A medieval Jewish legend tells of a king of Poland who fell under the influence of a sorcerer — a wizard — and issued a decree: the Jews of his kingdom must convert, be killed, or be expelled with only the clothes on their backs. A year’s respite was granted.
The desperate community drew lots. The beadle of the main synagogue was chosen to travel to the Children of Moses, the hidden tribes said to live beyond the mysterious river Sambatyon — a river that hurls stones six days a week and lies silent only on the Sabbath.
The beadle journeyed for months and reached the river on a Sabbath, when it was calm, and crossed. On the far side, he was nearly put to death for having violated the Sabbath by crossing at all — until he explained that only then could the river be crossed. The Children of Moses listened to his message, and they sent their own beadle back with him — a man deeply learned in the practical Kabbalah, the mystical arts used to contest sorcery.
When they arrived in Poland, the wizard met them with contempt. The Kabbalist beadle said, “Unless the decree is revoked, I will fight you, and you will die.” The wizard refused. They stood before the king and began their contest.
The Kabbalist struck the ground once. The wizard sank into the earth up to his ankles. The beadle offered him a chance to advise the king to rescind the decree. He refused. The Kabbalist struck again. The wizard sank to his knees. Strike. To his waist. Strike. To his chest. Seven times in all, until only the wizard’s head remained above ground — and then that too disappeared.
The king, white with terror, revoked the decree on the spot. The Jews of Poland were saved.
The story was told and retold in Yiddish-speaking communities for centuries. Every time a sorcerer whispers in a king’s ear, it says, the Children of Moses are closer than you think.