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Berek's Rug

". . . a golden bell and a pomegranate . . ."
Ex.28.34

Rabbi Liebowitz's nephew Gideon was soon to be married, and the Rabbi had given much thought to the choice of a suitable wedding present. As Gideon was living in a sparsely furnished apartment with bare wooden floors, it seemed to the Rabbi that an middle-eastern or oriental rug might well be an appropriate gift.
Rabbi Liebowitz was a connoisseur of rugs, and so, on a trip to Cairo, he visited the Old Town and the shop of his friend Mustafa, who was a dealer in such wares.
Mustafa called for coffee and confections to be served to their honoured customer, and for his best wares to brought forth.
Many rugs were produced by his assistant Aziz: their beauty and quality appraised, and their value tentatively assayed.
There were Persian Qums and Nain, Afghan Jullaikhirz and Pardahs, and still more rugs from Turkey, Afghanistan, India and China.
Rabbi Liebowitx particularly admired a fine Persian Bakhtiar rug.
"If I am not mistaken, it was to Persia that the Nabusite Berek went in his pilgrimage to discover the nature of God," said the Rabbi.
Mustafa, who loved a theological discussion, pricked up his ears.
"This Berek, it is not a name I have heard before," he said.
Thereupon, Rabbi Liebowitz explained how the tale of Berek's rug had been set down in the Chronicles of the illustrious Nabusites which he the Rabbi was translating.
Even more than a theological discussion, Mustafa loved a story, and called for his family to hear the Rabbi's tale. There was his wife Jesmin; his sons Ibrahim, Jusef and Farouk; his daughters Tamyra and Petra; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law with their respective families, and several street urchins who had slipped in to partake of the confections and enjoy the story.
All took their places on the floor of Mustafa's shop and listened in eager anticipation as Rabbi Liebowitz related the tale of Berek's rug.

Berek had a crooked back and dragged one leg behind him when he walked. His speech was hard to understand. He could neither read nor write and he knew no trade to earn his living. Because of this, many people said Berek was a fool. But there were some who said Berek's affliction was a sign he had been touched by God.
One day, Berek sat in the shop of his friend the sandal maker and asked a question.
“What is God like?”
“God?” said the sandal maker, when he understood what Berek was saying. “I have never seen God and I do not know what He is like, or even if He exists. I have more important things to worry about, such as how to keep my family clothed and fed. If you want to know what God is like, you must find someone else to ask.”
Next day, when Berek returned to the sandal maker’s house, he was dressed for a journey. On his back there was a pack, and in his hand a staff.
Berek told the sandal maker he would not return to his home until he had discovered what God was like.
The sandal maker tried to dissuade Berek from leaving.
“You have lived all your life in this village, Berek, and you know nothing of the world beyond. You will suffer hardships and danger, and at the end of your journey you may find there is no answer to your question.”
But when the sandal maker saw that Berek was determined to go on his journey, he gave him some food, a leather bottle of water and a new pair of sandals for his feet.

On the road the sun burned down, and the water in Berek’s bottle was soon gone.
He arrived at a village and sat down outside a potter’s house. When the potter saw Berek, he invited him in, and gave him a pitcher of water to refresh himself with.
Berek watched as the potter threw a lump of clay on the wheel. The potter pressed with his thumbs in the centre of the clay and the sides rose beneath his fingers to form a pot. He made pots of many shapes: big strong pots to hold oil and wine, and small delicate pots to hold spices and perfumes.
Berek asked the potter the question.
“What is God like?”
The potter thought for a while and then he answered.
“God is like a Master Potter. Just as I make pots of many kinds, so does the potter who made us. Every pot He makes is different. Some pots look cracked and misshapen and people think the potter has made a mistake. But God puts a treasure into every pot that only He can see. Often the humblest pots contain the greatest treasure, and the greatest pots contain the least.”
The potter gave Berek a shard of pottery.
“This is from a broken pot to remind you that you contain a great treasure.”
Berek set out on the road again. In some villages, the people made him welcome; in others, they threw stones and told him to move on.
He stopped one morning at a carpenter’s shop and watched the carpenter at work. The carpenter measured planks of wood with his rule and sawed them to size. He planed the planks until they were smooth and joined them together to make a table. Every joint he made was straight and true.
Berek asked the carpenter the question.
“What is God like?”
The carpenter thought about it as he polished the table with oil to enhance the grain in the wood. Then he replied.
“I think if God came down to earth, he would work as a carpenter. It is good to take rough pieces of wood and make them into something useful, such as a table, chair, chest or bed. That is work God loves to do.”
The carpenter invited Berek to spend the night in his house. In the morning, he gave Berek a chip of wood from his work bench.
“You are like this piece of wood, Berek. In God’s hands, no one knows what you could become.”
Berek reached the sea shore, where he saw some fishermen mending their nets and making their boats ready to put to sea. A fisherman was cooking fish over a driftwood fire.
“You look hungry, Berek,” he said. “Come and have breakfast with me.”
When they had eaten, Berek asked the fisherman the question.
"What is God like?"
The fisherman thought and then he replied.
“Come fishing with me and you will see the hand of God at work.”
Berek stepped aboard the fisherman’s boat. The fisherman raised the sail and the boat set out to sea. He paid out his net, and then drew it into the boat. The net was full of fish, almost to breaking point.
When they were back on shore, the fisherman gave Berek a piece of net.
“When you look at this net, remember that God is like a Fisherman. He puts out his net to draw men into His boat. I think God has you in His net, Berek. One day you will see Him face to face and know what He is really like.”


Berek came to a palace of a great king. He walked about in the palace gardens, admiring the beautiful trees, flowers and fountains and statues. A gardener was planting a young pomegranate tree. He set the tree in good soil, tied it to a stake for support, then watered it well.
Berek asked the gardener his question.
"What is God like?"
The gardener replied.
“After God had made the world, he planted a garden. In the cool of the evening, He would walk in the garden to enjoy its beauty. God placed a man in the garden to take care of it. That is the work I am called to do. I enjoy the beauty of this garden more than anything else in the world.
“We are like God’s garden. God plants his good seeds in us, and will make us as fruitful if we let the Master Gardener do His work.”
The gardener gave Berek a pomegranate.
“When you have eaten the fruit, keep the seeds. If you plant a seed in the ground, and water it well, it will grow into a tree. I think, Berek, your life will be like this tree and you will bear much fruit.”

Berek came to a city famous for its learning and culture. He marvelled at the great libraries and universities, the art galleries and theatres, and the shops where the merchants displayed their rare and costly wares.
One day he went a law court and watched a judge. Many people brought their disputes before the learned judge for him to settle. The judge asked them questions, and weighed their answers as if on a pair of scales. Then he made his decision.
The judge saw Berek sitting in the court, and when the court was finished, he invited Berek into his chamber. The judge listened as Berek asked his question.
“There are many answers to this question,” said the judge, “but I will speak as a judge. Every judge strives to be wise and just in his decisions. But only God is truly wise and just. One day everyone will stand before the Great Judge in the Court of Heaven and their works will be judged. Those who have done good will be rewarded; those who have done evil will be punished. Every man will receive justice from God.”
The judge gave Berek a piece of parchment from a scroll.
“On this scroll is written the law of God. You cannot read but that does not matter because His law is written in your heart. Continue to do justly all your life, and you will never fear to stand before man or God."

One day Berek watched as a stone mason was building a new house. The stone mason cut and dressed the stone, and fitted each block into position. Then he checked the wall with a plumb line to make sure it stood straight.
Berek asked the stone mason the question.
“That is a hard question, Berek, said the stone mason, "but I will answer by way of a simile. Look at this arch I have built. It will be the door way of the house. The stone at the top of the arch is the key stone. This stone holds the arch together: without it the stones would collapse. God is like a mason: He holds together the heavens and the earth and the whole creation He has made.”
The stone mason gave Berek a chip of stone.
“You are like a stone for the house God is building. He has chosen you for a special place in the house. You have searched far and wide to discover what God is like, and I think you will soon find what you are seeking.”

Berek went to a bakery and watched the baker kneading dough with his strong hands. The baker put the dough on a tray in the oven, and the bakery was filled with the good smell of baking bread.
Berek asked the baker what God was like.
The baker wiped his floury hands on his apron and then he replied.
“We need bread to live. God gives us the grains of wheat to plant in the ground, and the rain and sun to make them grow and ripen. He gives us the yeast to make the dough rise, the salt to give it flavour, and the fire to heat the oven. The life of God is in the bread we eat.”
The baker opened the oven and took out the loaves.
“Sit down at the table, Berek.”
The baker broke a loaf in two and poured a cup of wine.
“Let us eat. When you taste the bread, you will know what God is like.”

Winter had come, and the snow was hard on the ground as Berek trudged through the streets of a city famous for its metal work. He stopped outside a foundry to rest.
The foundry master, when he saw Berek standing in the snow and stamping his feet to keep warm, called him in to warm himself before the furnace.
Berek watched the foundry workers pouring molten bronze into a mould. When the metal cooled, they broke open the mould to reveal a great bell.
Berek asked the foundry master the question.
"What God like?"
“That is a hard question for me to answer,” said the foundry master. “But let us listen to what the bell says. Every bell has its own voice. There are bells that tell us when to rejoice and bells that tell us when to mourn. There are bells to mark the time of day, bells to warn of danger, and bells that remind us when to pray.
He tapped the bell with a hammer. It rang with a deep, sweet sound.
“This bell tells me that one day a Great King will be born and He will show people what God is like. On that day, every bell in the world will peal for joy.”
The foundry master gave Berek a small piece of bronze from the casting of the bell.
“Whenever you hear a bell, remember the King who is coming, who will reveal God to the world.”

Berek was becoming tired from his long journey. His lame leg was sore and he had a cough that would not leave him. He went to the house of a physician, where he waited with the other patients until his name was called.
The physician examined Berek’s leg, and listened to his chest. He shook his head sadly and wrote a note on his pad.
When Berek asked the physician what God was like, the physician took Berek into his dispensary and showed him the jars of herbs and medicines.
“I use my knowledge of the medicines and herbs God has given us to cure people when they are sick,” the physician said. “But even with my skill, I cannot make the lame man walk, the deaf hear, the blind see, or the dumb speak. Only God the Great Physician can do that.”
The physician gave Berek a jar of ointment and a syrup made from different kinds of herbs.
“This herb is good for easing aches and pains in the body. This syrup will help to clear your chest.
"You have travelled far from your home and your body is weary, even though your spirit is strong. You must rest before you continue your journey."
Berek stayed for three days at the physician’s house, and then he continued his journey.

Spring came. The snows melted, the almond trees blossomed, leaves appeared on the trees, and grasses and wild flowers carpeted the fields.
Berek followed a path that led into the foothills of a mountain range. There he met a shepherd. The shepherd carried a crook and had a lamb tucked inside his shirt.
Berek ran his fingers through the lamb’s soft white wool.
“This lamb strayed away from the fold and became lost,” the shepherd said. “I went to find it and save it from the wolves. I heard it calling from a valley. Come back to the fold with me and you can see the other sheep.”
Berek asked the shepherd what God was like.The shepherd smiled. He finished counting the sheep and closed the gate to keep out the wolves.Then he replied:
“God is like a Shepherd who watches over us. When we wander off the path, He comes to find us and carries us back to His fold. In His fold, we are safe from the Destroyer.”
That night, Berek slept in the shepherd’s hut. In the morning, when it was time for Berek to leave, the shepherd plucked some wool from a sheep and gave it to him.
“When you feel this wool, think of the comfort and warmth it gives. That too is a gift from the Good Shepherd.”

Berek came to a country where many people earned their living by weaving rugs. For many days he looked at the rugs for sale in the bazaar, admiring their beautiful designs and patterns. A master weaver noticed Berek and invited him into his shop.
Berek asked the master weaver what God was like. The weaver did not reply at once. He looked at Berek's hands and saw he had strong nimble fingers.
"If you come and work with me, Berek, you will learn something of what God is like."
The master weaver took Berek to his house. There, the weaver’s wife was busy dying wool. Berek helped her to remove the wool from the vats and hang it up to dry.
The weaver’s wife taught him how to dye wool, using dyes made from plants, insects and shellfish.
The master weaver showed Berek how to make a loom of wood and began to weave a rug as the weaver had taught him, by knotting threads of fine wool.
There were many thousands of knots to tie but Berek's fingers were quick and nimble, for he could see in his mind’s eye how the rug would look when it was finished.
One day, after many months, Berek tied the last knot. The rug was finished. Berek looked at it and knew his work was good.
The master weaver hung the rug on a wall. Then he sent out messages inviting Berek’s friends to his house. Everyone from the sandal maker to the gardener, to the judge and the stone mason arrived, and they sat on the floor of the weaver’s house.
The master weaver stood up and spoke.
“Berek has asked me to speak on his behalf, as he is not fluent with words. He thanks you for coming to my house. He thanks you for the gifts you have given him. Each of you has shared with him what you know of God. It is now Berek’s turn to share what he has learned.
“Berek has made this rug. Look closely. What do you see?”
“All I see is a lot of knotted threads,” said the sandal maker quietly. “Poor Berek – his mind has always been a jumble."
“Look at the other side,” said the weaver, and he turned the rug over so they could see the pattern.

Woven into the centre of Berek’s rug there was a spreading tree. Beneath the tree there was a shepherd tending his sheep. There were sheaves of wheat and jars of wine and oil.
Woven into the borders of the rug were bells and pomegranates, leaping fish, scrolls and twining herbs. The rug glowed in deep, rich colours: blues, scarlets, purples, greens, and golds. It was a wondrous work of art.
“Berek says God is like a Master Weaver. God weaves a pattern into all our lives, from the day we are born until the day we die. If we do not understand God’s work, all we see is a tangle of threads. If we know what God is like, we will see the pattern He is weaving. Berek has discovered the talent God has placed in him, and the work he has been called to do. From now on, he will be known as Berek the Rug Maker.
“A rug of this quality is fit to hang in the palace of a king. Were Berek to offer it for sale, it would fetch a great price.”
The weaver turned to the sandal maker.
“This rug is Berek’s gift to you.”
The sandal maker could not speak. He took the rug back to his own country and hung it on the wall of his shop. When he looked up from his work and saw the rug, which told the story of Berek’s journey, he understood something of what God is like.

Applause broke out at the conclusion of the Rabbi's tale.
"Allah be praised!" said Mustafa. "That is indeed a wondrous tale, rich in truth and wisdom. And is it true that the Nabusites were a Jewish tribe?"
"Indeed they were," said Rabbi Liebowitz. "But the Nabusites sought learning and wisdom from many peoples of the ancient world, as you have seen in this story."
Rabbi Liebowitz again admired the Bakhtiar rug.
"This is a rug of rare quality, Mustafa my friend, and I am well satisfied with the price. If Aziz will kindly wrap it for me, I will take it back to New York as a wedding present for my nephew Gideon."