"All the kids make fun of me at school. They laugh and call me names," Al replied. He sniffled and drew his sleeve across his nose. The Rabbi sat down and put his arm around Al's shoulders.
"Why are the other children so mean to you?"
"Because I get good grades and have answers for the teachers. They don't like me because I'm smarter then they are."
"Oh," the Rabbi said softly.
"I wish I didn't have feelings. Then the kids couldn't hurt me. What are feelings good for, anyway? They only hurt." Al looked down. The Rabbi thought for a moment in silence before answering Al's question.
"Have you ever heard the story of King Ashon?"
"No," Al replied. He looked up at the Rabbi with interest.
"Then let me tell you," the Rabbi said, and then told his story:
King Ashon was one of twelve kings who ruled vast kingdoms in a far away land many years ago. He was a very powerful man, in both strength and mind. No one could invade his land because his army was too strong and his strategy too clever to overcome. His riches filled the hundreds of rooms in his huge castle, where he, the queen, and his beautiful daughter lived.
However, for all his power, King Ashon acted very badly. His riches came from heavy taxes placed on his overworked people. Those who could work lived in weary misery. Ashon locked those who could not work hard enough in the dungeon for failure to pay taxes. While all the hard work made plenty of food and other things, no one could afford to buy anything.
The queen saw the pain afflicting her people and argued with the king often.
"Our people are in misery," the queen said. "You work them too hard and take all their money away to pay for your army. You arrest people for the smallest of crimes, and worse, lock up those who cannot work because they are not strong enough or smart enough. Our people need mercy."
"Our people are alive; what else do they need? Mercy is something we cannot afford," Ashon would always reply. "Protection comes before frivolity."
Understand that Ashon was not a bad man. He did not imprison out of cruelty or tax out of greed. It was just that the twelve kings had decided long ago that feelings clouded a king's judgement. They made all kings give up feelings to avoid being weak.
One day, King Ashon discovered that the Queen had secretly given extra food to the prisoners in the dungeon. He stared coldly as she tried to explain. When she had finished, he ordered her banished to a far corner of the kingdom.
"No!" King Ashon turned to see his daughter run into the room. They looked at each other as he rose from his seat and a single tear ran down her cheek. And then a wondrous thing happened.
When the king and his daughter looked at each other, their eyes met and so did something else. Her gaze broke through the prison holding his feelings and another tear fell, this time from the king's eye.
Now some ask what caused this change. Some say it was God; some say magic. In fact, it was much more simple. All feelings are half of a bridge, seeking out another feeling so that humanity can cross the space between people. King Ashon's daughter felt so strongly that her sadness bridged the vast unfeeling sea that surrounded her father.
The break in King Ashon's barrier widened and finally broke. He cried for 40 days and 40 nights ("No, Al, it's not the same story"). His wife and daughter tended to the kingdom, happy that his feelings had been set free.
Meanwhile, the other eleven kings learned that King Ashon had rediscovered feelings. The met in council to discuss the issue and determined that King Ashon must be removed from power, lest his ideas infect the other eleven kingdoms. The other kings led an army into King Ashon's land.
They advanced quickly, having an army eleven times greater. However, this changed as the war went on and King Ashon discovered how to use his feelings. He could now understand how his troops felt and shaped his orders to allow them to fight their best. He knew when his army was exhausted because he could feel it. The other eleven kings drove their army to destruction because they did not. After a few months, King Ashon pushed the invaders from his realm.
After the war, King Ashon continued to use his new feelings to rule better. He changed his policies to be more merciful and caring, improving his people's health and happiness. The taxes were lowered and the army was reduced. King Ashon understood that how people feel is an important part of the quality of their life. He used his feelings to identify those in his realm who truly cared about the kingdom and made them his advisors and ministers. After his death, the kingdom continued to prosper under these leaders.
King Ashon is revered in his land to this very day. His people recognized that being able to feel and learn from it is a great quality. Those who did show a wisdom gained from their feelings were "compared to Ashon." Over the years, this was shortened to "compassion."
"Is that a true story, Rabbi?" Al asked.
"Yes, it is."
Al thought for a moment. "Do you mean that I can use my feelings to become very wise and do great things?"
"Yes, young Al Einstein, I do."