The rav thought for a moment and announced, “The voice is coming from the treasure chest. Quickly remove what is on it.” The members of the rav’s family removed the plates, silverware, ka’aroh, kosos, wine, matzos, and haggadahs. Finally the Pesach tablecloth was taken away revealing the golden treasure chest. The lid was opened and slowly but steadily an ominous creature emerged!
Everyone began screaming and hitting it, but the collective beatings had absolutely no effect on the grisly creature that kept emerging! Everyone’s fear was palpable as they desperately cried to Hashem for salvation.
Suddenly, a voice rang out saying; “Let the Rav write with his finger upon the forehead of the creature the Name of Hashem that is found in the pasuk…Now, let the Rav write with his finger upon the heart of the creature the Name….” The instructions of the ominous “bas kol” kept guiding the rav. He was to continue to write with his finger different Names of Hashem upon various parts of the creature’s body. Everyone watched as the grisly creature began shrinking before their eyes, until it finally disappeared! The communal witnesses left the rav’s home, hurrying to their collective sedarim with a great sense of happiness.
That night, the king felt an immense joy. Imagine, the glory of being the one to finally rid the world of those obnoxious Jews. Unbeknown to him, the Jews were saved by their benevolent King. Just as He had saved them on this very night from the bondage of Egypt, He had saved them again on this same night in Rome, from the schemes of the wicked descendant of our archenemy Esav, and of the present king.
By morning, the devious king could wait no longer. He expected to hear of the demise of the Jews. He sent soldiers to the home of the rav, demanding that he come to the palace with the royal treasure chest he had been entrusted to guard. As commanded, the rav hurried, while the king’s soldiers carried the chest with them. One can only imagine the worry and tefillos of the rav’s family and other members of his kehilah that accompanied him to the palace…
Immediately, upon its arrival, the king rushed over and personally opened the lid of the treasure chest. To his shock all six hundred thousand blades of grass were dried out!
“Did you open my treasure chest against my specific orders?” queried the king.
“No, my Master,” answered the rav out of fear to admit otherwise.
“Rest assured that I will not punish or harm you in any way,’ said the king in a sincere tone. “I really gave you a golden casket filled with numerous blades of grass that were ancient but moist. Now all these blades are dried out. Tell me what really happened!”
Now the rav told the king all of what had taken place the night before. He noted that his family and prominent members of his community had witnessed Hashem’s salvation.
The wise king was astonished by the rav’s description of the true events that had occurred at his Seder.
“I now understand clearly that your G-d is the greatest. It is He who saves your people from the enemies seeking to destroy you. I have concluded that I sincerely wish to convert to your religion and become a Jew,” declared the wise ruler.
And so it was. The wise king converted and there was a very great sanctification of Hashem’s name in the world.
The Ben Ish Chai explains in his Sefer Orach Chaim, that the fourth generation descendent of Eliphaz the son of Esav gathered the numerous different types of grass into a chest that remained closed. It was his hope as well as the hope of the succeeding evil rulers of Rome that these blades of grass would wither on their own and unleash a force that would successfully destroy the Jewish people.
