Alexander and the King of a Faraway Land1
Conquerors Make Bad Judges
(From the Talmud [Tamid 32b])
ALEXANDER OF MACEDONIA visited a king in a faraway land. Wishing to impress his visitor, the king escorted him through a large storehouse filled with gold and silver.
“I came to observe your customs, not your wealth,” Alexander told his host.
As they were talking, two men approached to have the king settle a dispute.
One man said, “I purchased a property of a ruin from my fellow here. While I was digging it out, I came across buried treasure.”
“I told him, ‘The treasure belongs to you. After all, I bought the land, not what was hidden beneath it.’ But he refused to accept the treasure.”
The second man cried, “I, too, fear being accused of robbery. I sold the property, which included all its contents and all rights of ownership from the very bowels of the earth to the height of Heaven.”
“Tell us, our king,” asked the first man, “what shall be done?”
After reflecting a moment, the king asked the first man if he had a son.
“Yes,” the man replied.
The king turned to the second man and asked if he had a daughter.
“I do,” was the response.
“Very well,” the king concluded. “Simply allow your son and your daughter to be married, and give them the treasure. This way, they will live happily ever after.”
The two men departed, and Alexander stood speechless.
The king asked, “Why are you so amazed? Do you disagree with my judgment?”
“Yes,” Alexander answered.
“Then what would you have done had you been presented this situation in your land?” asked the king.
“In Greece,” said Alexander, “I would have executed both men and taken the treasure for myself.”
Upset by this reply, the king said, “If the sun shines and the rain falls in your country, it cannot be due to your merit. In fact, may the spirit of your soul be blasted out of you!” He dismissed Alexander and ordered him to leave his land.
Endnotes
1 Rabbi Bradley R. Bleefeld and Robert L. Shook, Saving the World Entire and 100 Other Beloved Parables from the Talmud (New York: Plume Books, 1998), 181. ⇑
