A long time ago, in a kingdom far, far away, lived a king and a general. One day, an enemy kingdom invaded with a large army. The king asked his general to lead the king’s army and repel the invasion. With great ingenuity and bravery, the general repelled the invasion.
The king was very happy. The next day, a messenger arrived at the general’s house with a beautiful white horse.
“The king has decided to honor you for your bravery,” said the messenger. “He sent you this horse as a token of appreciation.”
“I’m sorry,” said the general. “But I cannot accept this horse. Please return it to the king.”
The messenger was shocked. “Why not?” he asked.
“Because I am confident that if I wait for a few years, the king will send me a horse *and* a chariot,” replied the general.
What could he do? The messenger returned to the king and reported to him the bizarre words of the general.
The king was furious. “How dare the general refuse my gift?” he asked.
A few years passed. Again, the foreign army invaded. Again, the general repelled the invasion. But this time, the king did not send a gift to the general. “If my gifts are not good enough for the general, why should I bother sending them?” the king asked.
The king, of course, is Hashem. The general is us. Sometimes Hashem sends us physical pleasures as a reward for our mitzvos. Sometimes we accept them with love; but sometimes we refuse them, thinking that eschewing the pleasures of this world will make us frummer. Sometimes we even think that enjoying the pleasures of this world will dilute our reward in The Next World, as if zechuyos are stock options that may be exercised at a time of our choosing.
The king was very happy. The next day, a messenger arrived at the general’s house with a beautiful white horse.
“The king has decided to honor you for your bravery,” said the messenger. “He sent you this horse as a token of appreciation.”
“I’m sorry,” said the general. “But I cannot accept this horse. Please return it to the king.”
The messenger was shocked. “Why not?” he asked.
“Because I am confident that if I wait for a few years, the king will send me a horse *and* a chariot,” replied the general.
What could he do? The messenger returned to the king and reported to him the bizarre words of the general.
The king was furious. “How dare the general refuse my gift?” he asked.
A few years passed. Again, the foreign army invaded. Again, the general repelled the invasion. But this time, the king did not send a gift to the general. “If my gifts are not good enough for the general, why should I bother sending them?” the king asked.
The king, of course, is Hashem. The general is us. Sometimes Hashem sends us physical pleasures as a reward for our mitzvos. Sometimes we accept them with love; but sometimes we refuse them, thinking that eschewing the pleasures of this world will make us frummer. Sometimes we even think that enjoying the pleasures of this world will dilute our reward in The Next World, as if zechuyos are stock options that may be exercised at a time of our choosing.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment