The Son of A Rich
Man
in the Basement
Baal Hasulam
A rich man had a young son.
One day, the rich man had to
travel
far away for many years.
The rich man feared that his son
would waste his wealth by poor
judgment,
so he exchanged his properties
for gemstones, jewels, and gold
And built a cellar deep
in the ground,
where he hid all the gold,
the gemstones, and the jewels,
and he also put his son in there.
He summoned his loyal servants
and ordered them to keep his son
from leaving the cellar
until his twentieth birthday.
Each day they were to bring down
to him
every food and drink,
but absolutely no fire or
candles.
They were also
to check the walls
and seal every crevice
so that no sunlight would
penetrate.
For his health,
they were to take him out of the
cellar
each day for one hour
and walk him through the city,
but carefully watching
that he doesn’t run away.
On his twentieth birthday,
they were to give him candles,
open a window for him,
and let him out.
Naturally, the son’s affliction
was intolerable,
especially when he would walk
outside
and see all the boys
eating and drinking merrily
on the street,
without any guards or fixed hours
while he was imprisoned
with few moments of light.
And if he tried to run,
he would be beaten mercilessly.
But he was most upset
when he heard
that his own father had caused
him
this affliction,
for they were his father’s
servants,
executing his father’s orders.
Naturally, he deemed his father
the cruelest of all the cruel
that ever lived,
for who has heard of such a
thing?
On his twentieth birthday,
the servants lowered down to him
a candle,
as his father had commanded.
The boy took the candle
and began to look around.
And lo and behold,
what did he see?
Sacks filled with gold
and every royal delight.
Only then did he understand
that his father is truly
merciful,
and that all his trouble
was only for his own good.
He immediately understood
that the servants would certainly
let him out of the cellar,
and so he did.
He came out of the cellar,
and there was no guarding,
no cruel servants.
Instead, he is a noble man,
wealthier than the wealthiest
people in the land.
But in truth, there is nothing
new here,
for it becomes revealed
that he was so very wealthy to
begin with,
but in his perception he was poor
and destitute,
oppressed in the pit all his
days.
Now, in a single moment,
he has gained tremendous riches
and rose from the deep pit
to the top of the roof.
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