‘Herschel and His Goats; Loving Thy Neighbour’ – A Ukrainian Jewish folktale in support of #CookForUkraine

Many centuries ago, in the western stretches of Ukraine, lived the great Kabbalistic mystic and healer, the Baal Shem Tov. One day, as he was walking by the marketplace, he caught sight of an elderly man, unkempt and dishevelled.

To the amazement of the Baal Shem Tov, surrounding the man was the shimmering glow of heavenly light. The man however seemed quite oblivious, busy as he was perusing vegetables at one of the stalls, taking great care to pick out the choicest and freshest greens.

Intrigued, the Baal Shem Tov followed the man all the way back to his home, a dilapidated shack on the outskirts of town. Even more astonishment followed, for when the man walked through the gate, he was suddenly accosted by a throng of goats, whose ears he affectionately tousled, and whose bleating was warm and joyous. The man proceeded to get out the greens, and fed them to the appreciative beasts.

‘My dear friend!’ called out the Baal Shem Tov, and he approached the gate. ‘I’m sorry to intrude, but I couldn’t help being curious – goats like to eat shrubs and weeds, so why are you feeding them your finest produce?’

The man introduced himself as Herschel, and immediately invited the great mystic into his humble home. Over a plain wooden table, he poured out a cup of fresh goat’s milk, and offered it to his visitor. He then proceeded to tell his story.

‘My dear late wife, olav hasholom, was a very special woman, always giving herself to those less fortunate. After she died, on the seventh day of shiva, she came to me in a dream, in which she told me how caring for others filled her with love.

‘From that day on, to honour her memory, I decided I would try my best to follow her path of kindness. But all I had were my goats, I didn’t know what to do! Then I found that if I fed them the choicest greens, and tended to them with care and devotion, they would give me the richest, smoothest milk.

‘Now, whenever I visit the synagogue, I listen out for the mi shebarach blessings for the sick and needy, and later in the night, whilst everyone is sleeping, I leave out a little jug of milk on each of their doorsteps. It may not be much, but hopefully it provides some nourishment and healing.’

And with that, the Baal Shem Tov understood. He knew why the man exuded the light of the divine.

After a moment of reflection, he gave a little nod, ‘Herschel, nothing is more sacred than such offerings of love.’

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This piece is due to feature as part of my next article, but with the devastating events in Ukraine right now, I wanted to bring this section forward in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and especially to highlight the #CookForUkraine initiative.

Hearing about acts of kindness, of loving thy neighbour, and connecting with our humanity has never been so important right now, especially against this horrific backdrop of war and aggression.

On that note, just a shout-out for the incredible humanitarian initiative that is #CookForUkraine, started up by Olia Hercules, Alissa Timoshkina, Clerkenwell Boy, Layla Yarjani, and team.

Its purpose is to fundraise for the Unicef UK’s Ukraine appeal, increase awareness of the humanitarian crisis the world faces right now, and a platform for Ukrainian families and their supporters to share recipes and their stories with each other. Please do donate, cook, learn, check out the #CookForUkraine hashtag, and follow Olia and Alissa for their updates on news of the campaign as well as the situation in Ukraine.

I can also highly recommend Olia’s cookbooks – full of stories and recipes, including the pampushky below that I made from the wonderful, ‘Mamushka’.

When I think of the current plight of Ukraine, I can’t help but also think of my own family stories, generations past, of fleeing persecution in that same part of the world. Some of these are told in a piece I was privileged to co-write with Shahnaz Ahsan – ‘Curry & Kneidlach – A Tale of Two Immigrant Families’.

Finally, thanks also to my dear friend, Marc – his kind gift of ‘A Kabbalah of Food: Stories, Teachings, Recipes’ by Rabbi Hanoch Hecht is a marvellous melange of Ashkenazi tales and recipes, and includes the story of ‘Herschel, The Goat Lover’, which I have adapted for this piece.

Pampushky (recipe from Olia Hercules’ ‘Mamushka’)

#CookForUkraine

#CookForUkraine

#CookForUkraine