Page:Jewish Fairy Book (Gerald Friedlander).djvu/199

 XXII JOSEPH, THE SABBATH LOVER N Ascalon in the Holy Land there once lived a poor peddler named Joseph. His greatest pleasure was to keep the Sabbath Day holy. He was a good Jew, loving God and man. The precepts of the Law were his delight and by them did he live. He was not ashamed of his religion. In fact he was very proud of being a Jew. He had a neighbor who was a heathen, very wealthy and selfish. They often met and conversed with one another. This was especially the case on Saturday when Joseph abstained from his business. They would talk about religion, especially about the Sabbath. Joseph would dwell on the value of the Holy Day, pointing out that of all the gifts bestowed by God upon humanity the most precious was the weekly day of rest. Man is not a mere machine, he needs rest and recreation. To those who observe the Sabbath and call it a delight, its weekly advent is like the arrival of a dear and intimate friend.

Joseph was wont to put by part of his daily earnings in order to spend the Sabbath Day in a festive manner. He often would stint himself and forego necessities on week days so as to have better 173