| Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917. | | | | The Rabbi’s Present | | Anonymous |
| | | A RABBI once, by all admired, | |
| Received, of high esteem the sign | |
| From those his goodness thus inspired, | |
| A present of a cask of wine. | |
| But lo! when soon he came to draw, | 5 |
| A miracle in mode as rapid | |
| But quite unlike what Cana saw, | |
| Had turned his wine to water vapid. | |
| The Rabbi never knew the cause, | |
| For miracles are things of mystery; | 10 |
| Though some like this have had their laws | |
| Explained from facts of private history. | |
| His friends whom love did aptly teach, | |
| Wished all to share the gracious task, | |
| So planned to bring a bottle each, | 15 |
| And pour their wine in one great cask. | |
| Now one by chance thought, “None will know, | |
| And with the wine of all my brothers | |
| One pint of water well may go;” | |
| And so by chance thought all the others. | 20 | | | |
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