As the sun rose over the horizon, a group of solemn Jews trekked toward the king’s palace. They had a very important mission; if they failed to convince the king to protect them from the sorcerer, the attacks would continue.

With fervent tefillos on their lips, their hearts broken and their minds on Hashem, the entourage entered through the tall, imposing palace doors. They were so focused on their task that they didn’t even glance at the grim-faced guards who stared at them and rested their hands upon the hilts of their long swords.

“Your Majesty, thank you for receiving us.”

The leader of the delegation, Reb Yosef, stepped in front of the king’s throne. The king was lounging lazily, his feet resting on a stool in front of him and his hand plucking berries from a gold bowl.

“All of my citizens are important to the success of my kingdom… even the Jews. If there’s something I can do to help, there’s a chance I may consider doing so.”

“As His Majesty is surely aware, witchcraft and wizardry have been spreading like wildfire through the land.”

“I am aware of this unfortunate occurrence. I have zero tolerance for it when it affects my kingdom. Is there a mischief-maker causing problems in your community by using black magic?”

“Yes!”

“You didn’t need to send an entire entourage so early in the morning for such a small problem.” The king shook his head in annoyance, tossing a few berries into his mouth. “Tell me the name of the fool and I’ll have him dealt with.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. We cannot express how grateful we are. This sorcerer has already killed so many of our people, we just can’t bear to—”

The king choked on his berries. “Killed?”

“Yes, he is a powerful sorcerer, the leader and teacher of all of the other practitioners of the dark magic.”

“Wait a moment, how many people has he killed?”

“Many.”

“Without a sword or any other weapon?”

“He harnesses certain forces to do his bidding and he curses people.”

The king stopped eating. “You want me to get involved? And what happens if this sorcerer curses me for trying to help you?”

“But you’re the king!”

“So what? If his powers are truly as great as you say, he could wipe out myself and my bodyguards without lifting a finger!”

Reb Yosef and his comrades looked at each other in dismay.

“So you won’t help us?”

“Listen, I don’t like the idea of a sorcerer with such terrible powers living in my land. It’s a threat to me, no question about it. And what happens when he teaches everything he knows to a disciple and an entire generation of killing magicians is born? No, no, no! I can’t have such a thing.”

The king fell into a long silence before speaking again.

“I will summon this sorcerer, but I’ll do it carefully, without antagonizing him in any way. I will treat him royally and ask, not demand, that he stop killing Jews. I won’t try to persuade him to abandon practicing his dark magic, I know he won’t listen, but I can request that the murders stop.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Reb Yosef signaled to the others. It was time to leave.

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 780)