Life Lesson

Joha or Goha (as I would pronounce him in Egyptian Arabic) is a well known character in oriental and especially in Sephardic (oriental Jews) folktales. The origin of his name is unclear but we do know that he is first mentioned in Arabic stories dating from the ninth century. A similar character Nasrendin Hodja appears in medieval Turkish stories. Hence my affinity with Goha. My father was from Turkey from a Sephardic background and I was born in Egypt where I grew up with stories of Goha which delighted us as children amongst both the Jewish and Arab communities.

Joha is 'all things to all men' – he can be young and old, innocent and stupid, honest and dishonest, sad and joyful. Joha invariably has a solution for any problem which at times can be quite ludicrous and therefore laughable. He can be found amongst kings and princes and also quite ordinary folk.Above all, as a literary figure, Joha/Goha, never dies.


Joha was a porter in the market. One day, he was carrying a very heavy load and broke his shoulder. He came home in great pain and was bedridden for a whole month.

When he recovered and went back to the market, they took away his work, and he had nothing to do. Joha returned home, very sad and full of disappointment, and with an empty purse.

Joha's wife, who loved him very much, said: "Don't you despair, Johaiko, look! We have a bit of land here, a small garden. Go and plant tomatoes and cucumbers, and sell them in the market. I promise you that, with patience, you will get a good return."

Joha went to the garden and began to plant cucumbers and said to himself: "He who plants cucumbers, eats cucumbers."

Joha began to dig the ground to plant, and suddenly he came across a very big stone. He lifted it and found a sack filled with gold.

Joha began to shout to his wife to come and see the good fortune in the garden.

So Joha became very rich. He went with his wife to buy new clothes, and they bought a palace as well.

From that time on, Joha began to hold nightly parties at his home and invited the rich and famous of the city.

From time to time during a party, he took a little golden box out of his purse, went to a corner and opened it, smelled it, closed it, then put it back in his purse.

All the guests wanted to know what he was smelling. He would say: "Nothing! It's not important!" In this way, Joha continued to smell his little box.

One day, his close friend said: "I beg you, Joha, do me a favour. Let me smell, just once!"

"Very well," said Joha. "Come here. Take it and sniff, if you want to so much."

The friend took the box, opened it with great ceremony, and when he smelled it, almost fainted from the smell – of excrement, mixed with ammonia.

“What is this, Joha? Are you mad?!"

And Joha replied: "Listen my friend! I smell this box to remind myself where I come from. And when I smell, I remember that this wealth is from the Almighty, blessed be He. I was only a porter!"

And so Joha lived and taught others how to live.