The Sages of Chelm and the Moon

The people of Chelm loved to go outside and walk around, especially on moon-lit nights.

Why especially on moon-lit nights? 'Because the streets of Chelm were full of mud and there were no streetlights. And when the road is full of mud, and there are obstacles in the way and no lamps to light up the darkness, it's nice when the moon is shining and you can see where you're going'. Jewish folklore of Eastern Europe celebrates a mythical town of Chelm.

The town, believed to have been somewhere in Poland, was supposed to be populated by notoriously stupid residents. There are numerous tales of their idiotic exploits and the most famous is the story the story of the people of Chelm and the moon. The people of Chelm would go outside at night and admire the moon.

Indeed, they loved the sight of the moon so much they were always frustrated they could not see it every night.

They decided the best course of action would be to capture the moon in a barrel, so they could gaze upon it whenever they chose. Shlomo Abbas retells the story with a perfect comic touch and Omer Hoffmann illustrates the tale beautifully.