One poor woman, unexpectedly receiving an inheritance from her uncle and not knowing where to spend it, turned to the Wise man.

The Wise man placed a crystal vessel in front of her and began to fill it with stones. He put large stones at the bottom, smaller ones in the middle, and the smallest ones on top. After filling the vessel with sand, he turned it over. First, sand was poured out, then small stones, then medium ones, and large ones remained in the container.

"Look, woman," said the Wise man. - The crystal vessel is your life, and it depends only on you what you fill it with. And if your life turns upside down, then you will lose everything momentary, and only the real thing will remain with you. Now go.

After paying the Wise man one hundred shekels, the woman left. When she returned home, she gathered her sons and daughters and asked what they would like. The daughters wished for a dowry, like the queen herself, the sons wanted a separate house and a plot of land, the parents wanted the best place in the cemetery.

Having fulfilled the wishes of her relatives, the woman stayed with her husband, but a year later he suddenly died, and she was left without means of livelihood. She pulled as long as possible, selling livestock, kitchen utensils and furnishings, but the moment came when only the walls remained in the house.

The woman took off her wedding ring, came to the blacksmith and offered to exchange it for a hammer, but the blacksmith refused her. The woman went around the whole village, and only in the house of a bankrupt butcher could she get an old axe for a ring, on which there were still drops of blood.

Then she went to the Wise man, who became incredibly rich in a few months. He opened a school of Wise men, where venerable elders and men learned the secrets of the Universe. The woman walked through the courtyard, where pheasants pecked millet, entered the room and, bowing, walked between the surprised men, and sat down in an empty seat. After waiting for the Wise man to finish demonstrating the trick with the crystal vessel and stones, she swung the axe and smashed the vessel to smithereens.

- What have you done? – The astounded Wise man exclaimed. - You ruined your own happiness!

– What you offered me, - the woman replied calmly, - Is more suitable for a man, and I need a FEMALE version.

The Wise man and his followers thought about it, but after an hour they could not guess what kind of FEMALE version it was.

- Look, woman, - said the Wise man. - Everyone forges their own happiness. We conferred and decided to give you the floor.

- When I passed through your yard, I saw pheasants pecking at millet. The gray females were visible only against the background of the bright males, but I want to remain faithful to my dead husband, so fill a new vessel with stones.

She took off her apron, knotted it to make a pouch, and placed it in front of the Wise man. He scratched the back of his head and put a precious stone in a bag, and then the other elders and men put one jewel each.

The woman took the full bag, bowed and hurried to the exit.

- Wait, woman! - The Wise man stopped her. - Tell us your name!

- My name is Judith, - the woman replied, smiling. - Contact me if you need help.