Sefer Ha’Agadah, the Book of Legends, is a compilation of Aggadot compiled by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yoshua Hanna Ravnitzky beginning in 1903. They obtained most of them from the Mishnah, the Talmud, and many other sources. One example is the following:

The story is told of a king of Persia who was about to die. His doctors told him: «The only thing that can cure you is the milk of a lioness. Drink it and you will recover.» The king asked: Who can go get some lioness milk? One of them told him: «If you wish, I can go, but first you must give me ten kids.» They gave him the kids, and he went to a lion’s den where a lioness was licking her cubs. On the first day, he kept his distance and threw a kid to her, which she devoured. The second day, he moved a little closer and threw her another kid. He did this every day, and by the end of the ten days, he was so close to the lioness that he could play with her and stroke her nipples, which he took advantage of to express some milk and continue on his way.

Halfway home, the doctor fell asleep, and in his dream, he saw the parts of his body arguing with one another. The feet said, «Of all the parts of the body, there is none like us. If we hadn’t walked, the body wouldn’t have been able to get any milk.» The hands replied, «There is no part like us. If we hadn’t stroked the lioness, we wouldn’t have gotten any milk.» The eyes argued, «We are more important than you. If we hadn’t shown you the way, none of this would have been achieved.» Then the heart spoke, «I am worth more than any of you. If I hadn’t advised you, you wouldn’t have succeeded in your task.»

Finally, the tongue spoke and said, “I am more valuable than any of you. If it weren’t for speech, what would you have done?” At that point, all the parts of the body united and responded to the tongue. How dare you compare yourself to us, you who are housed in a dark and lonely place? The tongue replied, “Today you will recognize my power.”

The man woke up and, without forgetting his dream, continued on his way. When he arrived with the king, he said, “Here is the dog’s milk I got you. Drink it.” The king was enraged and ordered the doctor to be hanged. On the way to the gallows, all the parts of the body trembled. Then the tongue said to them, “Did I not tell you that there was nothing of substance in you? If I save you now, will you admit that I have power over you?” They all nodded. At that, the tongue said to the executioner, “Take me back to the king,” to whom it said, “Why are you punishing me? Lionesses can also be called bitches. Take the milk.” The king drank it and was healed. The doctor went away in peace, and the body parts accepted the power of the tongue. It is written in Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And whoever loves it will eat its fruit.” (M. Yalkut)

In the introduction to the book, Bialik and Ravnitzky say: “The Aggadah is the principal literary form of the Jewish people, the most classic expression of their spirit. It is the product of the creative force of many generations of rabbis. It is like a beautiful palace where the Jewish spirit and soul permanently reside.”

By Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: Sefer Ha Aggadah, compiled by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yoshua Hanna Ravnitzky.