Folklore and fairy tales: the midrash of the Lamed Vav-

I love stories of all kinds.  Folk tales, myths, legends, fairy tales, oral histories you name it I get transfixed when I hear a great story.  I even took a class on how to take apart or dissect one of these stories to find the kernel of truth that makes them a little bit believable.  What I learned is that we humans share a common life experience. A story which is known to a particular region of the world often shows up in another part of the world but with a slightly different regional twist.  The Cinderella story could be the bible story of Joseph which is a perfect example of the rags to riches tale every culture shares.  Many times these stories were used to explain things that seemed miraculous and unknowable such as the regularity of a sunrise or the stages of the moon.  For all the weather science we know today, my snow plow company told me he knew we would have a snowless winter in 2011- 2012 because the Farmer's Almanac told him so. He also did not refund me the season rate even though he knew I would overspend and recommended that I use that as a guide for future reference.

 My favorite story of all time is the Lamed Vav- the 36 angels sent by God to roam the earth with the intention to save the world
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0012_0_11784.html.
I love this story because it makes the connection between God and people through the heart (lamed) and mind (vav).  The word Lamed-Vav is Hebrew for the number thirty-six.  In Hebrew all words have many layers of meaning, and so, challenging to study and come to common opinion.  In this story there are 36 undistinguished people roaming the earth to save the world.  These people do not know that they are one of the chosen thirty-six so it might be you.  I like to believe, sometimes, I am one of the thirty-six and try to live my life to do good things.  When I meet people who do good I believe they are a Lamed Vav too.  Are you?