begged him for something to eat. The musician took the king to his home, and saw to it that he received a fine meal.
After that he invited the king to stay in his house, for there was nowhere else for him to go. At first the king thought that he would set sail immediately for his own kingdom, but when he discovered that the country he was in was at war with his own, and that no ships were allowed to sail there, he was terrified. For he knew that if his true identity were known to the authorities in this kingdom, his life would be in extreme danger.
Now the king was not a foolish man, and when he realized that the war could last for many years, he understood that he must try to make a new home in this kingdom, and that he must also keep his identity hidden. In order not to attract attention to himself, he decided to dress as a Jew, and to learn Jewish customs and beliefs.
Days passed, and the king was surprised to discover that he greatly enjoyed his study of the Torah and the other sacred texts.
He decided eventually that he wanted to become a Jew, and had himself circumcised. The family of the musician was very proud of him, and prepared a festive meal in his honor. So it was that the king continued his diligent studies until he acquired a vast knowledge of the Torah, and before long his great knowledge became recognized, and he was numbered among the finest Jewish scholars. Many important men desired him for a son-in-law, and he finally married the daughter of a wealthy man. He became the father of three sons, whom he raised in the spirit of the Torah and dearly loved.
Seven years passed, and then it happened that the princess of this kingdom became very sick, and none of the doctors in the land were able to cure her. In desperation her father, the king, commanded the Jews to find a way to save her, or else they would all lose their lives. The Jews turned to their wisest men for help, and when they met to discuss what could be done, the exiled king offered to try to heal the princess, although he did not know how.
He left for the palace, and when he arrived he was taken before the king of that kingdom, who warned him again that if he failed to cure her, he and all the rest of the Jews would be doomed. Then he was taken to the room of the princess. There he examined her and found she had an abscess that had formed in her throat, which was slowly choking her to death. And when he saw this, he grew greatly afraid, for he did not know what to do next. But as always, since he had become a Jew, he put his faith in God, and he decided to pray. So he put on his tallit and tefillin, and stood in a corner and prayed for God's help.
Now the princess had never before seen anyone dressed that way, and she thought it was very funny. She began to laugh, and she laughed so hard that the swelling in her throat broke open and her life was saved. And when her father, the king, found out that this had happened, he was overjoyed, and he told the Jew that he could name his reward. So it was that the exiled king had two requests. First, he asked that the king sign a decree promising the Jews protection during all the rest of his reign; and second, he asked for a ship for himself and his family, stocked with provisions, on which they could set sail. The princess's father gladly agreed to these requests, and signed the decree at once and had it announced in public.
Not long afterward the exiled king and his new family took leave of all their fellow Jews and set sail on a voyage for the kingdom he had left behind. For he had long ago revealed to his family his true identity, and they had agreed to accompany him on the voyage there, so that he could resume his life as king. But after they had sailed for three weeks a great storm arose, and the ship sank. Everyone was drowned except for the king, who swam toward a distant shore. He swam for hours, and finally arrived exhausted at an island. There he threw himself upon the ground and began to weep over the loss of his family.
As he lay there weeping, the king suddenly heard a voice above him. Looking up, he found himself in his palace garden, beside the well. Next to him stood Rabbi Adam, who said: It is time for you to return to the palace, O king. Your ministers have been waiting for you for more than two hours. When he heard this and saw where he was, the king was greatly confused, for he could understand neither how he had gotten there, nor what the old man was talking about. He knew that he had not been gone two hours, but more than seven years, and just now he had lost the family that he had so loved.
Then the king stood up and hurried into the palace, where he found his ministers all together, as he had left them so long ago. He began to tell them all that had happened to him, but they stood there dumbfounded, with looks of confusion on their faces. At last one of them found the courage to speak, and said:
But just two hours ago Your Majesty left the palace with the old man, and walked into the garden. What has happened to cause you to lose all sense of time and imagine that seven years have passed? And the king was at a loss for words, for he did not understand what had occurred.
Then the king looked up and saw that Rabbi Adam was still standing in the garden. He rushed outside and came to him and said: If you can explain what has happened, please tell me at once, for my life has been turned upside down. Then Rabbi Adam said: It is true that you were away from the palace for only two hours. Everything that happened to you was a vision I showed you, so that you would understand the full implications of the wicked decree against the Jews that you were about to sign. When the king heard this, he was seized with fear and trembling, and he understood that the vision had showed him the true ways of the Jews, which were not at all like what the evil ministers had told him. And although the experiences of the seven years were still vivid in his mind, and his love and admiration of the Jews unchanged, he found that he had forgotten all of his knowledge of the Torah.
Then the king returned to the palace and commanded that the evil ministers all be arrested. And when this was done he signed a decree promising to protect the Jews during all of his reign, and gave it to Rabbi Adam. And after that the king sought out new ministers from among the Jews, and the lives of the Jews of that kingdom flourished, and they lived in peace.