The Lion in the Desert

It is told that after many days of travel through Morocco and the desert, Rav Alfasi noticed that it was Friday and the sun was sinking in the afternoon sky. The caravan was still deep in the dry wilderness, yet he dismounted from his camel and announced that he would remain in the desert for the day so that he would not have to travel on Shabbos.

"What? Are you insane?" cried his fellow travelers. "The desert is no place for you to remain alone. The sun is hot, the wind is harsh, the land is dry, and there are wild beasts that will tear you apart. There are lions in the wilderness, who will gobble you up in one bite. Not even a camel would want to stay."

But Rav Alfasi stayed. The caravan members argued with him for an hour, but he would not budge, and with regret they continued on their way to Tunis, leaving him to spend Shabbos alone in the desert.

As the afternoon drew to a close, Rav Alfasi took a stick and drew a circle in the sand around himself. There he davened Maariv and ate the Shabbos meal.

As he finished his meal, he saw a lion running toward him from a distance. The Rav was not afraid. He began to recite Birkas Hamazon, and when the lion reached the circle, it simply stopped, crouched and sat down. This lion had not come to eat him but to protect him.

In the morning the Rav awoke, davened Shacharis and learned in honor of Shabbos, while the lion kept watch throughout the day. After Shabbos he placed his bags on the lion's back, mounted it, and the lion galloped off with him toward Tunis.

Soon the Rav and his bags arrived in Tunis, riding into the city on the back of a lion. The people were shocked and frightened, and many ran home and barricaded their doors. "Do not fear," Rav Alfasi told them. "This lion is a good lion. No harm will come to you." He dismounted, checked into an inn, and thanked the lion, which galloped out of the city and back into the wilderness.

Several days later the caravan entered the city. The travelers were amazed not only that Rav Alfasi had survived the desert, but that he had reached Tunis days ahead of them. "Come join us as we continue on to Eretz Yisroel," the caravan leaders told him.

But Rav Alfasi did not join them. During his few days in Tunis he had met the Jewish community and seen that they needed a new teacher. He stayed, and that is how he came to lead the Jewish community of Tunisia.