The Preposterous Snake. A Talmudic Fable
Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.—Deut. i. 13.
As long, says Rabbi joshua ben levi, as the lower orders submit to the direction of the higher orders of society, everything goes on well. They (i.e., the rulers) decree, and God confirms. The prosperity of the state is the result. But when the higher orders, either from corrupt motives, or from want of firmness, submit to or are swayed by the opinions of the lower orders, they are sure to fall together; and the destruction of the state will be inevitable. To illustrate this important truth, he related the following fable:
THE SERPENT'S TAIL AND ITS HEAD.
The serpent's tail had long followed the direction of the head, and all went on well. One day the tail began to be dissatisfied with this natural arrangement; and thus addressed the head:—"I have long, with great indignation, observed thy unjust proceedings. In all our journeys, it is thou that takest the lead; whereas I, like a menial servant, am obliged to follow behind. Thou appearest everywhere foremost; but I, like a miserable slave, must remain in the
