Decided to surprise once the whole world
Almighty, mighty Emir of Bukhara -
He gathered his wise men in the palace -
Venerable, gray-haired astrologers, flatterers ...

My sages! I want to order
A task that will only be up to you!
I am ready to give five thousand tangas

Here comes the donkey after the emir.
Donkey - I'll tell you, not a goat!
Handsome man with ears, not just for you!
He screams E-A, like a normal donkey!

The donkey will never speak!
There is nothing to walk around and around!, -
So said the wise man, and immediately fell silent.
He immediately put a padlock on his mouth.

The other shook his head doubtfully.
- Forgive me Emir, but this question is not mine.
Glorious Emir! It's all nonsense!
The donkey will never speak!

How dare you? Yes, how could you?
They couldn’t teach the donkey to speak!
Emir exploded. A storm has broken!
His turquoise crumbled from the rosary!

Khoja Nasreddin suddenly comes forward, -
- Of all the wise men, I found one!
You are ready to give five thousand tangas,
To the one who teaches the donkey to speak!

Well, well, my emir, I'm ready for you!
Let me just say a few words to me.
I would like to discuss the terms of the deal.
It is not easy to teach a donkey to speak!

Not an easy task - no need to yell!
I undertake to teach the donkey to speak!
All this I need to discuss with you -
I want food and drink

And the term for study is at least twenty years!
Then with a donkey to be able to compete
Your best speaker. It's true, emir,
Then you will easily surprise the whole world!

Imagine! A council of wise men gathered -
Scientists, warriors, astrologers, eunuchs,
And before the council comes a donkey ..
The Council will be surprised: how is it so?

Here is the Emir! Managed to surprise everyone
Having said that he will teach the donkey to speak!
And so our donkey began to speak.
Such donkeys should be greatly appreciated,

Cherish, cherish, love endlessly.
And who taught the donkey to speak?
And the council will say: our Khoja and Emir!
They managed to shake the whole world!

Donkey now says twenty words,
He is always willing to learn!
So, wise men and the great emir!
I'll take the donkey with me to the Pamirs!

I will put up a tent in the valley among the mountains
And there I will settle the donkey until then,
Until he starts talking a little.
Without this, I cannot go out into the world!

And after - we will go out together with a donkey,
And the world will make noise - everyone understands who!
Donkey can't the way we talk
And here is what I learned. I can confirm

The great emir gave me the donkey,
And with him he gave me a house, ten thousand tangas,
Now, as a teacher, I can start
Try to teach the donkey to speak!

I'll be back to you in ten years with a donkey
He will tell you everything, I swear by Allah
And if we die, then I ask you to forgive us -
I could not teach the donkey to speak.

Do you agree, Emir? Will you wait ten years?
I want to hear your wise answer!
The emir laughs: "No, what a simpleton I am!
I thought that a donkey could learn!"

Thanks Hodge! You helped as always!
Sometimes the emir is a simpleton!
I wanted to do such stupidity -
Tried to teach a donkey to speak!

Take it as a reward for wise advice,
Five thousand tangas! And live for many years!
13.08.2015

Khoja Nasreddin is known and loved in a vast geographical area stretching
from Hungary through India to China, and also from South Siberia to North Africa. For
centuries, millions of children have grown up listening to stories about Khoja Nasreddin, about his legendary
wit and wonderful deceptions.
Khoja Nasreddin is portrayed as a sage and a simpleton at the same time. In all your jokes
Nasreddin finds a way out of the most delicate situations, with his mind, wisdom and common sense.
meaning, often combined as if with absurdity, and at the same time wise statements.

Statue of Khoja Nasreddin riding a donkey in Ankara, Türkiye.

Common sense, spontaneity, ridicule... and a kind of humor that reflects the human
psychology, exposes the shortcomings of society, criticizes even state and religious
affairs, yet always resolves issues amicably are the elements that together create
a special kind of logic - the logic of Khoja Nasreddin.
Khoja Nasreddin is believed to have been born in 1208 in the Hortu village of Sivrihisar, in modern
Turkey, after which he moved to Aksehir and then to Konya, where he died in 1284.
according to some, a man named Khoja Nasreddin never lived; it's just
fictional character created by immigrants from Anatolia in the 13th century, as well as his creation
continued for many centuries.
Indeed, over the years the number of Khoja Nasreddin's stories has increased significantly.
his stories spread to new lands where stories were told and retold, and
they became part of the folklore of the region. Today, there are hundreds of his stories.

There are several monuments to Khoja Nasreddin in Turkey, and elsewhere throughout Europe.
Most of them depict Nasreddin riding a donkey backwards. History says that
One day Khoja Nasreddin sat on a donkey in that direction, facing his back. When people asked him why, he replied: “It’s not that I sit on a donkey backwards, it’s the donkey who chose
Wrong Way."

Statue of Khoja Nasreddin in Brussels.

Donkeys often feature in Hoxha's stories.
The most famous story.
Once the emir called Khoja Nasreddin and asked: “Can you teach my beloved
donkey theology so that he knows as much as I do?
Hodge replied: “I know your donkey, I checked his abilities and made sure that this
a wonderful donkey is not inferior to the sharpness of his mind to any of your ministers.
I undertake to teach him theology, and he will know as much as you know, but
it will take twenty years.”
The emir ordered to give Khoja five thousand gold tangas from the treasury and said: "Take this donkey and
teach him, but, by Allah, if in twenty years he does not know theology and
recite the Koran by heart, I will cut off your head!”
Friends heard about this and came to Hodge, pitying him and reproaching him for such a stupid act.

- You can say goodbye to your head in advance!- exclaimed his friend teahouse. -
But where is it seen that donkeys studied theology and recited the Koran by heart!
- Do not worry, friends, Khoja Nasreddin answered. - Say I get five thousand
tanga in gold and a good donkey for the household - this is not every day a person succeeds.
And do not mourn my head, because in twenty years one of us has already
will surely die - either I, or the emir, or this donkey. And then go figure out who
The three of us knew better theology! .

Nasreddin_Hoca_In_Moscow

Once a certain righteous dervish-melami said to Nasreddin:
- Hodge, is it really your occupation in this world is only buffoonery and there is nothing in you
virtuous and perfect?
-Well… what is perfect in you, dervish? Hodge answered.
- I have many talents he answered, and there is no account of my virtues. Every
night I leave this mortal world and take off to the limits of the first sky; soaring
I am in heavenly abodes and contemplate the wonders of the kingdom of heaven.
- And what, at this time, is the heavenly breeze blowing around your face? Hodge remarked.
- Yes Yes!- joyfully picked up the dervish.
-So, it fanned- the tail of my long-eared donkey ... Nasreddin smiled.

Statue of Khoja Nasreddin cutting tree branch in Aksehir

Once Nasreddin read in one book that if a person has a small forehead, and long
beards more than two fists, then this person is a fool. He looked in the mirror and saw
that his forehead is small. Then he took his beard in his fists and found that it
longer than necessary.
- It's not good if people guess that I'm a fool- he said to himself and decided to shorten
beard.
But there were no scissors at hand. Then Nasreddin simply put the protruding end into the fire
beards. It flared up and burned Nasreddin's hands. He drew them back, the flame burned him
beard, mustache and severely burned face. When he recovered from burns, then in the margins of the book
attributed:
"Tested in practice."

Statue of Khoja Nasreddin in Bukhara,

Statue of Khoja Nasreddin in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

One day, the Emir decided to force all the inhabitants of Bukhara to tell only the truth. For this
a gallows was placed in front of the city gates. All incoming interviewed chief
guards. If a person, in his opinion, was telling the truth, then he was let through.
Otherwise, hang up.
A large crowd had gathered in front of the gate. No one dared to even come close.
Nasreddin boldly approached the head of the guard.
- Why are you going to the city? they asked him sternly.
- I'm going to be hanged on this gallows- answered Nasreddin.
-You are lying! exclaimed the head of the guard.
- Then hang me.
- But if we hang you, then your words will become true.
- That's it, Hodge smiled. it all depends on the point of view...

Close-up of the statue.

One day a passer-by saw that Khoja Nasreddin was sitting on the bank of the river washing a living cat.
- Hey Hodge! What are you doing? Cats die from water!
- Go, go, don't bother me.
A passer-by passed by. He returns after a while and leads another picture.
Nasreddin is sitting on the shore, and a dead cat is lying next to him.
- Eh, I told you that cats die from water ...
- You understand a lot Nasreddin cut him off.
- When I washed the cat, she was still alive.
She died when I started squeezing her ...

One day Molla was walking to a neighboring village. On the way he bought a watermelon. Cut it in half
ate, and threw the other on the road and said to himself:
- Let the one who sees this watermelon think that a bek passed here.
He walked a little, came back, picked up the thrown half, ate it and said:
- Let them think that the bek had a servant who ate this half.
He walked a little more, regretted it, returned again, picked up the crusts and ate them, saying:
- Let them think that the bek also had a donkey

Another statue in Yenisehir, Turkey.

Statue of Khoja Nasreddin at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

A respected person came to Mulla Nasreddin. He was worried, he was the father of a beautiful
daughters. He was extremely worried. He said:
- Every morning she feels a slight malaise, I've been to all the doctors, but they say,
that's all right, no big deal. What to do?
Nasreddin closed his eyes, thinking about the problem, then opened them and asked:
- Do you give her milk before bed?
- Yes!- answered the man.
Nasreddin said:
- Well, then I know what's the matter. If you give milk to a child, he believes on the left all night
right, right to left, and as a result, milk becomes curd. Then cottage cheese
turns into cheese, cheese turns into butter, butter becomes fat, fat becomes
sugar, and sugar turns into alcohol - and of course, in the morning she has a hangover!

Anyone who carefully read the content of the economic program, which is signed by Finance Minister Yair Lapid, must have come to mind the parable of a poor peasant who, in order to cut costs, decided to give less food to his working donkey. The one he used to take crops to market. Convinced that after the first reduction in the amount of food, the donkey continued to meekly carry the load, the peasant decided to further reduce the amount of fodder. Then, after some time, the peasant repeated this trick - cutting the food of the donkey by half. The owner of the cattle was terribly glad that he was able to reduce the cost of feeding. So he continued the "cutback program." Until one not-too-beautiful morning he found that the donkey was dead.

Watching the new economic sanctions that the Ministry of Finance imposes on the citizens of the country, you begin to think that the government decided to use the technique of a frugal peasant who starved his donkey to temporarily cut costs and secure a more prosperous future. The Ministry of Finance does not understand that the main economic burden is borne by the middle class, the famous Ricky Cohen from Hadera and others like her.

Indeed, the new finance minister faces a difficult task, as he has inherited an astronomical budget deficit. There is no doubt that at the initial stage it is necessary to find such solutions that will allow not to increase the budget deficit, and at a later stage - to consistently reduce it. The question is different: is the middle class, working people, the main object of such large-scale reforms. Should it be the middle class who shoulder the additional burden, most of it? Or what he has to carry on himself is more than enough. The question also arises, how sensitive should the leaders of the state be to the situation of the citizens who voted for them, for whom they are responsible?

The 1st Book of Kings (Sefer Melachim) tells the story of the son of King Solomon (Shlomo), Rehoboam (Rehavam), who inherited the royal throne from his father. As soon as Rehoboam sat on the throne, the people turned to him with a request: “Your father made the burden on us heavier, and now, you, the new king, must lighten our lot.” In exchange for reducing the tax burden, the people promised Rehoboam recognition of his royal status.

Rehoboam promises to consult and give an answer. First, he turns to the elders, who were advisers at the court of Solomon. They say: “If you serve this people and agree to their requests, if you speak kind words to them, then they will serve you until the end of days.” Rehoboam does not accept the advice of the elders and seeks advice from “children”, young people, who grew up with him, believing that they represent the "new politics". Unlike the old people, whose advice may have led to the current deplorable state of the people. Young people advise the king not to stand on ceremony with the people: "I will make your burden even heavier, I will beat you with whips, torture you."

King Rehoboam decides to follow the advice of the "new politicians". However, the implementation of their advice, complete indifference to the hardships and needs of the people, eventually led to the split of the united kingdom into two states - Judah and Israel. This, such a radical split, was the result of the advice of the "new politicians", who were absolutely cut off from their people.

Returning to our era, I would like to ask the question: how should laws be passed, amended, how should the economic burden be placed on society? The answer to this question was given by Jewish sages (chazal). This formula can serve as an indicator for politicians making such serious decisions. It will help them understand whether this or that economic sanction is feasible for citizens. This simplest formula appears in the Talmud. “They do not lay a burden on the people if they cannot bear it” (Babylonian Talmud). This rule obliges decision makers and academics advising leaders to scrutinize whether citizens are able to bear the new economic burden.

(translated from Hebrew by G. Frankovich)