The Study Circle
TWO BROTHERS.
A JEWISH LEGEND.
MANY, many years ago, before you or I knew anything of the great world, there lived two brothers on Mount Moriah. At that time Mount Moriah was yet unheard of and was like anyone of the other hills about Palestine.. But Moriah was destined to become famous and that through these two brothers. The elder of these brothers had no children and the younger was the father of several dear little ones. Mount Moriah was left them by their father and together they did all the ploughing, and sowing, and harvesting and binding the wheat into sheaves and then divided it evenly between them. One night the elder brother remained in the field to spend the night near his corn which he had made into one larger heap.
A little before dawn he awoke and began to meditate: "Is it proper for me," he said to himself, "to take an exact share with my brother? I have no children and need less than he does. He should surely deserve the greater share. And so saying he took a bundle from his pile and carried it to the pile of his brother. He then fell asleep and did not awake until late the next morning.
The younger brother slept that night at home. In the morning when he awoke he too began to think of his brother and sighed heavily.
"Why do you sigh?" his wife asked him. "Why should I not, when I think of the unfortunate condition in which my brother is now. We have, thank God, good little children. When we grow old our children, in appreciation of what we have done for them, will care for us and we shall
not have to worry much. But my brother is alone, as desolate as a stone. What will he do when he grows old and unable to work? He will have no children to make him happy. This thought entered my mind as we were dividing the wheat yesterday evening. It is not right for me to share evenly with him. He should have the greater part; he will need it more than I." So saying, he went to the field, took a bundle of his, and added it to his brother's pile.
In the morning the two brothers came to their daily work, and when they counted their bundles, they were very much surprised to find the same number of bundles for each. They kept wondering to themselves, how such a thing could have happened, for each was sure that he had taken a bundle from his own pile and added it to that of his brother's.
The second night the brothers again each carried a bundle to the other's pile and were again astonished when they found they had an equal number in the morning.
The third night they again each took a bundle to carry to his brother's pile. While walking with the bundle in hand they met and though it was a dark night they recognized each other. They embraceo and wept quietly, for each knew how great his brother's love was for him. They understood each other's good intentions as they quietly left the bundles at the meeting place and departed.
No one but God witnessed this most beautiful scene. He was deeply affected by it and said. "The place where these two brothers have met shall forever be holy. My temple shall therefore be built on this place." Many years after Solomon, the wisest Kings, built the holy Temple on the same spot on Mount Moriah