“Very well, I will arrange the meeting immediately.”

Reb Bentzion went straight to the sheik’s house and knocked on the door.

“Ah, Bentzion, what brings you to my home?”

“I have come to let you know that a very wise and special rabbi who is visiting Damascus would like to meet with you.”

“Wise, you say?”

“Extremely.”

“I don’t have time to meet with just anyone, Bentzion, you can understand that. Do you see the long line of people waiting at the side of my house? Everyone wants to have an audience with me, and my time is extremely tight. More than ever, people are flocking from all over to ask my advice and hear my predictions about the health and fate of their loved ones. So I really need you to assure me that this rabbi is worth my time.”

“I assure you with a full and confident heart! Rav Moshe will not let you down. He is brilliant and wise.”

“Very well. Arrange the meeting for this evening. I will give him half an hour of my time. No more, and no less.”

That evening, Rav Moshe knocked on the sheik’s door. It swung open, and the sheik stood there, his dark eyes darting up and down as he sized up the elderly Jew standing before him.

“My name is Moshe,” Rav Galante said. “I believe Bentzion arranged a short meeting between us.”

“Yes, yes, please come in.” The sheik led Rav Moshe to a small couch, and they both sat down. “So, tell me, what have you come to me for? Are you sick and need to know if you will get well?”

“And if I was here to ask such a question, would you be able to enlighten me to the answer?”

“Perhaps.” The sheik looked cautious. “It doesn’t always work…”

“What doesn’t always work?” Rav Moshe pressed.

The sheik suddenly looked very nervous. “Why are you here exactly?”

“I am a fairly learned person, and I have heard many good things about you. Apparently, you are very brilliant, and I wanted to meet someone I could have a proper intelligent conversation with.”

“I do happen to be extremely well educated in all of the seven wisdoms of the world, yes.” The sheik hesitated. “If you would not mind, I would like to ask you some questions. Bentzion said you were wise, so let us see if he was exaggerating or not.”

“Ask away.”

“Let’s start with astronomy.” The sheik smiled slightly. He launched into a discourse about the constellations, and then fell silent, challenging Rav Moshe to add his own knowledge. Without hesitation, Rav Moshe launched into a brilliant disposition on the topic, showing within a few minutes that he understood the secrets of the universe a thousand times more than the sheik. He spoke about the planets, the movements of the Heavenly bodies, and many other things which left the sheik with his mouth open in astonishment. When Rav Moshe finally finished talking, the sheik bent forward and kissed the tzaddik’s hand.

“Bentzion was not exaggerating! I am humbled to be in the presence of someone with so much wisdom.” The sheik fell silent for a moment. “If I may ask, perhaps astronomy happens to be your strength, but other fields of wisdom are beyond you… So, can we discuss another field of wisdom?”

“You may choose any topic that you desire.”

The conversation continued. The sheik was filled with wonderment at the tzaddik’s incredible mind and far-reaching wisdom. Their conversation lasted for several hours, and the sheik’s admiration for Rav Moshe grew by leaps and bounds.

“You must tell me your secret, holy sage.” The sheik lay his hand on Rav Moshe’s arm. “I’ve never met someone who is so sharp and who has such vast knowledge of so many topics. Where did you go to study such things? What books do you have in your possession? I need to know!”

“The place where I attained all of this knowledge is from one source: our holy Torah. Everything in the universe and all wisdom is contained within our Torah. If one knows how, he can discern every secret of the world within the holy words of our Torah. I have never needed secular sources to teach me anything. All I know is from the Torah.”

“I am blessed to be in your presence.”

“Thank you for your kind words, but now I have a question for you. You asked me where I know all of my knowledge from, and I told you. Now, I ask of you: From where do you have the ability to tell people if they will be healed or if they will die?”

The Arab’s face turned white.

to be continued…

(Originally featured in Mishpacha Jr., Issue 876)