Many years ago while living in Jerusalem, my friend and teacher Ozer Bergman gave me the book Under the Table and How to Get Up: Jewish Pathways of Spiritual Growth by Avraham Greenbaum. It begins with the following story which I will offer tonight at our worship service to help us prepare for the Holy Days.
The Story of the Turkey-Prince
Once the king's son went mad. He thought he was a turkey. he felt compelled to sit under the table without any clothes on, pulling at bits of bread and bones like a turkey. None of the doctors could do anything to help him or cure him, and they gave up in despair. The king was very sad...
Until a wise Man came and said, "I can cure him." What did the Wise Man do? He took off all his clothes, and sat down under the table next to the king's son, and also pulled at crumbs and bones. The Prince asked him, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"And what are you doing here?" he replied.
"I am a turkey," said the Prince,
"Well I'm also a turkey," said the Wise Man.
The two of them sat there together like this for some time, until they were used to one another.
Then the Wise Man gave a sign, and they threw them shirts. The Wise Man-Turkey said to the king's son,
"Do you think a turkey can't wear a shirt? You can wear a shirt and still be a turkey." The two of them put on shirts.
After a while he gave another sign and they threw them some trousers. Again the Wise Man said, "Do you think if you wear trousers you can't be a turkey?" They put on the trousers.
One by one they put on the rest of their clothes in the same way.
Afterwards, the Wise Man gave a sign and they put down human food from the table. The Wise Man said to the Prince, "Do you think if you eat good food you can't be a turkey any more? You can eat this food and still be a turkey." They ate.
Then he said to him, "Do you think a turkey has to sit under the table? You can be a turkey and sit up at the table."
This was how the Wise Man dealt with the Prince, until in the end he cured him completely.
(Rebbe Nachman of Bratslov)
Avraham Greenbaum concludes:
"The moral of the tale of the Turkey-Prince is that you can succeed, and the story shows you how.
All of us have two sides to us--the Prince or Princess and the turkey. The Prince is the higher self, or soul--the child of God, which we all are. The Prince is the potential self, the person we can be if we learn the right way to nurture ourselves and grow....The Turkey is the lower self, the side that is averse to sacrifice, hard work and effort....The Turkey side makes it harder to be the Prince or Princess we should be--and the reward for succeeding is therefore greater." (pg 1)
We all live in both realities--our true self and the self that covers up our true inner-beauty. In this period of soul-searching and returning, May we turn inward and notice both God-given realities, may the prince and princess within us shine brightly and allow us to stand tall, with courage and strength so that we might indeed get up from under the table.
May this Shabbos of Elul bring joy, peace and an additional measure of wholeness to us, Israel and all the world.
Shabbat Shalom.
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