Shivchei HaRan, An Account of His Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
פַּעַם אֶחָד שָׁלַח מֶלֶךְ אֶחָד שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים לִמְדִינָה עִם דְּבַר סֵתֶר לְמֶלֶךְ אַחֵר. וְהֵם עָבְרוּ בְּתוֹךְ הַמְּדִינוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ שָׁם חוֹלְקִים עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ.
Once a king sent three of his servants to deliver a secret message to another king in a distant land. On the way, they had to pass through lands that were at war with their king.
וְהָרִאשׁוֹן נָהַג עַצְמוֹ בְּחָכְמָה, וְהֶעֱלִים הָעִנְיָן לְגַמְרֵי, וְעָבַר הַמְּדִינָה וְלֹא הֵבִינוּ כְּלָל שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ דְּבַר סֵתֶר.
The first messenger was clever enough to conceal his purpose completely. He passed through the hostile land without its inhabitants ever realizing that he was carrying a secret message.
וְהַשֵּׁנִי עָבַר לְשָׁם, וְעָמְדוּ בְּנֵי הַמְּדִינָה עַל הַדָּבָר, וְהֵבִינוּ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ דְּבַר סֵתֶר וְתָפְסוּ אוֹתוֹ שֶׁיַּגִּיד לָהֶם. וְעָשָׂה בְּחָכְמָה אוֹ בִּגְבוּרָה וְנִמְלַט מִיָּדָם.
The second messenger set out through the unfriendly country and was discovered. The people realized that he was carrying a secret message and were going to force him to reveal it. But through his wisdom and endurance, he too was able to escape without revealing the message.
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי עָבַר שָׁם וְעָמְדוּ עָלָיו גַּם־כֵּן, וְהֵבִינוּ בּוֹ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ סוֹד, וְתָפְסוּ אוֹתוֹ, וְהָיוּ מְעַנִּים אוֹתוֹ בְּכַמָּה וְכַמָּה עִנּוּיִים הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ לוֹ עִנּוּיִים וְיִסּוּרִים וְצָרוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת וְהוּא לֹא הִגִּיד דָּבָר וְעָמַד בַּנִּסָּיוֹן וְלֹא גִּלָּה הַסּוֹד. עַד אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ שֶׁאֵין מוֹעִיל לוֹ שׁוּם דָּבָר וְהִנִּיחוּהוּ (כִּי חָשְׁבוּ מִסְּתָמָא אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ כְּלָל). וְעָבַר וּבָא לְהַמֶּלֶךְ.
The third messenger was also discovered. Realizing that he too was bearing a secret message, the people imprisoned him and subjected him to all kinds of tortures. They tortured him in the cruelest ways possible, but despite his great agony, he refused to tell them anything. He withstood the test without yielding his secret. Seeing that their tortures were to no avail, his tormentors assumed that they were mistaken and that he actually had no secret. They let him go, and he passed through their land to deliver his message to the other king.
וְהָיוּ חוֹקְרִים, לְמִי מֵהַשָּׁלֹשׁ הַנַּ"ל מַגִּיעַ שָׂכָר יוֹתֵר?. קְצָתָם אָמְרוּ, לְהָרִאשׁוֹן מַגִּיעַ יוֹתֵר, שֶׁעָשָׂה בְּחָכְמָה לְהַעֲלִים לְגַמְרֵי. קְצָתָם אָמְרוּ, לְהַשֵּׁנִי מַגִּיעַ יוֹתֵר שֶׁכְּבָר עָמְדוּ עַל דַּעְתּוֹ וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן נִמְלַט מֵהֶם בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וְכוּ' כַּנַּ"ל.
When the three messengers returned, everyone had an opinion as to which of them deserved the greatest reward. Some said that the first messenger was most deserving, for he had acted cleverly enough to hide his secret completely. Others gave the most credit to the second messenger, for though he was discovered, he was smart enough to escape.
אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ: לְהַשְּׁלִישִׁי מַגִּיעַ שָׂכָר יוֹתֵר מִכֻּלָּם, כִּי כְּבָר נִתְפַּס בִּמְצוּדָתָם וּבְוַדַּאי גַּם הוּא הָיָה רוֹצֶה לְהַעֲלִים אַךְ לֹא עָלְתָה בְּיָדוֹ, וְנִתְפַּס בְּיָדָם. וְעִנּוּ אוֹתוֹ וְיִסְּרוּ אוֹתוֹ בְּיִסּוּרִים וְעִנּוִּיים כָּאֵלּוּ שֶׁאִם הָיָה מְגַּלֶּה סוֹד אֶחָד הָיוּ הַכֹּל רָצִים אַחֲרָיו וְאַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן עָמַד בְּנִסָּיוֹן כָּזֶה וְלֹא גִּלָּה דָּבָר עַל כֵּן מַגִּיעַ לוֹ שָׂכָר יוֹתֵר מִכּוּלָם
But the king said that the third messenger deserved the greatest reward of all. This messenger had already been caught in their net. Certainly, he had also wanted to hide his purpose, but was not successful. After being captured, he underwent every possible torture and torment. Had he revealed even one secret, he would have received the greatest honors [from his persecutors]. Nevertheless, he withstood the test, revealing nothing. Therefore, his reward is above all the rest.
(וְהַנִּמְשָׁל מוּבָן קְצָת מְעַט לַמְּבִינִים)
[Those who comprehend will to some extent understand the parable.]