Text No. 21; Tunis, Israel Folklore Archive 3749 a

(Source ? - B.O'N)

See Ephraim Hazan, The Poems of Fraji Shawat, Jerusalem, 1976; also, this site

The sage Fraji Shawat was called "the humble one." He was blind from childhood and knew the whole of the Tora, the Talmud and the prayers, and all by heart. They say that Elijah the Prophet used to come in a dream and teach him all night long. What man teaches is forgotten, but what Elijah the prophet teaches is never forgotten!

Both Jews and Gentiles held the sage Fraji in great respect. Each country wanted him to stay in their territory, but he remained in Morocco and lived in poverty. He used to distribute his money to the poor; he was holy in all his ways. Israel has many troubles and few saints.

There came to him messengers from all the countries and lands and said to him, "Rabbi, come for a little while to our city! We want your merit to benefit us too. May God prolong your days, but you are very old indeed already, and how can you die and abandon our country just like that? Stay with us at least one day and we will be very happy. With the Lord's help we will do you great honor, and after that you can leave." The sage replied, "I will not go! That's enough . . . go in peace. And stop disturbing my study of the Tora."

But it was not that he was not concerned about the people of Israel. On the contrary, his heart went out to all of Israel and he used to weep a great deal. He was however humble and avoided honors. How could he come before the congregations of Israel and receive great honor and - God forbid - fall into temptation and sin? He was very humble . . . and he did not go.

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The day came for the sage Fraji Shawat to make his will. He saw the city elders weeping and called to them, "Come to me!" They came, and he continued, "I have left no legacy, only an old mule that knows the way to the needy. I used to ride on it to comfort mourners and to do charity. After my death purify me and put my body on the mule. Wherever it brings me, there do me the act of true kindness. But do me no honor! . . . honor and greatness belong to Him alone."

And he pointed to heaven, "Man is formed of dust and his end is dust." With these words he died.

The people of the city carried out the full purification rites. They performed all that he had instructed them. They loaded his body, wrapped in shrouds and fringed garments, onto the mule. The mule felt the load and began to go quickly forward. The people of the city hurried after him.

A day and a night passed and one more day, and still the mule went on and the followers after it. They reached the frontier and the Sultan's guards would not let them pass. Such was the law of the land there. The mourners told the guards their story and how this was the wish of the late Fraji. When the guards heard the name Fraji they were very startled and let them pass. So great was his honor even among the Gentiles!

On the third day as evening approached they arrived at a deep wadi in the land of Destour. The mule stopped and began to dig with its feet at the lowest place in the wadi. The mourners understood that this was the place and began to dig a grave.

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As they were digging an Arab nobleman and his men came towards them. He saw the congregation in their wornout clothes and their purity, and laughed at them heartily and cursed them. As he was still using his tongue for evil it began to puff up and swell. It swelled until it filled his whole mouth, his gullet and windpipe, and, he choked to death.

The Sultan of Destour heard that the nobleman was dead. He went out with a great army to the valley and found the Jews digging the grave in the dark. He asked them, "What are you doing in my country at night?! Perhaps you are spying?" The Jews replied, "No!" and told him that this was the sage Fraji Shawat - the Jewish holy man. The Sultan was alarmed and ordered the servants of the nobleman to be flogged, and the nobleman's body to be thrown to the dogs,

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and sent for very precious cut stones to be brought as a gift for the building of the grave.

The Jews of Destour also came and brought spices and water and lit oil and eulogized the dead. They were still weeping and their wailing pierced the darkness, when suddenly there was an earthquake. The heap of stones which lay uncovered on the grave was thrown in all directions, and the burial mound was leveled to the ground. When the people dared to approach and look, they held their breath in wonder at what they saw. The sage's donkey was treading on the grave and leveling it with the ground.

Then they understood that this was the wish of the late sage, because of his humility. The mourners wept and begged forgiveness and pardon for not performing his instructions, for they had given him great honor.

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Thus the old people told us. We did not believe the stories, but afterwards when there came Hitler and Eichmann - may their name and memory be blotted out - to Destour, everyone believed that the story was completely true . . . An important person told me, a Frenchman, one of the Vichy - those of the Vichy were friends of Hitler (cursed be his name). He told me secretly, "A big sheet of paper lay in Hitler's room, and on it was written a decree to kill all the Jews of North Africa. Every time the oppressor went to sign the paper the pencil broke. He was very angry (curse his name), and he cursed his generals, their religion and their fathers. They rushed about and brought him many pencils. When the bastard approached with a pencil and touched the paper, he would begin to cough and choke, and it was as if a hand would hold his throat until (curse his name) he would put down the paper. And this happened daily.

So he told me. I said to the important Frenchman secretly, "This is the work of our saint." "What saint?" asked the Frenchman. I told him, "The sage Fraji Shawat the humble one, of course!" The important Frenchman replied, "Aha!!"