The Astonishing Tale of Bostanai: The Persian Prince from the House of David

Persia, 618. King Khosrow Parviz awoke in terror, covered in sweat, with blood trickling from his forehead.

Khosrow was the 22nd monarch of the Sasanian Persian Empire, hailed as its greatest. His appellation 'Parviz' meant 'undefeated' in Persian. A decade earlier, he had crushed the Byzantines, seizing Syria, the Land of Israel, and Turkey, advancing to the gates of Greece. This year he captured Egypt. Yet within his own palace, on his bed and in his sleep, someone seemed to breach his defenses. Who could it have been? It's hard to believe.

Servants and guards rushed to his side. Some surrounded his bed while others searched every entrance and exit for an intruder. They were bewildered. Under their own watchful eyes and swords, how had anyone dared to attack the undefeated king?

But the king murmured only about an awe-inspiring elder who had sworn him. His attendants pondered his words—no elder had been seen in the royal chambers. Slowly, they surmised it was only a dream. But if it were a mere dream, how could the king's real wounds, dripping with blood, be explained? It could only be a divine vision!

The king summoned the scholars and magicians of his court. The Sasanian Empire was pagan, idol-worshipping, and Khosrow opposed the Christians. Yet the magicians could not unravel the dream's mystery. According to the king, he had wandered in an orchard bearing extraordinary fruits, cutting down tree after tree. At the last young sapling, an awe-inspiring, red-haired elder appeared, seized him, and despite his age, wielded great strength. The elder lifted the king into the air, seized his axe, and struck his forehead. He then implored the king by the name of Hashem: "Do not destroy my orchard! Protect this sapling as the apple of your eye, and your fate will not be bitter." The elder revealed his name, but the king forgot it.

One of the king's advisors was a wise Jew. He knew the king had decimated the Jewish exilarchs and their families, refusing to accept leaders other than those under his rule. These exilarchs were descendants of the House of David, tracing back to the Kingdom of Judah. That awe-inspiring elder was none other than King David, of blessed memory, come to protect the last young sapling of his line. Who was this sapling? The king had spared one woman, untouched by his brutal campaign, from the lineage of David, who was pregnant. The unborn child was the last sprout of King David's magnificent orchard, and thus David himself had rushed to protect him!

When the king heard this, he remembered the elder's name was indeed David. He summoned the woman to his palace, safeguarding her. When her son was born, he protected the child, tending to his needs and naming him "Bostanai," after the orchard in his dream. Bostanai grew up a prince among princes, and an ancient text describes his exceptional spirit: "As Bostanai matured, he grew wise in Torah, Mishnah, and Talmud, and in wisdom and understanding. Upon hearing of him, the king longed to see him and ordered him brought to his presence... Bostanai stood untouched before the king from day to evening, without nodding his head or moving his feet. A fly landed on his forehead and bit him, drawing blood before the king's eyes... The king asked, 'Why did you not shoo it away?' To this, Bostanai replied, 'We inherited this conduct from our ancestors—from the moment we were dethroned and compelled to stand in the halls of kings, we did not speak, laugh, or lift our hands before them.'"

As an adult, Bostanai became the forty-first exilarch of the illustrious Babylonian Jewry.

A noble of the Persian kingdom, King Khosrow arranged Bostanai's marriage to his daughter, the Persian princess Izdundad. This union later sparked intense debate among the scholars regarding the legitimacy of her conversion, ultimately verifying her and her offspring's status as valid Jews.

Due to Bostanai's fame as a scion of the House of David and his greatness during his lifetime, many prominent Jews with such lineage maintained genealogical records tracing back to Bostanai, proving their descent from the House of David. Among them were Rabbi Shmuel HaNagid, Rav Amram Gaon, Rabbeinu Gershom Me'or Hagolah, the Maharal of Prague, and Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz.