A King Who Wants to Marry a Noblewoman
To a king who wanted to marry a noblewoman of high birth. He sent a messenger to her, who spoke to her. She said, “I am not worthy to be his maidservant, but I want to hear it from his mouth.” When the messenger returned to the king, his face was smiling, but his words were inaudible. The king, who was clever, said, “It would seem that she said, ‘I want to hear it from his mouth.’” Thus, Israel is the noblewoman, the messenger is Moses, and the king is God. When Moses returned the people’s word to God, it says: Behold I will come [ . . . ] (Exodus 19:8–9).
Translated by Marc Hirshman.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
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