Every week they gathered by the Rabbi, from near and far. Before entering the large hall they whispered their sorrows, questions, dilemmas and ideas in the Rabbi’s ear.
The Rabbi then nodded his head; a good question, an interesting dilemma, a good idea. Everybody take a seat.
When they were all seated the Rabbi began to tell his tale. Halfway through the story the first listeners started to eye each other and nodded their heads with approval: that’s right, that’s it! The Rabbi understands. When the tale was finally told, everyone went home content.
The Rabbi had a student who was constantly amazed by these remarkable narrative skills. He wanted to be able to master this too. On an early morning walk, when he was alone with the Rabbi, he gathered the courage to ask the Rabbi for his secret. In the student’s mind it was impossible to answer the hundreds of personal questions with a single story, and then, to do it every week with a different tale.- A good question. said the Rabbi.
Take a seat.
And the Rabbi told the story of the arrow, that finds its way from the tense bow of the marksman, that whizzes through the air and finding its target, right in the bull’s eye.
-Listen, the Rabbi said,
My stories are like the arrow. I know all about tension and relaxation, all about holding on and letting go, all about aiming and hitting. I am responsible for that arrow. But the listeners decide for themselves weather or not to hold out the bull’s eye to be hit. This way my stories hit home…….or not.
The student nodded.
- based on a Chassidic story
- retold by Marcel van der Pol (also transformed into a stage performance!)
- paintings: Jaap Lensen
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