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The Wise Men of Helm and Their Merry Tales

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My father introduced this book to me by reading me stories from it. The stories are clever (unlike the wise men!) and well worth reading again and again. These stories have a gentle type of humor all too seldom seen. I love this book!

I was originally lent this book and after the rave reviews of my 10 year old boy, I bought our own copy. The stories are well-translated from the Yiddish and represent a small review of the better stories of the "wise men and women of Chelm". From the search for the wisest youth in Chelm (Q. "Why is herring salty" -- A. "Because it comes from the sea!") to the construction of the magnificent water mill on a mountaintop these stories gently, wisely and humorously look at humans in all their foolish charm.

These 14 stories, published in Yiddish in 1942, and in English the same year, link us to a vanished world, reviving the Jewish folklore of the fools of Helm, a mythic town set deep in the forests of Poland. There Jews had long beards and black coats that reached their ankles--but were not quite like other Jews.

In the spring after a very hard winter, they built a wall around their town to keep the cold out. Later, they invited an organist to play for the town--although there was not a single organ in Helm.

The world came to regard them as fools. An angel had been flying over Helm en route to heaven with a sack full of fools in need of repair when the bottom caught on a treetop and all the fools fell into the valley town of Helm, where they remained. The Helmites insisted that they were not the fools. "It's just that foolish things are always happening to us," explained Mottel.

For example, since thieves always steal at night, the Helm shopkeepers kept their stores open at night and slept by day. When no one came to their stores, they decided instead to hire a night watchman--who wore an inside out fur coat to be recognized, sat on a horse and guarded the shops.

But one fine morning, the watchman woke the townspeople. Their shops were emptied in the night. Furious, they dragged him to the Rabbi. He said, "I admit I saw the thieves break the locks. With my own eyes I watched them carrying the wares out of the shops. But I could do nothing." Why? Because his horse was tied to the post near town hall, far away from the shops, and untying it was too risky. The horse might gallop off and kill him.

With thieves in town, the Helmites decided there was no justice, and sent two messengers to buy some and bring it back to Helm, for rich and poor alike. The Helmites rode all the way to Warsaw, searching all the stores.

"Look no further," two rogues told them, "We'll sell you as much justice as you want." For 2,000 pieces of gold, the rogues a few hours later delivered a full barrel of justice, nailed tight and sealed all around, warning the Helmites, "More sure not to jostle it on your way. You know how hard it is to get justice these days."

When they got back to Helm, however, and reverently lifted the cover on the barrel, they smelled bad fish. "Justice of the world smells bad," they cried. "Woe! What shall we do?"
Whereupon Gimpel exclaimed, "That is the kind of justice you have in the rest of the world!"

After a great fire in Helm, the Rabbi consoled the people with the news that they could now expand their Synagogue, making it as large as Gimpel's potato patch. The Warsaw Jews gave money to their Helm brothers to fund the construction. But, carrying a great fortune, and convinced by scoundrels that they would be robbed on the road, the Helmites decided to buy feathers--which are light. And feathers, if stolen, could unlike money not be concealed by the thieves. Once back in Helm, they would sell the feathers and use the money to rebuild their Synagogue.

They set out back to Helm, and when a favorable wind arose, they reasoned that by releasing the feathers they could save themselves the trouble of carrying them. They let the feathers fly. Once back in Helm, the people cheered their heroes' return. And what of the feathers? "When you grow up," Gimpel told a saucy lad, "you'll understand that if a man can sometimes be late, surely feathers can also be late."

When after weeks the feathers had still not arrived, the Helmites decided to seek them in the larger world. And that is how the fools came to live among us.

If you think you might be one of them, read the book to verify their traits.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

The wise men of helm
perfect for young and old alike.
a neccesity in every jewish library.

The Wise Men of Helm & Their Merry Tales
Solomon Simon

"Once upon a time an angel, carrying a pack of foolish souls back to heaven for repair, lost his way in a storm and flew over Helm. The town, as you know, lies in a valley, completely surrounded by high mountains. On the topmost peak of the highest mountain there was a pointed tree. Suddenly, as the angel struggled through the storm, the bottom of the sack caught and tore on the tree top, and alas, all the poor, damaged souls spilled out of the ripped sack, rolled down the mountain side into Helm and they stayed from that day on."
Imagine you are living in the city of Helm. Most people think you are a fool. Of coarse we know that's not true. It's just that foolish things are always happening to you! The Wise Men of Helm is about a town of Jews and their foolish ideas. There was a winter, for instance, where the Helmites were so cold that the very next year they built a wall around the town to keep the cold out.
As you can tell this story is in the genre of Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends. The author, Solomon Simon, has a great style of writing. He writes as if he has been to Helm and wrote down every move they made. His style of writing is very funny. The Wise Men of Helm is a Hilarious book. I say this because every chapter is a new foolish adventure. I loved how each character had his unique personality. The only thing I did not like about the book was that it was not longer. I would rate this book a four out of five stars, and I definitely recommend reading it.

The Wise Men of Helm & Their Merry Tales
Solomon Simon

"Once upon a time an angel, carrying a pack of foolish souls back to heaven for repair, lost his way in a storm and flew over Helm. The town, as you know, lies in a valley, completely surrounded by high mountains. On the topmost peak of the highest mountain there was a pointed tree. Suddenly, as the angel struggled through the storm, the bottom of the sack caught and tore on the tree top, and alas, all the poor, damaged souls spilled out of the ripped sack, rolled down the mountain side into Helm and they stayed from that day on."
Imagine you are living in the city of Helm. Most people think you are a fool. Of coarse we know that's not true. It's just that foolish things are always happening to you! The Wise Men of Helm is about a town of Jews and their foolish ideas. There was a winter, for instance, where the Helmites were so cold that the very next year they built a wall around the town to keep the cold out.
As you can tell this story is in the genre of Folk Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends. The author, Solomon Simon, has a great style of writing. He writes as if he has been to Helm and wrote down every move they made. His style of writing is very funny. The Wise Men of Helm is a Hilarious book. I say this because every chapter is a new foolish adventure. I loved how each character had his unique personality. The only thing I did not like about the book was that it was not longer. I would rate this book a four out of five stars, and I definitely recommend reading it.

WOW! It's great to learn that this beloved book from my childhood is now available to my children via the Internet. I can't wait until my book arrives. I'm looking forward to reading to my children how the Wise Men captured the moon in a bucket of beat borsch, and all their other wonderful adventures that I remember fondly from my childhood!