Dr. Avrohom

Once upon a time, there lived a man whose name was Reb Yankel. Reb Yankel had a wife named Sarah.

Reb Yankel and Sarah were married for many years but had no children. That made them feel sad.

To cheer themselves up, Reb Yankel and Sarah would help the boys in the yeshiva. If there was a boy who needed clothes, they would provide it for him. They would also buy new clothes for some boys before Yom Tov.

Many times, Reb Yankel and Sarah helped the boys’ families by providing them with food and money. They wanted to make sure that the families were okay and did not have to worry about such things.

The malochim saw all the mitzvos that Reb Yankel and Sarah were doing. Soon they “accumulated” many “points.”

The malochim thought that Reb Yankel and his wife should be rewarded. It was decided in Shomayim that Reb Yankel and Sarah were going to have a baby!

Soon, Reb Yankel and Sarah were proud parents of a baby boy. They made a sholom zochor, and after eight days, a bris. They named their baby Avrohom.

Avrohom grew up and learnt how to walk and talk. When he was three years old, he had his Upshernish.

At that time, Avrohom began attending cheder. His parents were so proud of him. Reb Yankel was so happy, that he did not even want to let Avrohom walk to cheder with the rest of the boys. He wanted to take him himself.

They also did not want Avrohom to get in trouble or hurt himself when he was on his way to cheder.

Every day, Reb Yankel would carry Avrohom on his shoulders, and bring him to the cheder. At the end of the day, Reb Yankel would also take Avrohom home on his shoulders.

As Avrohom got older, it became difficult for Reb Yankel to take him to cheder every day. Still, Reb Yankel would always take Avrohom to cheder—there and back.

Avrohom was getting even older, and he said to his father, “Tatty, you don’t need to take me to cheder every day. I can go by myself.” Still, Reb Yankel refused.

Soon Avrohom was about seven years old. One morning, he told his parents, Reb Yankel and Sarah, “Today I would like to walk with the rest of the boys to yeshiva. It’s not so far away. Can I go?”

Finally, Reb Yankel and Sarah allowed Avrohom go to yeshiva with the rest of boys. “But be careful,” they said. “Do not talk to strangers!”

So, Reb Yankel would no longer take Avrohom to yeshiva every day. He would go by himself.

One day, the group of boys had gone to yeshiva early, so Avrohom had to walk by himself.

As Avrohom was walking to yeshiva, he passed a soldier who was riding on a big horse. Even though Avrohom had passed him, the soldier caught up.

The soldier looked at Avrohom, and Avrohom got scared. Avrohom thought, “Why is that soldier looking at me? I wonder what he wants.”

The soldier then said to Avrohom, “Come here, little boy. I want to talk to you. Here’s a candy!”

“Well, I cannot have your candies,” Avrohom said. “I eat only kosher food. Anyway, I need to go to yeshiva now.”

Avrohom was getting even more scared. He started to run. As he was running, he heard the horse catch up with him.

Suddenly, Avrohom felt a hand pull him away! “No, no!” he said. “Let me down! I’m going to yeshiva!”

“You are coming with me!” the soldier said. “You are coming with me to the palace!”

The horse started galloping away very fast, and Avrohom could not even slip out of the soldier’s grasp, because he was so strong! Avrohom was very scared. He started to cry.

Avrohom asked, “Where are you taking me? I want to home!” The soldier smirked and said, “Oh, well you’re coming with me to the palace! Isn’t that wonderful?”

“No,” Avrohom answered. “I want to live at home, with my Mammy and Tatty, and go to yeshiva every day. I don’t want to live in the palace.”

“Well,” said the soldier, “I don’t have any children, so you will live with me in the palace, and will be like my own child. I’ll give you all the toys and candies that you want!”

Avrohom did not argue, and soon they arrived at the palace. They passed all the guards, and entered the palace.

The soldier then brought Avrohom into a room that was full of toys. “If you want anything to eat, there is some food over there,” the soldier said, pointing at the corner of the room. The soldier then left Avrohom there with many toys.

Of course, Avrohom could not eat the food. “The food probably is not kosher,” he thought to himself. Avrohom did not want to play with the toys either—all he wanted to do was go home.

Soon Avrohom got hungry. He went to the corner of the room and looked at the food. None of it looked kosher, except for one apple. He ate it—after, of course, making a brocha—and felt a little better. But, Avrohom still wanted to go home.

***

Back at Avrohom’s house, his parents were becoming worried. “Where is Avrohom? He should be home by now. It’s getting late.”

Reb Yankel and Sarah went to the homes of Avrohom’s friends. He wasn’t there. They asked Avrohom’s friends if they had seen Avrohom that day. “No. Avrohom did not come to yeshiva today,” they answered.

Reb Yankel and Sarah started to get even more worried now. They searched the entire town, but still could not find Avrohom! They davened to Hashem, and gave tzedaka. “Please do not let anything bad happen to our Avrohom. Please let him come home safe.”

***

Back at the palace, Avrohom missed his parents very much. He wanted to go home, but he could not; there was no way that he would be able to escape from the palace.

A few days passed, and Avrohom was still locked up in the palace. He wanted to go home, but the soldier would not allow that.

One morning, something happened in the palace. In the halls there were big crowds of people gathered. There were doctors, officers, and servants—all kinds of people.

Everybody was talking at once. You could tell that something was wrong. The queen was crying, too. The soldier heard all the commotion and went out of his room to see what was going on.

Soon the soldier found out what was wrong. The king was very sick. The doctors had tried all types of remedies, but nothing had helped. There were doctors from all over the world, each with their advice, but none of it seemed to help.

The librarian had also heard about what had happened. He said, “I think there is a book in the king’s library called ‘The Book of Cures.’ Maybe we can find a cure for the king that the doctors do not know about, in that book.”

The doctors agreed, and the librarian went to get The Book of Cures, that was all the way on the top shelf in the library. He took a ladder, and climbed until he was able to reach the book.

The librarian must have been very excited, because he took down the wrong book, even though he did not notice it. He took down a chumash! Somehow, the king had, in his library, a chumash.

The librarian brought the chumash into the king’s room and said to the doctors, “Here, I brought The Book of Cures.”

So, the doctors opened up what they thought was The Book of Cures, and to their surprise, they saw that it was written in Hebrew. The librarian said, “I did not know that The Book of Cures was in Hebrew.”

Well, they had to find someone who knew how to read Hebrew. “We have to find someone who knows how to read Hebrew, otherwise our king might die!” one of the doctors exclaimed.

The soldier, who was still around, said, “You know what, I have a little Jewish boy in my room. I took him so that he can be like my son, but I’m sure that he knows how to read Hebrew.”

“You do?” one officer asked. “How did you get him—”

“Wait!” a doctor said. “You soldier have someone who knows how do read Hebrew? Get him quick—you can talk later.”

So, the soldier went to get Avrohom. Avrohom was very scared. “What does this soldier want from me now?” he thought to himself.

The soldier took Avrohom and brought him into the king’s room. “Here’s the little boy,” he said.

The soldier brought Avrohom to the table, and asked him, “Little boy, do you know how to read this language?”

Avrohom looked into “The Book of Cures,” which was really a chumash, and said, “Of course, I learn chumash in yeshiva. This is what I learn every day. Here, it says, ‘Beraishis boro Elokim eis hashomayim, v’eis ho’oretz.’”

The doctors were trying to figure out what medicine that was. “That must mean that we should give the king hydrocanros. I wonder were we could get that,” said one doctor.

Another doctor had his idea. “No, it says in the book that the king needs nanformas. We can make it by filling up a bottle with—“

“Hey, the king is opening up his eyes! He has not opened up his eyes for hours,” one doctor exlaimed.

“Yeah! You know what, maybe just hearing the words from the cure book is what is making the king feel better,” a doctor suggested. “Go on reading, little boy.”

Avrohom continued. “‘V’ho’oretz hoiso soii’hu vovoi’hyu…’”

Suddenly, color returned to the king’s face. “Look! Color came back to the king’s face. Continue reading!” a doctor said.

So, Avrohom went on. “‘V’choshech al p’nai se’hoim, v’ruach Elokim m’rachefes al p’nai hamoyim’—”

The king then sat up in his bed. “Little boy, read on!” one doctor instructed.

“‘Vayoimer Elokim yehi ohr, vayehi ohr.’”

Suddenly, the king got up, and started dancing around in his bed! “I feel better! I feel better!” he exclaimed. “Thank you, doctors! You have saved my life! Which ever doctor cured me, I want to reward him. He will get his greatest wish fulfilled!”

“This ‘doctor,' your Majesty!” the soldier said, pointing to Avrohom. “He is the one who saved your life.”

“Oh,” said the king. “I have never seen such a young doctor. Come here, doctor. What is your name? I would like to reward you!”

Avrohom went over to the king, and said, “My name is Avrohom, but I am not a doctor, your Majesty.”

“Okay,” the king said. “I will still call you Dr. Avrohom, because you have saved my life. What is your wish? I will grant it to you. Do you want toys? Gold? Silver? Jewels? Servants?”

“No, your Majesty. I do not want toys, gold and silver or anything like that,” said Avrohom. “My wish is that I should go home to my family.”

“Are you sure, Dr. Avrohom?” asked the king.

“Yes, your Majesty. I would like to go home,” Avrohom said.

“Okay, if that is your wish—Officers! Get the Royal Carriage and the best horses. Make a parade through the kingdom to take Dr. Avrohom home!” commanded the king.

So, Avrohom was put in the Royal Carriage, and the officers marched throughout the entire kingdom. Of course, right behind them was Avrohom, in the Royal Carriage.

Everyone came out to see who the parade was for, and they saw that sitting in the wagon was Dr. Avrohom!

When the parade reached Avrohom’s hometown, Avrohom got out of the carriage, and went to greet his parents who were waiting for him. Avrohom was so happy to be home again!

What do we learn from this story?

Hashem always rewards us when we learn Torah.