The Beggar and the Roof

One day Nasreddin Hodja was repairing the roof of his house. As he was laying the tiles, a voice came from below: "Hodja! Hodja! Will you come down?"

"What is it? Is there some news?" thought the Hodja, and he left his work half done and climbed down the ladder. In front of the door stood an old, tired beggar. The beggar held out his hand: "Hodja, for the love of God, give me some alms."

The Hodja said nothing. "Come with me," he told the beggar, and he walked towards the ladder. Bewildered, the beggar climbed the ladder after the Hodja. When he reached the roof, he was out of breath. The Hodja turned to the beggar and said: "May God provide."

The beggar was astonished: "Hodja, couldn't you have said that downstairs? Why did you make me climb all this way?"

The Hodja smiled: "Couldn't you have asked for alms before making me come down? I climbed down all those rungs too. Now we're even."

For a moment the beggar was cross, then he realised the Hodja was right and burst out laughing. The two of them laughed together on the roof. When they had stopped laughing, the Hodja took the beggar down and led him to the kitchen. "Wife, we have a guest," he said to his wife. They gave the beggar a bowl of hot soup and a slice of bread.

As he drank his soup, the beggar said, "Hodja, on the roof you said 'May God provide', but down here you provided yourself." The Hodja laughed: "On the roof I played a joke on you; in the kitchen I gave you my heart. A joke is no substitute for a bowl of soup."

This story tells us two things: when we ask someone for something, let's be careful not to put them to trouble. And however good a joke is, let's never forget to help those in need.