Fables & Parables

Once upon a time there was a poor man who heard about a faraway land where diamonds were as plentiful as dust -- one need only bend down and fill one's pockets

Though motivated by an inner love and a sense of concern for the spiritual health of one's fellow, these rebukes often come in the form of a pricking needle

A King had an only son, the apple of his eye. The King wanted his son to master different fields of knowledge and to experience various cultures, so he sent him to a far-off country...

He was full of gratitude to the wagon driver, but his gratitude did not keep him warm. After a few minutes huddled between the barrels he was abruptly reminded that he was still freezing to death, and not being able to move didn't help any.

The commander of the Bavarian troops stepped forward, fell to one knee before the Emperor and said: "I ask for autonomy for Bavaria!" "Liberty it shall be!" shouted Bonaparte

Every week, the family cow tethered in my grandmother's yard received a special treat: the pan of water in which the Shabbat pots and dishes had been rinsed...

A donkey fell into a pit, and try as he might, his owner couldn't pull him out. Finally, the farmer decided that since the animal was old, and the pit needed to be covered up anyway, he'd just bury the old donkey right there...

First we drank a glass of wine. Then we ate a bit of parsley. Then they started talking, and talking, and talking. The smell of the food from the kitchen is making me insane, but they don't bring it out!

After a month of determined journeying, the elders of Obmah reached the deep caves of Igsirous, the last bastion of loyalty to King Avmal remaining in the kingdom...

Many dukes and princes wooed the princess, but she turned them down one after another. The king became impatient and swore that the next young man that would come to the gates of the palace would be her husband...

He built them a house and put straw on the benches and brought her tomatoes from the garden. He was so happy and she was devastated. But this was the situation

A rich man and a poor man came to see the king. The rich man got the "experience." The pauper saw the king

"Brothers and sisters!" the king roared. "We must each search our hearts and confess our sins, so we should know who is the cause of this calamity..."

They heard it before they saw it, an unearthly sound of crashing metal and a thousand charging bulls. And then, in a huge cloud of black smoke, it appeared...

One day, the Kaiser of Austria came to visit the Czar of Russia...

"Will I be able to do my job?" the Evil Side asked. "Will people really listen to me?"

Initially, the king and queen thought he was kidding. However, when the prince began to spend his days and nights in the chicken coop, his parents knew that serious trouble was afoot...

The doctor keeps on recounting his good deeds. The rabbi keeps on insisting that he does the exact same...

A king once had a prized jewel, the crown jewel in his magnificent diadem. But one morning, to his dismay, he discovered a single thin crack descending down its face.

Two souls meet midway between heaven and earth. "Nu, what can you tell me about the world I am about to enter?" asks the descending soul.