The Way Meat Loves Salt: A Cinderella Tale from the Jewish Tradition

I love this Jewish Cinderella story because it is filled with such nuggets of wisdom! Here Cinderella is the youngest daughter of a rabbi and is named Mireleh. One day, the rabbi asks his daughters how much they love him and when it is time for his youngest daughter to respond, she says, "I love you like meat loves salt." Humiliated and disappointed, the ignorant rabbi, who is unable to 'see' the truth of his daughter's love for him, drives the poor girl out of his house. The sad and desperate young girl walks until she comes upon a wise old man who gives her something that turns out to harbor some special powers - powers that bring untold happiness to her and reunites her with her family. This has become one of my favorite Cinderella stories, the other being The Persian Cinderella. I love these unique cultural renditions of the classic Cinderella story. They provide wonderful insights into the diverse and rich cultural traditions of various countries and cultures around the world and will entertain both young and old alike.

THE WAY MEAT LOVES SALT is a story that tells a Jewish version of Cinderella. The Cinderella tale is found in some shape or form in every culture around the world, with each culture molding and shaping the story to fit their lifestyle. THE WAY MEAT LOVES SALT is also a story that includes the "love test" (how much do you love me) which is found in literature not only in the West but in other cultures as well. The most famous example of the "love test" is in Shakespeare's KING LEAR. So, basically, THE WAY MEAT LOVES SALT is a combination of the opening of KING LEAR and the entire tale of Cinderella, but set in a Jewish village in Poland. There once was a rabbi who had three daughters. He loved his daughters very much and would do anything for them. However, one day he wondered, "How much do they love me?" He didn't know and the question troubled him. So, he asks his daughters. The eldest replies that she loves him as much as diamonds. The middle daughter replies that she loves him as much as silver and gold. But the youngest replies that she loves him "the way meat loves salt." The father is furious with such an answer and has no idea what she means. In his fury he kicks her out of the house and banishes her from the family. Thus the poor young girl, Mireleh, sets forth and begins living the life of a servant girl. However, she is assisted by a kindly old man who gives her a magical stick. Mireleh keeps the stick a secret and eventually is taken in by another rabbi and his family and this is where the Cinderella part of the story begins. The book includes a fine introduction by the author that explains who this particular tale came to be written down and what it's origins are. It also includes the lyrics and music to "Mazel Tov!" on the last page. Louise August created the illustrations and the oil-based paints that were used add to the rick folk flavor of the story. It's a fine story to read and even a better one to tell. After all, exactly what is "the way meat loves salt?"

"The Way Meat Loves Salt" is subtitled "A Cinderella Tale from the Jewish Tradition," but older readers will recognize a bit of Shakespeare's "King Lear" in the beginning of this tale told by Nina Jaffe. The setting is many years ago in Poland where a rabbi one day asks his three daughters "How much do you love me?" Reyzeleh, the oldest daughter, replies, "I love you as much as diamonds." Khaveleh, the middle child, answers, " I love you as much as gold and silver." However, Mireleh, the youngest daughter, replies "I love you the way meat loves salt," at which point her father banishes her from the home since she has compared him to lowly salt. As to the meaning of Mireleh's comment, that is not yet explained and the rabbi, despite being a student of the Talmud who ponders questions long and hard, spends no time trying to figure out the meaning of his daughter's words.As for Mireleh, she encounters an old man with shining eyes who gives him a small wooden stick. He sends her off to the home of Rabbi Yitskhok ben Levi, the renown scholar of Lublin, who lives with his wife and son, and explains that the stick is magic: tap in on the ground three times and anything Mireleh wishes for will appear. The young girl is taken into Rabbi Yitskhok's home as a beggar girl and allowed to stay in the attic. When the family goes to Cracow for a wedding, Mireleh longs to attend and uses the magic stick to come up with a dress. At this point we are into the familiar territory of the Cinderella story. But there is still the question of the meaning of Mireleh's words to her father and their reconciliation.Jaffe notes that the Cinderella tale has been found in countless cultures around the world, with the earliest version being recorded in China in the 9th century. The Jewish version of the tale comes from the story "How Much Do You Love Me?" from the classic collection "Yiddish Folktales," and was apparently sent down in Poland in the 1920s. Jaffe acknowledges that the framing device of "the love test," appears in both Shakespeare and folktales from around the world as well. In Jaffe's hands this becomes a "vunder-mayse" (a wonder tale) of the sort her grandmother might have heard as a child."The Way Meat Loves Salt: A Cinderella Tale from the Jewish Tradition" is illustrated by Louise August, who worked with full-color oils on rice paper, providing a rather distinctive look quite compatible with the origins of this story. Teachers or parents will find this story a nice way of showing young readers how there are variations of a well-known theme to be found in literature. What I especially liked about this one is how the elements of a different story, "the love test," are combined in the telling of this particular tale. Consequently we not only have an example of comparative literature here but a look at a more complex form of such storytelling.

This book is somewhat similar to the Cinderella that I know, but it has a different twist. It combines Cinderella and the Jewish culture. I will leave the rest for you, the reader, to find out what goes on the book.

Great cultural spin on "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach", and even a father's heart can be deceived by what his ears hear and his mind perceives.