The article is devoted to the little-known work "The Tale of Theodore the Christian and His Friend Abraham the Hebrew", written by N.S. Leskov, a writer of the XIX century. It entered the "Orient cycle" of stories (1886). The author emphasizes that the rethinking of the Old Russian history of "The Tale of Theodore the Merchant..." contributed to the emergence of this work; Based on the material of the text, it is shown how relations between children and adults are developing on the example of two families - Christian and Jewish. Leskov helps to see the 229 lives of people belonging to different cultures, religions, their traditions, rituals, to understand the causes that lead to misunderstandings, to the obstacles for establishing the dialogue of cultures, and thus there began much talk about it in the 21st century.