Zionist Parable: Yosef Mokir Shabbat

I have always found this children’s story based on Talmudic aggadah (אגדה) to be particularly disturbing.

While the symbolism of the fish indicates a reworking of Christian material or of the myth of Isis and Osiris, the Talmudic version in effect explains that God will give the wealth of a gentile to someone, who is strictly obedient to the Law of Moses. In today’s time period when Jews define themselves ethnically according to ideas of extremist organic nationalism, they can read into this story a parable justifying either the theft of Palestine from the native population or the looting of the world financial system.

Yosef Mokir Shabbat

(based on tractate Shabbat 119a)

There was once a man called Yosef. Yosef loved the Sabbath and honored it very much. Everyone called him, "Yosef Mokir Shabbat," for Shabbat was very dear to him.

Near Yosef's house there lived a wealthy Gentile who owned a lot of property.

One day the non-Jew visited his sages, the stargazers. They said to him: "We see in the stars that all of your property will go to Yosef Mokir Shabbat."

The Gentile was afraid of losing all his wealth. He went and bought a very precious jewel with all of his money. He took a fancy hat and sewed the jewel upon it.

He thought to himself: "Now I am sure that my wealth will remain in my hands, for it rests upon my head all the time."

But God in heaven decreed differently. One day the non-Jew went for a walk on a bridge. Suddenly, a strong wind came and blew the hat into the water.

The a huge fish appeared and swallowed the jewel on the hat.

On Friday afternoon the fish was caught by the fishermen. They brought it to market but they worried: Who would buy such a gigantic fish - especially since by this time, everyone had already prepared fish for Shabbat?

One of the fishermen said, "Take the fish to Yosef Mokir Shabbat. He will surely buy such a special fish, even if he has already prepared other fish."

The fishermen went to Yosef Mokir Shabbat and he bought the fish.

Yosef hurried to prepare the fish in honor of Shabbat. He took a knife and opened the fish.

And behold! Inside the fish's belly Yosef found the precious jewel!

After Shabbat Yosef sold the jewel for a lot of money. An old man met him and said, "If someone lends to the Sabbath, the Sabbath will pay him back."

[Of course in real life, the Zionist Jew -- let's call him Yosef Mokir Genevah -- took a club, knocked off the old gentile's hat, beat him senseless, stole the gem, and justified the crime as the will of God and good for the Jews]. Sphere: Related Content