This story is dedicated to my precious grandchildren (may they live long and healthy lives)
And to the blessed memory of Shifra Chava Yenta who returned to our Maker before we had the chance to tell her a story.
And to the Creator who grants me the will, the tools and the creativity to write my stories
Chapter 1
Once upon a time, in the city of Shushan there lived the Argammon family of horses. These horses came from a long line of special horses.
They were counted among the finest and most valuable horses in the Kingdom of Persia and Media. And so it was that they were counted among the royal horses of King Ahashverosh.
The quickest among them were used to serve
the king as runners whose job it was to deliver
the king’s messages to all parts of the kingdom
– far and wide.
The most beautiful horses of the Argammon family served as personal horses to the royal family and viceroys.
When the king left his palace dressed in his royal clothing, Benny – the most beautiful and obedient horse of them all – was dressed in royalty as well.
His head piece was made of gold and set with precious stones. A large red feather crowned Benny’s head. His steps were light and dignified. When he walked, the silver and copper bells on his garments could be heard tingling with each of his steps.
All the people who lived in Shushan would come out to greet the king and see the splendor of it all. The royal family rode in beautiful carriages drawn by special horses – all members of the Argammon family.
King Ahashverosh made sure to take special care of the
Argammon family of horses. They were fed the finest
food, were cared for by the best doctors, draped with the
finest fabrics and were housed in large stables. Why, the
king himself visited the stables to take pride in his beloved
horses.
One day, the royal officers hurried Benny from his stable. Everyone was alarmed – “What’s going on here?!” they shouted. Even Benny was shocked. It was so unexpected.
Haman, the king’s number one minister, pushed people in anger as he made his way to the stables. Everyone was surprised to see Mordechai the Jew, dressed in royal clothing, wearing the king’s crown, walking behind Haman.
Mordechai stepped on Haman’s stooped back in order to climb onto Benny. Then Haman led Benny through the streets of Shushan shouting at the top of his lungs – “This is what will be done to the man whom the King wishes to honor!”
Haman was completely ridiculed and shamed. His face was beet red, his back was hunched over.
And the people of the city of Shushan roared and
cheered – men, women and children came out to
cheer and honor Mordechai and to view this most
unusual sight.
Suddenly, on one of the fanciest streets of Shushan, a pail of filthy garbage was dumped from above directly toward Benny, Mordechai and Haman!
The garbage landed right on Haman’s head! Benny was frightened by the unforeseen trash and jumped aside. Mordechai calmed him by petting his neck and whispering calming words into his ear.
The crowd stood silent at the strange, almost laughable sight. Haman – head covered in garbage – continued to lead Benny through the streets of Shushan. And Mordechai dressed in royal garments, was received by the people with tremendous cheering.
For Benny, this was a most memorable experience. From that day forward, this tale became a family legend. Each night, after the guards put out the candles, the Argammon family prepared for bedtime as Benny gathered the ponies around to retell the story of Mordechai being led through the streets of Shushan by the evil Haman.
Over time, the Argammon family of horses heard about the continuation of the events of that fateful day. It was only a short time before Haman was hung from the very tree he had prepared for hanging Mordechai! And Mordechai was made viceroy to the king! The fastest Argammon horses were called upon for a very important mission.
They rode to all 127 lands in the kingdom to announce that each Jew had the right to fight anyone who rises up to harm him. When they arrived home after the long journey, they shared the story of their trip with the horses back in Achashverosh’s stables.
King Ahashverosh was very happy with Mordechai and gave Benny, his personal horse to Mordechai as a gift! Benny was elated as it was a well-known tradition in his family that the Argammon family of horses was direct descendants of King Solomon’s personal horse.
After all, it is well known that King Solomon had many horses. And when the Jews were exiled from Israel – the land of the Jews, the finest horses were exiled with them. And just as the holy vessels were taken from the holy Temple and moved to the Royal Palace of Persia, so too, was the Argammon Family of royal horses, taken to serve the royal Persian family.
So the hidden miracle that happened to the Argammon family was that the beautiful, strong, and obedient Benny – the finest and most valuable horse in Persia and Media, returned to Jewish hands. This story has been passed down from generation to generation until this very day.
Chapter 2
It was Pesach vacation and the Pollak family made a day trip to the ranch. There, the children learned how to brush and wash the horses. They were taught to lead the horses and to feed them too. At the end of their visit, the guide gave the children permission to bring, Benny the horse back to the stable. Benny had something special which attracted the Pollak children. He was a very beautiful horse and was very careful not to frighten the children. The guide told them that Benny was the strongest, most beautiful and most obedient horse on the ranch.
The Pollak parents stayed behind to talk with the guide while their children headed for the stables. When the group entered the stable, Benny looked to his left and then his right. When he saw there were no grown-ups around he opened his mouth and began to speak! The children were shocked! They tried to figure out where the voice was coming from; who could be hiding, tricking them into thinking a horse
could talk? But there was nobody around!
They finally understood that something very unusual was
happening. Benny asked them to sit nearby. Each of them found
a comfortable place to sit.
And Benny began to speak…
“Sweet little children, listen quietly for a few minutes and I will tell you a story about my great, great, great grandfather…actually, this story goes all the way back thousands of years to the time of King Solomon – the wisest king of Israel. He had many horses. His horses were very special. They served the King of Israel for generation after generation. All of the kings in the surrounding countries wished they could own the Argammon family of horses. When the Jewish people strayed from the ways of Hashem, another nation was sent to force the Jews to leave their holy Land. My family (the Argammon family of horses) was also taken and in the end brought to serve Ahashverosh, king of Persia and Media. Ahashverosh understood that my family was very unique.”
And so, Benny continued to tell the story of his great, great grandfather. The Pollak children all sat in silence with their eyes wide open. They all knew the story of Purim and here, in front of them, stood the great grandson of the very horse that Mordechai rode all those years ago! Unbelievable!!
At the end of the story, Shimon, the eldest of the Pollak children, asked, “That happened a long, long time ago. Why are you still telling it over? There isn’t even any country called Persia or Media today. The Jewish people returned to Israel. Even you, Benny, the great grandson of the Benny of that time – even you live in Israel. So what’s so important about this whole story now??”
Benny looked at him with tears in his eyes and said softly,
"My dear child, take this to heart; I am a horse born to into a family
of royal horses. I come from distinguished lineage. I live my life
on the level of royalty.
That is my legacy. It is my right and my responsibility. That is why all the generations before me going back to ancient times, continued to tell and retell the story. It doesn’t matter how many years have passed. It is our tradition and we keep traditions.
"You also have traditions; you also come from special lineage.
You are also the children of royalty.
And it doesn’t matter how much time passes, or in which country you find yourselves. You, as Jews, have passed many years in many lands; in good times and in very hard times and you always remained true to your holy Torah. That is what kept your people alive until now.
"Continue on the path of your forefathers and very soon, Mashiach will come to redeem you. I heard that he is already here, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself. So there is great value to your story, just as there is value to mine."
Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Pollak’s voices became clear as they approached the stable. Benny kept quiet and the children stood up and rushed to their parents. On the way to the car they told their parents with excitement all about the talking horse. Mrs. Pollak looked at her husband, laughed and said “What imaginations these children have!”
The children laughed and turned to take one last look at Benny – the horse born of royal horses. Benny winked at them and the children could see a small smile on Benny’s face. They smiled back and piled into the car.
END
Happy Purim!
MashaFaygel Tokayer
© 2018
Argammon
A Tale of Royal Horses
By MashaFaygel Tokayer
Originally written in Hebrew 5774 (2014)
Translated to English 5778 (2018)