Jewish Folklore Episode 30: Sacrilegious Book Club

[00:00:00] Hey everyone, Husband here. And I'm wife. If you've been listening to us then you

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[00:01:16] Welcome to sacrilegious discourse. I'm husband. And I'm wife. Together we're reading the

[00:01:20] Bible for the very first time. We grew up without religion and wanted to know what all the fuss was

[00:01:25] about. Well, what do we learn so far? That God is a dick and apparently some people believe in

[00:01:31] talking donkeys. We're not trying to pass ourselves off as experts. Nope, we're just reading the

[00:01:35] Bible for the first time and giving our first take reaction. If you'd like to join us in this venture

[00:01:40] you might consider starting an episode one. Otherwise jump in wherever you like. All right, let's go

[00:01:45] read the Bible. Yeah, let's get to it.

[00:01:50] Husband! Wife! Do you know what we're doing today right now? Well, it is Sunday which means that

[00:01:57] we're probably doing sacrilegious book club. That's the one Jesus. Oh my god, that was so enthusiastic.

[00:02:06] That was like some pin-up sacrilegious book clubbing. It was. It was. It's been a minute. Yeah,

[00:02:10] so what are we book clubbing today? So we're still in this big old book called

[00:02:18] Treasury of Jewish Folk Laws, stories, traditions, legends, humor, wisdom and folk songs of the

[00:02:23] Jewish people edited by Nathan Osubell. Yeah. And oh, we're in, I forget what part it is but it's

[00:02:31] over halfway through the book. It sure is. We're doing some folk tales. Folk tales on page 565. You

[00:02:39] gave a lead in to the last and the last episode that we did that there's might be somewhat relevant

[00:02:43] to the time period that we're in talking about maybe. Yeah, relevant to the thing that we just read

[00:02:49] on yesterday with regard to the macabees that you found so confusing. Yeah, I did. Just for

[00:02:58] the record, I relistened to our episode today and I still was confused. Oh my god. Okay,

[00:03:02] it's the same. Well, okay, well then maybe you'll hate this. Who knows? I would not,

[00:03:07] I will see. We'll see. All right. So are you ready to do this? Yes, I am. All right, let's do it.

[00:03:12] Okie dokie.

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[00:04:46] terms and conditions apply. All right so I did a quick peek and remember when I said oh

[00:04:53] shit I don't remember what part we're in. Yeah so we are in part four tails and legends

[00:04:59] and then of that we are in chapter four folk tales. Okay. Yeah. And we're just covering the first half

[00:05:09] of this chapter because it's about Alexander the Great. Okay which is interesting. Yeah okay all right

[00:05:18] all right so anyway like I said page 565 and I'm just going to start with the introduction here

[00:05:24] and then go into some notes that I have. Okay sure. So the narrative art of Jewish folklore has the

[00:05:31] liveliness and color of all Eastern storytelling Jewish Hindu and Arabic tales alike. They use

[00:05:39] all the technical devices of suspense and the surprise ending with much skill and yet there is a

[00:05:45] subtle difference that marks off Jewish tales and legends from the other. Okay. Okay they are

[00:05:51] more subrible turned inward as it were and tirelessly pointing a moral for the guidance of men.

[00:05:58] Okay so their stories are more moral driven. They say that. They say that. I mean I don't know how much

[00:06:04] stock put into that based on what we've read that's not always the case. Well I'm just saying like you

[00:06:09] know obviously this is leaning towards the Jewish take on this. Right. I mean to say that the other

[00:06:16] religions don't have a moral take is maybe being a little disingenuous possibly. Well I know the

[00:06:24] folklore. We don't know the other side so I'm just saying we don't know. I don't know their

[00:06:27] folklore. Right right exactly. And that's what I'm saying. We can't speak. That's true. We're

[00:06:31] giving an opinion based on this book. Right that is true. That is true. That's all I wanted to say.

[00:06:37] This is the character of the didactic tales about Alexander Muck Dune or Alexander the Macedonian

[00:06:46] okay who is Alexander the great fucking great got it. Okay yeah so here's where I'm going to

[00:06:53] deviate from the intro and go into my notes which include some information from the intro but

[00:07:00] also a little bit more about Alexander the great and the time period to kind of tie it in better

[00:07:06] with what we were reading yesterday. Okay yeah. So it is surprising that A the G that's how I

[00:07:14] what Alexander the great oh that's how I abbreviated him in my notes. Yeah yeah it's surprising

[00:07:22] that Alexander the great looms so large and favorably in Jewish folklore because he had very little

[00:07:29] contact with the Jewish people except for that one time that one time that he marched through Palestine

[00:07:35] in 332 BCE okay so yeah he did that got it was he just passing through he was just passing

[00:07:42] through on his way to conquer the world you know yeah took it down whatever yeah right until the

[00:07:48] age of 16 Alexander was tutored by Aristotle really right so so crazy leak all the different

[00:07:56] people and things that like tie in tie in together and they go together right right like I have

[00:08:03] such a hard time when I'm studying like in school you only study one culture at a time yeah and

[00:08:11] then you never come back to it when you study a different culture the next semester right and the

[00:08:17] teacher and the history books like they never put those things side by side and tell you these

[00:08:24] things were happening in different parts of the world at the same time sure and that that is why

[00:08:29] I've always hated history because I could never understand they don't tie it together yeah right

[00:08:34] and I'm a person that I need all those loose ends tied together now one of my favorite podcasts

[00:08:40] that is sadly no longer I don't think they make new episodes anymore as much or at least

[00:08:45] that like I think they release things from other people or something like that but it's not the

[00:08:48] exact thing that I liked but NPR had a podcast called Thru line and I loved that podcast because

[00:08:56] they would talk about a current issue through the lens of all of history essentially like they

[00:09:02] would they would tell you about that incident that thing yeah starting from where it all originated

[00:09:08] from through current day I really like that one too yeah it was such a great podcast it was really

[00:09:14] good I liked it so so this upbringing being tutored by Aristotle and his education contributed to

[00:09:21] his popularity because Hellenism and other Greek culture things yeah had been infiltrating steadily

[00:09:29] into Jewish life since the pre-Maca Bian era which I mean that makes sense because that's what we're

[00:09:36] talking about yesterday the confusion with the Greek culture versus the Jewish culture right yeah

[00:09:43] and yay they're getting rid of the Greek culture but also oh no we're getting rid of the Greek culture

[00:09:50] yeah like they couldn't decide what they wanted sure and so that was happening in Judea and Syria

[00:09:55] but particularly into Egypt where great Jewish population of more than one million wow yeah had

[00:10:04] developed a significant Greco Jewish culture by the second century BCE especially interesting

[00:10:11] considering God was gonna kill them all right yeah they didn't run away back to Judea exactly

[00:10:17] yeah yeah he was gonna wipe him all out and instead but now it's published yeah right in Egypt right

[00:10:22] crazy how it worked yeah thus Greek legends about Alexander the great found an eager audience among

[00:10:29] Hellenized Jews okay yeah I just I love well and there was that Greek Pharaoh too or

[00:10:35] remember I wonder if that helped you know solidify some of those ideas too oh definitely

[00:10:40] definitely yeah so in 335 BCE shortly after his assumption of kingship over Macedon Alexander the

[00:10:50] great campaign I can't say just Alexander right you know the great is his last name right

[00:10:56] you know yeah he campaigned in the Balkans and he marched all over the damn place right okay gaining

[00:11:02] control of some countries and then destroying others okay so if he couldn't like make them

[00:11:10] bend to his will he just like yeah basically bombed him you know whatever right so in 334 BCE

[00:11:18] he invaded the Persian Empire yeah and he began a series of campaigns that lasted for 10 years wow

[00:11:25] yeah following his conquest in Asia Minor right sorry yeah Alexander the great broke the power of

[00:11:36] Persia in a series of decisive battles so I mean he was kicking some ass pretty great he was pretty

[00:11:42] great I mean for you know that's what I hear the military person yeah yeah so after the fall

[00:11:46] of Persia the Macedonian Empire held a vast swath of territory between the Adriatic Sea and the

[00:11:53] Indus River you know it is funny to me though that we know him as Alexander the great and he

[00:11:59] apparently was very well thought of by Israelites which kind of translates into Western culture yes

[00:12:06] so like that idea that he was great from them is maybe why we think of him as but like if you're

[00:12:12] Persian if you're from that part of the world or Asia Minor he wasn't so great yeah exactly right

[00:12:19] he wanted to reach the quote ends of the world and the great outer sea okay okay so he invaded

[00:12:26] India in 326 BCE yeah he was way around the world oh he did he did he achieved there a very important

[00:12:33] victory okay yeah so yeah he was sticking his dick everywhere yeah right due to the demand of his

[00:12:40] homesick troops he eventually turned back and later on died in 323 BCE okay in Babylon the city

[00:12:49] of Mesopotamia that he had planned to establish as his empires capital okay which I just I thought

[00:12:56] that was interesting yeah right like we're literally in the place right that we've been reading about

[00:13:02] yeah okay Alexander's death left a series of military and mercantile campaigns unfinished like he

[00:13:10] had all these great plans that sure just kind of fell through when he died right these would have begun

[00:13:15] with a Greek invasion of Arabia wow yeah in the years following his death a series of civil wars broke

[00:13:23] out across the Macedonia and empire eventually leading to its disintegration huh so he was the only

[00:13:30] thing holding it together right then when he died and all his plans everything yeah so he was

[00:13:37] like a great leader but didn't apparently have great leadership right to bring up somebody to

[00:13:45] follow him up yeah yeah so his personality appealed to the Jewish community for multiple reasons

[00:13:52] which I have listed here okay one he treated his conquered people more humanely and with more tolerance

[00:13:59] than other world conquerors okay yeah so that's kind of cool right like as long as they bent

[00:14:04] yeah right in charge yeah then he was like all right cool go about your business do your thing sure

[00:14:11] number two he allowed Jewish life to continue undisturbed as long as they just let him have world

[00:14:17] domination like literally I mean you know fair enough right they look how many times have the

[00:14:25] Israelites been in war have been conquered have conquered others but like fighting all the time

[00:14:31] right somebody comes along they're like hey you're good I just want to claim this land yeah I just

[00:14:37] need to write your name here for tax purposes and then they're like but we can do everything we were

[00:14:41] doing we're still Jewish right right and they're like yeah yeah so I mean they're probably like okay

[00:14:46] yeah cool yeah go ahead I mean I we don't want to fight all this so you know you can say you on us

[00:14:52] we don't give a shit cool with it we're always owned by somebody right okay so number three his

[00:14:58] military genius was astonishing to all like everywhere he went even though they got conquered they'd be

[00:15:05] like but yeah he has a pretty brilliant leader I mean sure what he did to us yeah you know I mean we

[00:15:11] still talk about that today that's like I read in one of my notes that um military leaders still

[00:15:19] to this day study his brilliant campaigns right because he was just such a smart genius yeah like I'm

[00:15:31] sorry I'm fumbling for words because how many different ways can you say brilliant and smart

[00:15:35] and genius you know right right but that's what he was sure okay number four he was a philosopher

[00:15:40] of the highest pedigree as the Jews had great reverence for Aristotle so they respected that about him

[00:15:47] okay they're like cool cool cool we like that philosophy shit right right which is funny because they

[00:15:51] were also like but philosophy and Greek stuff to we don't like that but we do though but there might

[00:15:58] have been different groups too because like I mean the I don't know like I don't know it's so weird

[00:16:05] because they were like some of them were for it and some of them were against it and it depended on

[00:16:10] the political reason why and which group of them and which country they were in at the moment sure

[00:16:16] and but like let's take the United States right like if somebody were to write a history about this

[00:16:20] time period later on and say well the the US had taken a large swing to the Christian nationalist

[00:16:26] side of things and that's how the world started like that's how they started acting because

[00:16:30] the government was controlled by that and the Supreme Court and everybody started you know a blah blah

[00:16:35] blah blah blah blah but that doesn't mean that we're a monolith that's true fact you know most of us

[00:16:40] don't agree with that right but our government acts as though that's not the case right exactly

[00:16:46] all right number five his intellect was admired almost as greatly perhaps as Solomon's wow yeah so they

[00:16:55] they didn't make that comparison Solomon might have been the wisest but this dude was like the

[00:16:59] second wisest yeah like they didn't make that comparison themselves but the way that they write about

[00:17:05] him and admire him yeah it's like they all but say it got it okay so Talmud authors found in

[00:17:13] Alexander the perfect specimen for their moralizing folktales okay because even though he was

[00:17:20] like a brilliant military campaign person and he was really smart and stuff um he wasn't Solomon

[00:17:26] he wasn't Jewish so they could also like paint them as goofy sure and be like oh that Alexander the

[00:17:33] great got it you know what I mean yeah so one satirical question raised in many of the Jewish

[00:17:38] Alexander stories is this how was it possible for a man claiming to be a philosopher to be so lacking

[00:17:47] in wisdom and virtue as the pursues such destructive and senseless ends as wars of conquest

[00:17:55] I mean you could say the same thing about the Israelites at certain points during their

[00:17:59] you know earlier years yeah so I don't that how indeed maybe looking weird a little bit right

[00:18:05] right so many Alexander stories in the Agata and other Jewish literature yeah which there are

[00:18:13] Alexander the great stories in the Agata and then Jewish literature sure that just

[00:18:18] astounds me yeah I don't know why but I that just came unexpected to me right um they come

[00:18:23] straight from Greek tales and legends okay um the three that are included in this section

[00:18:30] that we're going to read today yeah um those three are Jewish and origin okay so the other ones

[00:18:37] were influenced by other stories these ones are strictly Jewish and Jewish created okay yeah

[00:18:44] the second one is derived from the Talmud the second story that we're going to read came from

[00:18:50] the Talmud and the third one first appeared in the Agata okay so now we're going to get into

[00:18:58] these stories and they're all pretty short okay none of them are too brilliant I just thought

[00:19:03] that that makes for a natural breaking point in the chapter yeah to talk about Alexander the great

[00:19:08] and then read those three stories and then we'll do the other ones next book club okay that are not

[00:19:14] Alexander related sure sure okay so we start with the great are also little on page 566 okay this

[00:19:22] one when I read it sounded kind of familiar so I've either heard this specific story or one inspired by

[00:19:29] it got it okay um this is page 566 the great are also little no matter how much he achieved in

[00:19:36] the world Alexander still remained dissatisfied I would like to experience something most unusual that

[00:19:44] no human being before me has ever experienced he cried so he ordered his hunters hunters to capture

[00:19:51] a number of eagles nobody ever captured eagles like that before just kidding he chose the largest

[00:19:57] among them and sat himself astride it you couldn't be very big if you could sit even on a large

[00:20:03] eagle is my opinion right um you can't be a very large person I think people were a little bit

[00:20:10] smaller back they were shorter so like Lincoln is supposed to be like super tall but then if you

[00:20:15] like actually look at his measurements I think he was on like 510 right yeah some shit like that

[00:20:20] well if you ever walked into like old houses from like the yeah yeah like the doorways are so much

[00:20:26] lower yeah interesting right yeah it's almost like evolution or something you know it's almost

[00:20:32] like that right interesting interesting yeah so maybe they could fit on eagles back then maybe okay

[00:20:38] so he sat on this fucking eagle he chose the largest among them and sat himself astride on it then

[00:20:43] he speared a piece of flesh onto his lance and raised it high as soon as the eagle smelled the flesh

[00:20:51] it rose up in the air straining to reach it purposely Alexander held the flesh out of reached

[00:20:57] of the eagle who rose ever higher and higher into the air Alexander the great rota fucking eagle

[00:21:04] rota fucking eagle into the sky yeah cold bullshit but okay I mean it's not a bad way to write

[00:21:09] a eagle if you're gonna write it even less the way that it was not possible yeah I mean that's

[00:21:13] how I'd write a dragon sure you know just dangle some meat in front of it yeah yeah yeah soon the

[00:21:18] towns and cities began to look like pin points to the king Alexander was filled with vain glory

[00:21:25] who can compare to me now he gloated I am higher than all men in my eyes now they look like

[00:21:33] insects hmm and I'm like you're brilliant and nobody else would ever do that right like now

[00:21:40] that they've seen you do it though you're not great you were just the first one that did that

[00:21:44] and maybe not the first one but just the first one that we know about I mean let's just be clear

[00:21:48] he didn't do this oh right right right no totally no one you can't write a fucking eagle no you can't

[00:21:54] their bones would not support no no no but suddenly fear gripped him he thought if I am so high up

[00:22:01] how can people see me maybe I also look like a fly to them you do perhaps they don't see me at all

[00:22:07] and if I am out of sight how can they do me honor soon they may even forgive me like when it said

[00:22:15] that suddenly fear gripped him I thought it was like I fall from this right I will surely do

[00:22:20] that because he's gonna be forgotten what if they don't like me anymore wait if they're gonna forget

[00:22:24] you during the course of a flight on an eagle right now you got some bigger issues man yeah I'm just

[00:22:29] like I think that your priorities are confused my guy and all his pride burst and his uniqueness

[00:22:36] seemed as nothing to him now and still the eagle kept soaring farther and farther from the earth

[00:22:43] once more Alexander looked down and the earth now seemed to him like a little ball

[00:22:48] oh whatever okay so he flew that eagle up into space yeah yeah yeah the king grew frightened

[00:22:56] and he lowered his lance with the flesh on his point straining to reach it the eagle began to

[00:23:02] descend over lower and lower soon objects became distinct even larger and larger towns trees

[00:23:10] and people and the nearer he came people grew bigger and bigger to his eyes and Alexander rejoiced

[00:23:18] and derived the right moral from it okay what okay you ready for this when he reached the ground

[00:23:24] again he ordered a sculptor to fashion a portrait of him holding a small sphere in his hand

[00:23:30] let people know spoke the king that even the mighty Alexander can look as insignificant as this

[00:23:37] tiny sphere well that's that is the good moral but I don't think if they see you holding that

[00:23:44] what that looks like as you saying I was bigger than the world for a minute right the world was as

[00:23:49] nothing but a little ball while I was high in the sky yeah like I somehow think that maybe or

[00:23:55] or like you know I hold the world in the palm of my hand right yeah I'm like I hear your words

[00:24:03] but your your picture that you're asking to be painted doesn't match I maybe think you didn't get

[00:24:09] the right moral right yeah that's just my opinion okay so the next story begins on the next page

[00:24:15] 567 and it's called the Lord help with man and beast okay and I liked this one okay yeah during

[00:24:23] his march to conquer the world Alexander the Macedonian came to a people in Africa who dwelt

[00:24:29] in a remote and secluded corner in peaceful huts and knew neither war nor conqueror they led him

[00:24:36] to the hut of their chief who received him hospitably and placed before him golden dates golden

[00:24:42] figs and bread of gold okay do you eat gold in this country asked Alexander I take it for granted

[00:24:50] replied the chief that thou were able to find edible food in thine own country for what reason then

[00:24:57] art thou come among us your gold has not tempted me hither said Alexander but I would become acquainted

[00:25:04] with your manners and customs so be it rejoin the other sojourn among us long as long as it

[00:25:12] please it thee okay at the close of this conversation two citizens entered as to their court of

[00:25:19] justice the plaintiff said I bought this I bought of this man a piece of land and as I was making

[00:25:26] a deep drain through it I found a treasure this is not mine for I only bargained for the land

[00:25:32] and not for any treasure that might be concealed beneath it and yet the former owner of the land

[00:25:38] will not receive it back the hell the defendant answered I hope I have a conscience as well as my

[00:25:44] fellow citizen I sold him the land with all its contingent as well as existing advantages and

[00:25:51] consequently the treasure inclusively wow this is a very honest people right there yeah they're

[00:25:58] very nice to each other like they're going to court to fight over who who gets the gold not me

[00:26:04] right yeah it reminds me there was this episode of the Simpsons where Lisa and Bart were arguing over who

[00:26:12] loves Homer more and at first you're like oh that's cute they're like you're thinking that

[00:26:18] they're going to be like I do I do but then no they're actually saying you do you do

[00:26:27] I'll never forget that that's what this one might do me yeah okay the chief who is at the same

[00:26:31] time their supreme judge recapitulated their words in order that the parties might see whether or not

[00:26:37] he understood them a right then after some reflection he said they'll has to son friend I believe

[00:26:44] yes and thou addressing the other a daughter yes well then let thy son marry thy daughter and bestow

[00:26:53] the treasure on the young couple for a marriage portion hmm which I didn't like the arranged

[00:26:58] marriage bit right but given customers back then and the time and yeah and they were like wow

[00:27:04] yeah that's great um Alexander seemed surprised and perplexed you think my sentence unjust the chief

[00:27:12] asked him oh no replied Alexander but it astonishes me and how then rejoined the chief with the case

[00:27:19] have been decided in your country right who to confess the truth said Alexander we should have

[00:27:26] taken both parties into custody and have seized the treasure for the kings use what that's out that

[00:27:32] tracks that's that's a bit harsh like why you bring in this foolish thing I guess like either y'all

[00:27:38] split the goal well they would have been fighting to keep the gold is a thing yeah and so if they

[00:27:42] went to court over it they would be like solve this problem right right so I mean yeah that tracks

[00:27:47] yeah for the kings use exclaim the chief does the sun shine on your country oh yes does it rain

[00:27:55] there assuredly wonderful but are there tame animals in the country that live on the grass and green

[00:28:02] herbs oh very many and of many kinds I then that must be the cause said the chief for the sake of

[00:28:11] those innocent animals the all gracious being continues to let the sunshine and the rain drop

[00:28:18] on your own country since its inhabitants are unworthy of such blessings I like that one

[00:28:26] I was like oh damn right basically he's like your people suck yeah like it's a

[00:28:33] amazing feeling that some you know Alexander the great being a conquerer and all wouldn't have

[00:28:37] much appreciated that you know disparaging remark toward him um I don't know because the way

[00:28:44] he's presented in this story in particular like he doesn't say he disapproves right right

[00:28:50] specifically asked do you disapprove he's like no actually it's fine sure like he didn't he and they

[00:28:57] do refer to him as a philosopher somebody who's willing to take in new ideas yeah I I think that he was

[00:29:03] just like wow that's actually really cool we would never do something like that right right like

[00:29:08] I think he kind of admired it sure like that would never fly in my country will never be like that

[00:29:14] and I am gonna you know conquer you right but still cool cool cool good story bro right okay last

[00:29:21] one ready this one is on page 568 and it's called the equisitive i and I did kind of like this one

[00:29:28] as well okay this one's more philosophy driven yeah after he had conquered the entire world

[00:29:35] Alexander started back on his journey home to Macedonia on the way he came to a stream

[00:29:42] he dismounted and taking out some salted fish he carried in his knapsack he began to rinse them

[00:29:48] in the water before eating at this a remarkable thing happened upon touching the water the fish

[00:29:55] became alive I mean that's not entirely surprising right like you know that can happen that can't

[00:30:01] happen yeah but in this story it is magic sure okay okay filled with amazement Alexander threw

[00:30:08] himself into the stream and bathed in it now I understand he cried overjoyed that the water in

[00:30:15] this stream flows from paradise wow I will wash my face quickly in it and then I'll follow the

[00:30:20] stream for it's sure to lead me to paradise um barely had he finished washing his face when his

[00:30:25] eyes began to shine like stars his face became radiant his energies renewed I need this woman yeah

[00:30:33] where's this place I don't know but I'm hoping it will help me lose some weight right never before

[00:30:38] had he felt so happy quickly he went up to the gates of paradise but he found them closed

[00:30:43] hmm open the gates he cried out Alexander wants to answer I mean enter right like could you imagine

[00:30:51] like marching up to a gate and saying your name wants to enter I mean he was a conqueror so maybe

[00:30:57] he just fell entitled to go into whatever Trump would say it like referring to himself in the third

[00:31:02] person all the time sure open the gate husband wife wants in right like what right that's not how

[00:31:08] we talk yeah instantly the answer came these are the gates of the eternal only the pious

[00:31:15] man to hear seeing that the gates would not open for him he implored give me some kind of token

[00:31:22] oh heavenly gates so that I can prove that I've been here hmm at this the gates of paradise

[00:31:28] relented and opened for an instant a human eye then rolled towards him amazed Alexander picked it

[00:31:36] up and placed it in his knapsack then he made his way home to Macedonia hmm no sir no no sooner

[00:31:43] had he reached home when he called all his wise men together he told them everything that had happened

[00:31:48] to him what signifies the strange gift I received he asked yeah oh king replied the wise men

[00:31:56] place the eye in the scales and weigh it what for replied Alexander I can tell you before him

[00:32:03] that it weighs but little I just carried it all the way home it's fucking eye sure just do it

[00:32:08] just the same the wise men urged in the other half of the scales place a gold piece then we will

[00:32:13] find out which is heavier the wise men know a thing okay yeah you can tell they know what's happening

[00:32:19] okay then we will find out which is heavier Alexander did as they asked to a surprise he found

[00:32:25] that the eye was heavier than the gold piece he threw into the scales another gold coin still

[00:32:33] the eye was heavier oh man he then threw in a whole handful of coins in order that all his gold

[00:32:38] and silver and jewels be thrown in still the eye out weighed the treasure okay even were you to take

[00:32:46] all your chariots and horses and palaces and place them in the scales the eye will still be heavier

[00:32:52] said the wise men one crazy eye right yeah again this is a philosophy story okay how do you explain

[00:33:00] this as the king how such a thing possible learn a lesson from this oh king said the wise men

[00:33:07] know that the human eye is never satisfied with what it sees no matter how much treasure you will show

[00:33:13] it it will want more and still more your explanation doesn't satisfy me give me proof insisted Alexander

[00:33:21] which I think is fair like sure that sounds weird like arbitrary like I see that all the jewels are

[00:33:29] heavier than the eye that is some weird mojo going on right right but just what an odd lesson yeah no

[00:33:38] I agree very well agreed the wise men have all your gold and treasure removed from the scales

[00:33:45] then place a pinch of dust in their place and observe what happens barely had Alexander placed

[00:33:52] a little dust in the scales when they tip to the other end oh man for the dust proved heavier than

[00:33:58] I hmm now I understand the meaning of your words and of what was in your minds quite Alexander

[00:34:05] so long as a man is alive his eye is never sated but no sooner does he die when he is as dust

[00:34:14] then his eye loses its impulse and becomes powerless it can no longer desire the end okay yeah so I

[00:34:23] thought that was an interesting lesson yeah no I think what I like from it from the whole set there

[00:34:30] is that Alexander the great seems to be able he seems like a reasonable person yeah if

[00:34:35] if right like he conquered lots of people so I'm guessing he wasn't all that reasonable yeah at

[00:34:42] least but this you have to qualify your statement like it comes with a caveat that given that he was

[00:34:48] a fucking mass murderer I mean to be fair that's not all that uncommon in ancient times that especially

[00:34:56] we've been reading about it all like all through the Bible so it's it's almost become a little bit

[00:35:03] numbing how much we read about like just mass murder like you just almost forget that okay wait no

[00:35:10] he was reasonable given that he killed entire populations of people right he was he was

[00:35:16] reasonable to philosophies he was reasonable to intellect and to other cultures ways of doing things

[00:35:23] that allowed for equity and equality right even if he didn't necessarily practice them themselves

[00:35:30] he seemed to respect and admire it at least according to these portrayals yes so I mean I don't want

[00:35:34] to give him any more credit than he's due because I don't really know that much about him other

[00:35:38] than he's great you know according to you know history he is great that's what we hear all the time

[00:35:43] about how great he is it's part of his fucking name yeah sure is I had no idea he was actually

[00:35:49] Alexander anybody else other than the great much less Macedonia right right that he wanted

[00:35:55] to make Babylon his fucking base capital city yeah like that's so amazing so you can see why yesterday

[00:36:04] I was like y'all gonna want to stay tuned because that history about him just it fit the time period

[00:36:09] kind of got it all right well that was our is that our book club for today that is our book club

[00:36:14] for today and next time we will continue that chapter it'll have more stories folk tales but it won't

[00:36:21] involve Alexander okay so that'll do us for today for the sacrilege book club sacrilege book club

[00:36:29] and I will be getting out the weekly wrap up out here shortly wrap it up out out on the

[00:36:34] so many words there and then we will be back tomorrow with um Jeremiah chapter 46 all right

[00:36:43] we'll see you then okay dokey bye hey wife I guess that's the end but husband that's just sad

[00:36:56] it doesn't have to be we are on lots of social media platforms like twitter our handle there is

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