By Cantor Emma Lutz
This week, I share with you one of my favorite stories from our aggadah, the legends of our rabbis…
There once was a prince who thought he was a rooster. His father and mother, the king and queen, were devastated when the prince entered the banquet hall one evening and announced, “I am no longer a prince, but a rooster!” and retreated beneath the dinner table, squawking like a rooster and picking up crumbs from the banquet hall floor. He refused to wear clothes, speak in human language, or eat with utensils.
For weeks and weeks, the king and queen tried with no success to convince their son that indeed he was not a rooster but a great prince! They called upon their community members to help, but no one could convince the prince that he was actually not a rooster. Finally, the king and queen called upon their trusted rabbi for advice.
The rabbi arrived to the banquet hall, crawled underneath the table, and perched next to the prince who thought he was a rooster. He clucked alongside the young rooster-prince, and they pecked at crumbs on the floor in unison. “I see that you want to be a rooster” the rabbi said, “but you know that you can still be a rooster and wear clothes.” “I can?” the young prince replied, and the rabbi nodded. So the prince donned his princely robes once again. The rabbi told the rooster-prince that he could also remain a rooster and speak in human language, so he began to speak again. Finally, the rabbi said that he could still be a rooster even if he ate with utensils, so he sat up at the table alongside his family and community and proceeded to eat with a fork and knife.
The prince ate like a human, spoke like a human, and dressed like a human, but even with this outward appearance, he knew forever in his heart, that he was still a rooster.
How might we meet each other exactly where we are at in our lives, spiritually and emotionally? How might we connect with a loved one when they are feeling misunderstood? How can we support our children as they develop their own Jewish identity? How do we make compromises and bend for the people we love without compromising our own sense of self?
Shabbat Shalom!
