33. How Rashi Was Saved : p. 196 33. HOW RASHI WAS SAVED "AND SO, my dear Brethren of Prague, I want to tell you that the Jews are getting on very nicely in France. They are not as rich as our Spanish brethren, nor are they allowed to take part in the government as the Jews of Spain are, but they keep on studying the Bible...
8. Torah On One Foot : p. 44 8. TORAH ON ONE FOOT AT another time the heathens wanted to make fun of the Torah, and of the rabbis. They asked one another: "Are all rabbis as kind as, Hillel? Are all Jewish teachers as good as Hillel? Are all rabbis as patient as Hillel?" So one of them said: "I shall go and find out."...
35. Flying From The Roofs : p. 206 35. FLYING FROM THE ROOFS "JEWS of Asia, hear ye! How long will you agree to be trodden under the heel of the Mohammedans? The Jewish people must do something real, something worth while. We can do that only in our own country, Palestine. So join yourselves with me in this great undertaking...
21. The Law Is Kind : p. 114 21. THE LAW IS KIND "O DEAR me, I've done it again! Again I have poured the milk into that "fleischig" (meat) pot. (You know that many Jews keep their meat dishes separate from their milk dishes.) Since Aaron has become sick, I have simply lost my head. I don't seem to remember anything. I...
11. Enough For Wash Day : p. 62 11. ENOUGH FOR WASH DAY HUNDREDS and hundreds of Roman soldiers guarded the walls of Jerusalem so that no one might go in or come out of the city. What do you think would happen to the people of Jerusalem? Their food couldn't last forever. Neither could their water, for they had no running...
6. School On The Roof : p. 35 6. SCHOOL ON THE ROOF LITTLE by little the Jews began to build schools. These schools were not only for little children, but for big men, with children of their own. I see one of these men, Hillel, at work now. Whack! Whack! Whack! goes his ax on the wood. "Hard work, this chopping," says...
34. The Fourth Horse : p. 201 34. THE FOURTH HORSE "GODFREY of Bouillon has ordered you to come before him," the soldiers of Godfrey commanded. But Rashi refused to go. So the soldiers returned and reported this to Godfrey. Godfrey was greatly upset by this, but nevertheless he thought: "I guess that little rabbi is...
23. A Gift To The Caliph : p. 126 23. A GIFT TO THE CALIPH IT WAS a very hot day in Spain. Hasdai, dressed in expensive silks, a turban on his head, sat in the court of the Caliph. He was receiving ambassadors from countries far, far away. Though Hasdai was a Jew, he held a very high position in the government. He was just...
36. The Messiah Is Coming : p. 212 36. THE MESSIAH IS COMING THE Jews were being driven from country to country. In no land were they welcome. In no land could they feel safe. Because of this, many Jews began to hope and yearn for a redeemer to take them out of their trouble. Many longed for this redeemer so much that they...
14. The Wicked Neighbor : p. 76 14. THE WICKED NEIGHBOR MOST of the rabbis were very poor. But the poorest of all was Haninah ben Dosah. Even on Friday, his wife had nothing to cook and nothing to bake. You know how busy your mother is on Friday. You know what good odors come out of the kitchen. You can smell the freshly...
27. In The East Is My Heart : p. 153 27. IN THE EAST IS MY HEART "LET'S play school and I will be teacher," said Miriam, a dark-haired little girl. "No, no, play making bricks in Egypt." "Oh, I don't want to think of the Jews in Egypt." "Better play 'Going to Jerusalem,'" said Judah, a little boy of ten. "Don't you ever get...
4. Fight For Right : p. 22 4. FIGHT FOR RIGHT "HE HIT me, he hit me," cried Simon, a little boy with light-brown hair and black eyes. His father, the high priest, came out of the house and looking straight into Simon's eyes asked, "Are you sure that you didn't hit him first?" "No, no, father," sobbed Simon. "I never...
38. Whither Now : p. 222 38. WHITHER--NOW? "Granada" has fallen Gone are the Moors-- Gone are these infidels Why not the Jews?" So chanted the crowds as Ferdinand and Isabella marched victoriously into Granada. Banners were waving; bells were ringing; people were shouting: "Down with the Moors! Down with the Jews!"...
19. Ki Tov Twas Good : p. 105 19. KI-TOV--TWAS GOOD "TODAY, I will tell you about Ki-Tov or Twas Good,"' Rabbi Meir said, as the children were gathering round him. "Some time ago I stopped at a little inn in a country town. At night I heard the innkeeper call: "'Get up, get up. Whoever will come now, I will take on my...
26. The Wondrous Tree : p. 144 26. THE WONDROUS TREE "VERY warm night again, isn't it?" remarked the Arabian poet. "Yes, very warm indeed," smilingly answered the Jewish shopkeeper to whom the remark had been made, "but a poet shouldn't mind warm nights. The warm nights in Spain are so beautiful-they make it easier...
37. So This Is Your Answer : p. 216 37. SO THIS IS YOUR ANSWER IN ONE of the crowded streets of the city of Worms a priest was speaking to a large gathering of people. All were listening with great interest when suddenly a child called to his mother: "Look, Mother, look at that man walking towards the priest. How dusty...
18. The Guardians Of The Torah : p. 99 18. THE GUARDIANS OF THE TORAH RABBI MEIR was very, very bright. So bright was he, that they called him "Light." (You know "Meir" in Hebrew means "giver of light.") Meir made everything clear to his big pupils, and he made his little pupils bright and happy. Meir liked little children even...
12. The Temple In Ruins : p. 65 12. THE TEMPLE IN RUINS WHEN Johanan returned to Jerusalem a few weeks after his remarkable escape from the city, he found the Jews still holding out bravely against the Romans. As he came close to the walls of the city, he heard these cries: "Pour it down." "First see whether it is hot...
5. Walking Between Raindrops : p. 30 5. WALKING BETWEEN RAINDROPS AT THE time of Rabbi Simon ben Shetach, there lived eighty witches in a cave. "That must not be," said Rabbi Simon. "Eighty women just wasting away their time." One day when the rain was pouring down in torrents, Simon gathered eighty tall young men. To each m...
24. The Choice : p. 131 24. THE CHOICE ONCE there lived in Russia a very fierce race of people, called Kazars. They were very warlike all the time. So their kings went from country to country fighting with the people. All the nations feared them. These rough people hardly had any religion at all, but on their...
Editor's Introduction : p. vi EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION The Great March represents a selection of Jewish stories for little children covering the period beginning with the Destruction of the First Temple and ending with the expulsion from Spain. As the book is intended to meet the needs of children in Grades Three or Four...
1. The Happy Return : p. 1 1. THE HAPPY RETURN Clish, clash, clash! Troot, toot, too! Tra, la, la, la! Boom, boom, boom! LISTEN to those noises! Do you hear the clash of the swords; and the thump, thump, thump, of the marching soldiers? And oh! that crying and moaning and wailing! The Temple, that beautiful building...
20. As Faithful As That : p. 109 20. AS FAITHFUL AS THAT "Who knows one, Who knows one? One is Allah; One is Allah " DO YOU hear that nasal, sing-song tune? Do you see that man wrapped in a brown abaye (gown)? And do you see his tan turban wound round his head? That man is an Arab of long ago. He is praying in one of those...
29. The Doctor Arrives : p. 169 29. THE DOCTOR ARRIVES "THE doctor is here! The doctor is here!" This was the cry that went ringing through the hall. Jews, Christians, Mohammedans, judges, bailiffs, common people, all were filled with great excitement. They had been waiting since the early morning. It was now late...
32. Not For His Crown : p. 191 32. NOT FOR HIS CROWN RASHI'S father lived in a small town in France, near the sea. He was very poor, and he had to work very hard, loading and unloading the boats. One day as he was walking near the harbor, he thought he saw something very bright in the dirty sand. He stopped, and sure...
3. Follow Me : p. 18 3. FOLLOW ME AFTER many wars, Antiochus became king of Palestine. Now of all cruel kings he was the most cruel. He wanted all of his subjects to worship one god, the Greek god, Zeus. Troops were sent out all over his kingdom and the people were forced to worship Zeus. They did so because...
31. The Rabbi Wins : p. 184 310. THE RABBI WINS "IN THE name of the Lord of Hosts,--I come, I come in the name of the Lord of Hosts!" This was the cry of Pablo Christiani as he went through Spain, from city to city. Pablo was a Jew who had become a Christian. And now he wanted all the Jews to do the same. But try...
9. Two Who Were Wrong : p. 47 9. TWO WHO WERE WRONG ONCE there lived in Jerusalem a very rich man. He had a good friend whose name was Kamza. But he also had an enemy who was called Bar Kamza. One day this rich man decided to give a big feast to all his friends. He sent his servant to invite Kamza. But the servant got...
16. The Cock, The Donkey, And The Candle : p. 88 16. THE COCK, THE DONKEY, AND THE CANDLE Cock-a-doodle-doo. Cock-a-doodle-doo. DID you hear that cock crow? That was Akiba's cock. Do you wonder why Akiba carried a cock with him wherever he went? Well, Akiba had no clock, and surely no alarm clock. So whenever the cock crowed, Akiba knew it...
Untitled : This is a collection of Post-Biblical Jewish stories, written for 3rd to 4th graders. However, this book is also thoroughly enjoyable for adults, not the least because of the finely-drawn illustrations. The anecdotes include sublime Talmudic humor, tales of resistance to injustice and persecuti...
10. The School That Saved A People : p. 52 10. THE SCHOOL THAT SAVED A PEOPLE I RABBI Johanan ben Zakkai saw that the end of Jerusalem was near. Every day he walked up and down in his room. His forehead was wrinkled with worry. He was not only worrying; he was thinking very hard. Finally he exclaimed: "I have it. I know what I shall...
22. Even Though I Lose : p. 122 22. EVEN THOUGH I LOSE IN THE DAYS of Saadiah Gaon, a rich man lived in Babylonia. This rich man had two sons, whose names were Uri and Naphtali. One day the rich man died suddenly, and left no will. Who would now get all the money that the rich man had left? Would it be Uri or Naphtali...
15. The Shepherd Rabbi : p. 80 15. THE SHEPHERD RABBI "IT'S so cool here. Let us sit down and rest," said Akiba, a tall, dark youth. He and Rachel, the daughter of the rich landowner, Kalba Seabua, were walking along the banks of a brook. They were very happy together. Everything seemed beautiful to them. Rachel, too...
2. With Peace They Conquer : p. 10 2. WITH PEACE THEY CONQUER WHILE the Jews were busy rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem, other nations were busy building temples and palaces of their own. One of the nations which had greatly influenced the Jewish people was Macedonia, a country far, far away. Many years after the Jewish...
17. Fish Out Of Water : p. 94 17. FISH OUT OF WATER DAY after day, Akiba studied the Torah. Day after day, many pupils came to listen to the great Rabbi Akiba. Akiba's school soon became a large public assembly. Meanwhile, the Romans were becoming more and more cruel to the Jews. Jerusalem had been taken from them...
Title Page : p. i THE GREAT MARCH POST-BIBLICAL JEWISH STORIES BOOK I BY ROSE G. LURIE ILLUSTRATIONS BY TODROS GELLER THE UNION OF AMERICAN HEBREW CONGREGATIONS NEW YORK [1931. Copyright Not Renewed] Scanned , July 2004. John Bruno Hare, Redactor. This Text Is In The Public Domain In The United States Because...
30. Tables Turned : p. 175 30. TABLES TURNED SALADIN, the Caliph of Egypt, came to like Moses Maimonides, the philosopher and physician, very much. Indeed, so much did the Caliph think of him that he told Moses all the secrets of the court. Therefore, all the courtiers became very jealous of Moses. Now there was one...
Note To Fourteenth Printing, Revised : p. viii NOTE TO FOURTEENTH PRINTING, REVISED The response throughout the country to both volumes of "The Great March" has been such as to justify our issuing a revised edition on the occasion of the fourteenth printing of this volume. We took occasion to make some necessary changes. We also felt...
13. A B C At Twenty Two : p. 69 13. A B C AT TWENTY-TWO "ROCKS, rocks, and again rocks," said Eliezer ben Hyrcanus to himself. "It certainly is very hard to plow here. Besides, I don't like to plow; I don't want to plow. I don't want to plow here or anywhere else, even if the ground were smooth and level. Oh, I do wish...
25. The Slave Rabbi : p. 137 25. THE SLAVE RABBI THERE were once two great Jewish colleges in Sura and Pumpeditha, famous cities in Babylonia. It was in one of these colleges that Saadiah was Gaon. When people had a quarrel and could not make peace, where do. you think they went? To Babylonia. For, this great college...
7. The Bet : p. 40 7. THE BET HILLEL was so kind and good-natured and, above all, so patient, that even those who were not Jews heard about his good qualities. One day a heathen said to a Jew: "I'll bet you four hundred dinar that I can get Hillel angry." "All right, let's see," said the Jew. So the heathen...
28. An Angel Did It : p. 160 28. AN ANGEL DID IT "IT'S hard to make a living in Spain. I think I'll try another country." So spoke Abraham Ibn Ezra to his mother. "But," he added, with a smile, "it seems I simply haven't any luck. If I were to begin to make shrouds, I'm sure men would stop dying, or if I were to make...