True love
Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well-
known German composer, was far from being
handsome. Along with a rather short stature, he had a
grostesque hunchback.
One day, he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter
named Frumtje. Moses fell hopelessly in love with her. But Frumtje was
repulsed by his misshapen appearance.
When it came time for him to leave, Moses gathered his courage and
climbed the stairs to her room to take one last opportunity to speak with her.
She was a vision of heavenly beauty, but caused him deep sadness by her
refusal to look at him. After several attempts at conversation, Moses shyly
asked, “Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?”
"“Yes,” she answered, still looking at floor. “And do you?”
“Yes I do,” he replied. “you see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the Lord
announces which girl he will marry. When I was born, my future bride was
pointed out to me. Then the Lord added, “But your wife will be
humpbacked. Right then and there I called out, ‘Oh Lord, a humpbacked
woman would be a tragedy. Please, Lord, give me the hump and let her be
beautiful.”
Then Frumtje looked up into his eyes and was stirred by some deep memory.
She reached out and gave Mendelssohn her hand and later became his
devoted wife.
- Barry and Joyce Vissell
In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet
remain two.
- Erich Fromm
