One summer evening Napoleon, dressed in his usual disguise, set out for the Jews' district. The weather was oppressively hot and sticky, and Napoleon anticipated seeing crowds of people chatting in doorways and in the street, hoping for a breath of fresh air. But oddly enough, it was quieter than usual. Even the courtyards and back alleys were empty.
"This is very strange," Napoleon thought to himself. "What on earth would prompt all my Jewish citizens to leave their homes at the same time? It must be," he concluded, "that today is a Jewish holiday. I'll go to their synagogue and check. No doubt that's where everyone has gone."
Napoleon rushed off in the direction of the synagogue. In his mind's eye he could already see the Jews in their great hall. They would be dressed in their Shabbat finery, swaying to and fro, their eyes glistening with fervor.
But what was this? Opening the synagogue door, Napoleon froze. Where were the festive celebrants, joyfully pronouncing their faith? Why, he could barely see, it was so dark inside! The only light came from a few flickering candles set on the floor. Instead of sitting at tables, the Jews were crouched on low stools or seated directly on the ground. Each person was holding a small book, chanting quietly to a sorrowful tune. The whole atmosphere was one of mourning, not jubilation. Sounds of lamentation filled the air.
Napoleon was completely baffled. Surely some sort of tragedy had befallen the Jewish community.
He approached a Jew sitting off in a corner. The man was barefoot, tears streaming from his eyes. "What happened?" Napoleon asked him. "Why are you all crying like that?"
The Jew looked up the stranger and gazed at him sadly. "We are mourning the destruction of our Holy Temple," he explained simply.
"The destruction of what?" The Emperor of France did not understand.
"We Jews used to have a Holy Temple," the man went on. "It was the place where G-d's Divine Presence dwelled, and we served Him in it. Three times a year we made special pilgrimages. But it was destroyed, and that is why we are in mourning."
Napoleon was confused. How could it be that he had not even heard of such a terrible event? Why, he hadn't even known that the Temple existed!
"And who had the audacity to destroy your Temple?" he wanted to know. "The Romans," the man replied. "The evil Romans brought this destruction down upon us."
"The Romans?!" Napoleon cried. "Do you mean to tell me that the Romans have invaded our land?"
"No, it wasn't here in France that this happened," the man explained patiently. "It was in the Land of Israel, in the holy city of Jerusalem."
"Jerusalem? Very interesting," Napoleon said thoughtfully. "I hadn't even heard the slightest rumor. When did this all occur?" Napoleon's curiosity was growing from minute to minute.
At that moment the Jew realized he was talking to a gentile, who had no idea what he was referring to. "The Temple was destroyed eighteen hundred years ago!" he told him. "This wasn't a recent event!"
"Eighteen hundred years ago?" Napoleon sputtered, not believing what he was hearing. "Are you saying that all these people are sitting here mourning an occurrence that not even their great-grandfathers witnessed?"
"Perhaps you don't understand," the Jew continued, "but we Jews see the destruction of the Temple as the beginning of all our woes. It was then that we were exiled from our land, and dispersed among the nations to be persecuted and humiliated. But we also believe," he stated with conviction, "that our Father in Heaven will one day redeem us. At that time He will rebuild the Holy Temple, gather all the Jews from exile and bring us back to our land."
"What a strange people," Napoleon thought to himself as he walked home. No other nation was quite like them; indeed, the Jews were truly unique. After consulting with his advisors Napoleon decided to invite the Chief Rabbi to the palace, and ask him to solve the mystery.
For many hours Napoleon sat and listened as the Rabbi outlined the Jews' bitter history. As legend has it, at the end of their discussion Napoleon rose to his feet and declared, "At first I thought the Jews were peculiar, clinging to their antiquated ways and ancient sorrows. But I now see that you are an eternal people, having outlived even the greatest of empires and civilizations. Surely you will continue to exist long after I and my republic have disappeared from the face of the earth. In the end, you will return to your land and rebuild your Holy Temple. I don't know when it will happen: this year, next year, ten years from now or even two hundred. But it will happen one day, of that I have no doubt."
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