“We Searched and Found our Treasure!”

You know how sometimes when something happens; it reminds you of a story. Well, that hardly ever happens to me. But, when Rabbi Schindler was selected to be our senior rabbi, it reminded me of a story. It's a Chasidic tale called, "The Elusive Treasure."

In the city of Cracow, Poland, in the days when it was a jewel in the crown of Jewish learning, there lived a man named Eisik. He was a rabbi, as his father, Yekel, had been before him. But in this city of brilliant and famous scholars, Eisik's virtues of simplicity and down-to-earth wisdom gained him neither distinction nor reward. Poverty pursued him without mercy. No matter how he tried, Eisik could never escape the torments that beset a man whose pockets are forever empty. He and his family shivered in the winter, suffered in the summer's heat, and went hungry all year round.

One night, Eisik had a strange dream. In a far-off city, hidden beneath the earth of a riverbank, there lay buried a great treasure. The spot lay hidden in the shadow of a stone bridge leading to the king's palace. A voice in the dream told him, "Rise up and go to Prague in the land of the Czechs, and there you will come upon a great treasure!” Eisik had never believed in dreams, but so powerful was this dream that he felt compelled to obey. He left his family and traveled to Prague.

He went straight to the king's castle and there everything was exactly as had been revealed -- the river bank, the palace, the stone bridge, the shaded spot at the foot of the bridge -- but one dismaying fact had been omitted: the bridge was guarded. Day and night the king's sentries marched up and down the bridge. Eisik was unable to get to the treasure without fear of being captured. He remained in the area for three days. As he was about to leave one of the king's men came to him and said, "I have been watching you for three days. You have been eating nothing but berries and going without sleep. What are you doing here?" Eisik confessed the truth and told the guard about his dream. The guard nodded slowly several times and said, "I know how you feel because, strangely enough, I too have had a recurrent dream. It bids me go to a far-off city, to a certain house, and there, under the hearth of a certain man, a treasure waits to be found. I haven't gone to look because I was afraid I would be laughed at."

Eisik's heart suddenly began to beat faster, "A certain man, a certain city? Did the dream tell you the names?" "Yes!" the guard said. "The city is Cracow, of all places. The name of the man is something like Isaac; his father has an odd name, Yekel. Now tell me, if ever I took leave of my senses and went to Cracow, how could I in a thousand years find this man, if he exists at all? And if I were to find him, how could I persuade him to let me dig up his hearth? And what for? A treasure I cannot even describe. I do not know if it is gold or silver or diamonds…"

Then Eisik, son of Yekel, knew his dream had been fulfilled and when he made his way back to Cracow, and dug beneath certain stones in his hearth, the treasure was waiting for him. He had possessed it all his life, but he had never realized it until he had searched the world.

Like Eisik, our treasure, Judy Schindler, was here in Charlotte all the time. And like Eisik, it was necessary for us to leave our hometown in order to be sure. By reviewing all of the candidates and listening to your feedback we can be certain that we made the right decision. I am looking forward to working with Rabbi Schindler and helping her fulfill her vision for Temple Beth El.
 
Arthur B. Kramer, Executive Director