Metsaḥ Aharon (Aaron’s Forehead)

An event occurred to a person named Samuel, who was a great wise man down on his luck. He converted from Judaism and became one of the uncircumcised, accepting their religion. He learned their religion and became an enemy of Israel, and he learned their doctrine very deeply. The uncircumcised ones called him “Paulo,” which is one of their names. He thought in his heart that he would wipe out the community of Israel, God forbid! He decreed against Israel that they should be wiped out, and that there should not remain any remnant of them, God forbid! He went to the sultan of the uncircumcised ones, and said to him, “These Jews are our enemies, and in their prayers, they curse us. They want horrible things to happen to us, and they are our great enemies. Listen to me and wipe them off the face of the earth!”

“We will let anyone who accepts our religion live; indeed, if he accepts our religion, we will let him be.” The sultan answered in reply, “On what grounds shall we come to wipe them out?” “I will tell them that I have forty questions. If they answer them, then all will be well, and if they do not answer them, then I shall truly wipe them out at once.”

At that time, the sultan sent for the great and wise men of Israel. They stood before the sultan, his chief of staff, and the ministers and princes. The same evil, uncircumcised convert from Judaism stood, and said in no uncertain terms that they should answer him concerning these forty questions. They could not answer him, not even one question. The community of Israel cried a great cry and said, “Our master, Sultan, we ask for your mercy! Have mercy upon us, and give us a forty-day extension, corresponding to the forty questions that this man wants to ask us.” The Lord, may He be praised and exalted, put mercy in his heart, and granted them the forty days.

They came to the synagogue, and they prayed and pleaded before the Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, and decreed a public fast. They sent emissaries to all the nearby cities, telling them to fast and plead before the Lord.

One of the emissaries went missing for twenty days. On the twentieth day, an old, important, and respected man came across him. The old man questioned him as follows, “What is your interest in this city?” He told him, “Mister, you should know that the Jews are in great trouble, and they were given an extension of forty days by the sultan, twenty days of which have already passed. Another twenty days remain, and God forbid, they will kill all the Jews if they do not know the answers to those questions that that evil man wants to ask them.” The old man responded, “Do not be afraid. Sit with me, and you will have only goodness and peace.”

He sat with him for eighteen days, against his will. When two days remained of the twenty, that man said to him [i.e., to the old man], “Please, mister, release me, and I will go and wander around the world. I do not have the patience to sit here for the remaining two days.” He said to him, “My son, be patient! Trust that the Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, will not leave the people of Israel or abandon them, as it is said: I will not leave Israel. Rather, He is with them through every trouble, as it is said: I am with him in troubles” (see 1 Kings 6:13; Psalms 91:15).

There was a pool of water at the old man’s house. He said to him, “Get up today, so that we can pray to the Lord, and beseech him concerning the community of Israel, that He may help them against that evil man.” They both got up, prayed, and called to the Master of the World concerning the salvation of Israel. That old man said to the Jew, “Take off your clothes, so that you and I can go down and immerse in this pool.” That man took off his clothes, and angels came, and they took his clothes, and they brought them to the bathhouse of the city of Jews in the same area. They went down in order to immerse, and both immersed at the same bathhouse. That man said to the old man, “Mister, who brought me to this place?” The old man replied, “Be quiet, and see the wonders of the Lord, may He be blessed and exalted!”

When they arrived at the Jewish neighborhood, they saw the evil people taking the Jews, to bring them to the sultan. The old man said to them, “Free these Jews, and I will come to the sultan, and I will give him his answers.” They took that old man and brought him to the sultan. He said to the sultan and to all who were present, “Let this man come and ask me. If I answer his questions, then all should be well, and if I do not answer his questions [ . . . ], then may he kill me first!” The sultan said, “You have spoken well.” They brought that evil man, and he said to the old man, “You, a despicable old man, you can answer my questions?!” He said to him, “Evil man, I, with the divine power of the God of Israel, may He be blessed and exalted, can answer your questions. However, I want to say something, with the permission of sultan and those who are present. I too have some questions. If you do not answer them, you will lose legal protection, and I will kill you.” The evil man said, “Fine, thus it shall be.” The evil man straightened up and asked the forty questions. The old man answered every one of them [ . . . ], and Israel was peacefully saved. The old man said, “Our master, the Sultan, I want him to answer my questions.” He asked him the first question, the second question, and the third question, and he could not answer even one of them. That evil man immediately was condemned to death. The old man stood up and said, “My master, concerning this evil man, in the Torah of Moses our master, may peace be upon him, in the Nitzavim Torah reading, it is indicated that at the end of his days, his name shall be changed; and that you shall come and call him “Paulo,” while for us, his name was Samuel. See how the Lord has given you the wisdom to call him Paulo! The Hebrew letter peh [“P”] of his name stands for the verse: Lest¹ there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood (Deuteronomy 29:17); The Hebrew letter vav [“au”] of his name stands for the verse: And² the Lord shall separate him unto evil (Deuteronomy 29:20). The Hebrew letter lamed [“l”] of his name stands for the verse: Not³ will the Lord be willing to pardon him (Deuteronomy 29:19). The last vav [“o”] stands for the verse: And the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven (Deuteronomy 29:19).

At that hour, the old man said, “Lion, go out and claim your portion.” The wall broke open, and a large lion came out and killed him; not a trace of him was left. The lion turned around in order to prey on the sultan. The sultan got up from his chair and said to the old man, “Upon your life, and upon the life of your Torah, which is true and firm! I promise you that I will not bring anything horrible upon the Jews. Rather, I will honor and exalt them, and I will appoint them as leaders over us, and I will remove all troubles from them. Save me from this lion!” The old man stood up and said to the lion, “Lion, if this sultan is ever unpleasant toward the Jews, come out and kill him with a disgraceful death.” The sultan sat on the chair, and Israel was saved from that wickedness. Just as Israel was saved from that wicked man, so may it be saved from all trouble and distress. The Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers (1 Kings 8:57). Amen, thus may it be His will!!