Teaching Tales from the Sufi & Hasidic Traditions
by Michael Berman
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Some of us develop the art of lying to such an extent that we eventually end up not only deceiving others but ourselves as well. That’s perhaps what the following tale is all about:

Free Bread

The Mullah's wife sent him to buy some bread. When the Mullah arrived at the bread shop he saw a long line waiting to buy bread. He thought he would do something to get in front of the line. He shouted, "People, don't you know the Sultan's daughter is getting married tonight and he is giving away free bread?" The multitude ran toward the palace as the Sultan was generous to a fault and loved his daughter more than anyone. The Mullah was now in front of the line and was about to buy his bread when he thought to himself, "Mullah, you are truly a fool. All the citizen's are getting free bread tonight and I am about to pay for it. So he ran to the palace and when he got there was thoroughly beaten by the disappointed people.  

They say that God works in mysterious ways and the following tale reinforces that message:

Who knows

Many years ago a wise peasant lived in China. He had a son who was the gleam in his eyes and a white stallion that was his favourite belonging. One day his horse escaped from his grounds and disappeared into the fields outside the village. The villagers came to him one by one and announced their condolences. They said, "You are such an unlucky man. It is so bad." The peasant answered, "Who knows. Maybe it's bad, maybe it's good." The populous left. The next day the stallion returned followed by twelve wild horses. The same people returned and told our wise man about how lucky he was. "It's so good." He replied once more, "Who knows. Maybe it's good, maybe it's bad." As it happens, the next day his one and only son was attempting to break in one of the wild horses when the horse fell down and broke his leg. Once more everyone came to condole him. They said, "It's so bad." Again he replied, "Who knows. Maybe it's bad, maybe it's good." Three days passed and his poor son was limping around the village with his broken leg, when the emperor's army entered the village announcing that a war was starting and they conscripted all the young men of the village. However, they left the son since he had a broken leg. Once more, everyone was so jealous of our man. They surrounded him talking about his amazing luck. "It is so good for you," they said. He answered all thus, "Who knows. Maybe it's good, maybe it's bad."

Nasrudin Hodja is perhaps Islam's best-known trickster. His legendary wit and trickery were possibly based on the exploits and words of a historical imam. Nasrudin was reputedly born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he is called. Hodja is a title meaning teacher or scholar.

An element of truth can be found in every assertion ever made so nothing should ever be dismissed out of hand. The following Nasrudin tale can be used to illustrate this:

Everyone Is Right

Once when Nasrudin Hodja was serving as a magistrate, one of his neighbours came to him with a complaint against a fellow neighbour.

Nasrudin listened to the charges carefully, then concluded, "Yes, dear neighbour, you’re quite right." Then the other neighbour came to him. The magistrate listened to his defence carefully, then concluded, "Yes, dear neighbour, you’re quite right." Nasrudin's wife, having listened in on the entire proceedings, said to him, "Husband, both men cannot be right." The magistrate answered, "Yes, dear wife, you’re quite right."

One of my problems is that I can never remember the names of people I don’t like, which is probably why the next tale appeals to me:

The Wife's Name

Nasrudin Hodja and a friend were discussing their wives, when it occurred to the friend that Nasrudin had never mentioned his wife's name. "What is your wife's name?" he asked. "I do not know her name," admitted the Hodja. "What?" asked the friend in disbelief. "How long have you been married?" "Twenty years," answered the Hodja, then added, "At first I did not think that the marriage would last, so I did not take the effort to learn my bride's name."

Fine theories are all very well but they are not going to sustain you in the way that food and drink will. Our survival ultimately depends on more practical considerations as can be seen from the following tale that concludes this section:

The Recipe

The Hodja purchased a piece of meat at the market, and on his way home he met a friend. Seeing the Hodja's purchase, the friend told him an excellent recipe for stew. "I'll forget it for sure," said the Hodja. "Write it on a piece of paper for me." The friend obliged him, and the Hodja continued on his way, the piece of meat in one hand and the recipe in the other. He had not walked far when suddenly a large hawk swooped down from the sky, snatched the meat, and flew away with it. "It will do you no good!" shouted the Hodja after the disappearing hawk. "I still have the recipe!"

Biodata

Michael Berman BA, MPhil, PhD (Alternative Medicines) works part-time as a teacher at Oxford House College in London.

Publications include A MultipleIntelligences Road to an ELT Classroom and The Power of Metaphor for Crown House Publishing, and The Nature of Shamanism for Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Books due to be published in 2008 include Soul Loss and the Shamanic Story by Cambridge Scholars Publishing and a resource book on Storytelling by Kestrel. Michael has been involved in TESOL for thirty five years and has given presentations at Conferences in more than twenty countries. Contact: Michaelberman@blueyonder.co.uk Website: http://www.Thestoryteller.co.uk

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