Once upon a time there lived a man named Jacob Kranz who was known as the Preacher of Dubno, famed far and wide for his wisdom and his parables

He traveled from town to town teaching. One year, on the fifth night of Hanukkah, the rabbi told the people a tale of Hanukkah.

"Our Jewish month is one lunar cycle," said the preacher, "beginning with the new moon. In the Jewish calendar, during the first half of the month, each night grows a little lighter, but after the full moon, until the 29th or 30th, each night grows a little bit darker." The people nodded, for they knew that the first night of Hanukkah falls on 25 Kislev, and so, for each of the first five nights of the holiday, the sky grows a little darker.

"So," said the preacher, "the fifth night of Hanukkah is the darkest night of the whole year, but when we light our candles, we symbolically call forth a new cycle, and give new light to the year."

"And tomorrow, the first of Tevet, the new moon will appear, and each night will grow a little brighter. Tomorrow, I will be moving on to a new town."

That evening, as the coachman drove the wise rabbi to his lodgings, he wondered what it would be like to be as respected as the Preacher of Dubno. The coachman turned to the Preacher of Dubno and said, "I wish I knew what being revered feels like. Would you consider exchanging your robes for my clothes一just for a day? I'd like to pretend to be you."

The Preacher of Dubno smiled, for he liked his coachman. Still, the rabbi was wise enough to know that such a ruse could cause trouble.

"My friend," he said, "you know it is not my clothing that makes me a rabbi. What if someone asks you to explain a difficult passage in the law? If you answered foolishly, people would believe the Preacher of Dubno was no longer helpful."

But the coachman had thought of this, and so he convinced the wise man to exchange clothes with him.

The next morning when they rode into a village, all the people ran out to greet the great preacher. They hailed his entry into town, never knowing that the man they cheered was a simple coachman. Then they led him to their synagogue, leaving the real preacher to follow with the horses and carriage.

The false rabbi basked in their attention. Then he sat at down at a table surrounded by all the scholars and important people of the town. The real rabbi sat in a corner, hoping there would be no trouble.

"Rabbi," a villager said, "I wish you would explain this passage in the Talmud to us."

The true rabbi cringed. What would his impostor say?

But the false rabbi, the coachman, did not flinch. Instead he furrowed his brow and looked into the sacred text before him. After a moment, he sat up straight and shook his head. "How could you ask such a question," he said, pretending to be surprised. "This passage is so obvious, even my coachman can explain it to you."

He called to the real Preacher of Dubno. "Driver," he said, "please explain to these so-called wise men this simple law."

And so, the Preacher of Dubno learned of the special wisdom of his coachman!

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