“Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in a land far away. . . .” How many of us think back to our childhoods and remember those words spoken to us? Whether from our parents, our teachers or our rabbis, the joy we received from the stories they shared was something quite special. Through the gifts of Joel Ben Izzy, a wonderfully talented storyteller, we can feel once again those emotions that come from hearing a heart-rending narrative.
The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness is the true story of a man who has spent years as a storyteller. Each chapter begins with an international folktale from places like China, India, the Middle East, and even the mythical Jewish town of Chelm. Within these fables, we find a wisdom that draws us closer to understanding the journey that Ben Izzy has taken. As he shares his life stories as a father, a husband and a cancer patient, we also learn lessons from his life, and perhaps, our own lessons as well.
Joel learned the power of stories early, through the stories he told his families, which took them out of their own hardships and made them laugh. Following the Jewish “curse,” “May you do what you love for a living,” Joel Ben Izzy began his career in 1983. Traveling around the world, he collected local folktales and shared their wisdom. It was after fourteen years of storytelling, after marrying and having two children, that the blessing of loving what he did became a curse. In 1997, Joel was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Although this usually can be healed by a simple treatment, Joel discovered that when he awoke from surgery, he could no longer speak. The nightmare that he often dreamt about had suddenly become all too real. Joel’s life began to fall apart as many unsuccessful attempts at recovering his voice failed. As he describes the experience, “the only thing between me and happiness, I decided, was my lost voice.”
Through an unexpected turn of events, Joel re-met his old teacher Lenny. From that moment, he began to learn lessons of a different type. By the end of The Beggar King, readers learn his new mantra, one of the great values of our Jewish tradition. “I felt like a rich man, not in terms of money, but as described in Talmud, where it asks, ‘Who is rich?’ and answers ‘The one who can appreciate what he has.’”
Through his life’s stories, Ben Izzy himself becomes the beggar king, searching for the key that finally unlocks the secret that had eluded him: love of family and advice of an aged mentor could help him find his way back to storytelling. As he says in his prologue: “Sit back and let me tell you my tale, of a journey that took me through dark times, yet gave me a gift that I treasure. That gift is this story, which I now pass on to you – a tale of lost horses and found wisdom, of buried treasures and wild strawberries, of the beggar king and the secret of happiness.”
About the Author
Joel Ben Izzy grew up in a Jewish family outside of Los Angeles. Discovering his gift of storytelling at an early age, he told stories to his mother, father and siblings in order to bring laughter and joy to a home filled with poverty and illness. After graduating from Stanford University in 1983 with a degree in English, creative writing and storytelling, his first job took him to a small Italian village. He traveled around the world, from one work-adventure to another, collecting and sharing a vast number of stories from all sorts of cultures. In 1991, Joel produced his first record, which won a Parents’ Choice Gold Award and was chosen as an American Library Association Notable Recording. He went on to produce five more recordings and also worked as a story consultant, coaching and teaching narrative skills.
For a little over a year, Joel Ben Izzy lost his voice due to complications from cancer surgery. After his ordeal ended, he turned to writing in order to share his revelatory experiences with others. The Beggar King and The Secret of Happiness evolved from an essay entitled “A Narrator’s Nightmare” published in The Washington Post (1998). Ben Izzy now lives in Berkley, California with his wife and two children.
Discussion Guide
The author writes: “My journey carried me into the world of stories. There I learned of the tricks they play upon us, bubbling up through the depths of time to teach us their lessons, guide us, and, if we let them, heal us” (page 8). What stories from Jewish sources have you learned that have taught, guided or healed you? What lessons have you learned from those stories?
Lenny, Joel’s mentor, teaches him the difference between “truth” and “Truth” (page 9). What is that difference?
Ben Izzy begins each chapter with a tale gleaned from a variety of countries and cultures. Reread the stories and discuss the lessons that you think Joel wished to relate from the context of his story and from the context of your life.
A favorite saying of Joel’s father was the Yiddish expression, “People make plans and God laughs” (page 20). This theme, the idea of a divine plan and our relationship to that plan, runs throughout the book. The theology of God’s power relating to humanity’s free will is a very difficult one to understand and accept. Do you believe, as Lenny does, that “God is up there, twisting plots, adding details” (page 131)? Do you believe that we should continue to chase our dreams, as Joel’s father taught him: “In this life you have a choice. You can laugh along with God, or you can cry all alone” (page 34)? In Torah we are offered another choice, “I have set before you life and death, blessing or curse; choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). How do these quotations relate to each other and to your own philosophy of life?
Joel realized through his ordeal that life teaches us lessons. He asked himself: “Is that the way it works? For everything that happens in life there’s a reason?” (page 77). This is a philosophy of life he wants to believe. Do you agree with this philosophy? Does wanting something to be true cause us to search for experiences that make it true?
Joel was desperate to hear the “still, small voice” of God that King David heard (page 87). He searched for that voice in a cave, in a barbershop, in clouds—everywhere—but was unable to “find” it. Why could he not hear it during his search? Was it, in fact, right in front of his face? (page 99). Not until Joel stopped searching, was he able to hear it. How is this possible? Have you ever searched for that voice? Have you ever heard it?
In Pirke Avot 1:15, Shammai tells us to “listen but do much.” This wisdom is difficult to follow for someone whose whole life revolves around “talking much.” From his mother, Joel finally learns: “God is sending you a message…something so obvious you can’t even see it…It comes down to a single word. Listen.”(page 155). How does this improve Joel’s life and his relationships with others? How does this relate to his desire to hear God’s voice?
The metaphor of light is featured in this story in two very different ways. In the first (page 123), Joel decides to stop pushing himself and just to listen to the silence of his voice. In the second, Joel’s mother finally tells her own story (page 164-165). How can we “see the light” by both listening and speaking?
Joel strives to find the secret of happiness. He even concludes his book with a story of that name. In the end, though, he decides, “there is no secret of happiness.” What do you think? Is life a continuous search for that secret, or is there, in fact, no secret at all?
Further Reading
Ausubel, Nathan,ed. A Treasury of Jewish Folklore: The Stories, Traditions, Legends Humor and Wisdom of the Jewish People. New York: Crown Publishers, 1990.
Biers-Ariel, Matt. The Seven Species: Stories and Recipes Inspired by the Foods of the Bible,Illustrated by Tama Goodman. New York: URJ Press, 2004.
Bush, Lawrence. Rooftop Secrets and Other Stories of Anti-Semitism, Illustrated by Martin Lemelman. New York: URJ Press, 1986.
Citron, Sterna. Why the Baal Shem Tov Laughed: Fifty-two Stories about our Great Chasidic Rabbis. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc.,1994.
Cone, Molly. Who Knows Ten? Children’s Tales of the Ten Commandments. Illustrated by Robin Brickan. New York: URJ Press, 1998.
Goldberg, Edwin. Heads and Tales: Stories of the Sages to Enlighten our Minds. New York: URJ Press, 2004.
Jaffe, Nina and Steven Zeitlin. While Standing on One Foot: Puzzle Stories and Wisdom Tales from the Jewish Tradition, Illustrated by John Segal. New York: Henry Holt, 1993.
Maisel, Grace Ragues and Samantha Shubert. A Year of Jewish Stories: 52 Tales for Children and Their Families, Illustrated by Tammy L. Keiser. New York: URJ Press, 2004
Schram, Peninnah. Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., 1987.
Schwartz, Howard. Miriam’s Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from Around the World. Illustrated by Lloyd Bloom. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Zeitlin, Steve. Because God Loves: An Anthology of Jewish Storytelling. New York: Touchstone Books, 1997.
Recordings
Ben Izzy, Joel. Lights and Laughter – Joel Ben Izzy Spins Hanukkah Tales. Recording. Cal: Old City Press.
Ben Izzy, Joel. How I Learned to Love Liver and Other Tales Too Tall To Tell. Recording. Cal: Old City Press.
Ben Izzy, Joel. The Green Hand and Ghostly Tales from Around the World. Recording. Cal: Old City Press.
Ben Izzy, Joel. Buried Treasures – A Storyteller’s Journey. Recording. Cal: Old City Press.
Ben Izzy, Joel. The Beggar King and Other Tales From Around the World. Recording. Cal: Old City Press.
Ben Izzy, Joel. Stories From Far Away. Recording. Cal: Old City Press.
Rabbi Rachel Rembrandt is spiritual leader of Chevrei Tikva in Cleveland, Ohio and serves as regional educator for the Northeast Lakes Council/Detroit Federation, Union for Reform Judaism.
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