A Eulogy on a Donkey:
Sefer Otzros Hatorah relates the story of a Rov who came to a city and wanted to determine the spiritual standing of the residents. He met one man and asked if the people of the town observed the Torah and mitzvos, and the man answered, “Everyone here is a tzadik. There are no murderers, thieves, or lowlifes here.”
The Rov thanked him and moved on. He met another man and asked the same question and received a similar answer. This man said, “We all love and respect each other. No one would ever say false testimony about his friend. No one envies anyone else. No one ever lifts a hand against a fellow man. If everyone would be like us, Moshiach would surely come already!”
The Rov was very impressed. He then asked, “What about kiyum hamitzvos? Does everyone daven, put on tefillin and observe Shabbos and yomtov on a high level?” The man replied, “Why do you have to bring that up? Isn’t it enough that we don’t do aveiros and that we all get along? Why would you make so many demands of us?”
The Rov understood that this was how the residents of this town felt. They thought it was sufficient to avoid bad actions and to be nice to each other, and that they didn’t also need to actively do Hashem’s commandments. He realized that even if he gave a drasha, it would not be enough to convince them otherwise.
Suddenly, the Rov smelled a very bad odor. He looked around and saw the rotting carcass of a dead donkey laying on the side of the road, which gave him an idea...
He turned to his shamash, who was accompanying him, and asked him to purchase a black blanket. When the attendant returned with the blanket, he used it to cover the decaying donkey. He then told the shamash to make announcement that a “meis mitzvah” (a dead body with no family to care for it) had been found and everyone was being asked to participate in the funeral. Since burying a meis mitzvah takes precedence to all other mitzvos, every man was told to close the stores and businesses, and every woman was told to leave their homes, in order to attend the funeral.
After the announcement was made, the Jews of the city hurried over. All the stores were closed, all business ceased and all the women left their kitchens. They all were wondering who this stranger was who had died in their town with no family to arrange for the burial.
Once everyone was there, the Rov began his eulogy. He said in a tear-filled voice, “When a murder victim is found and no one knows who killed him, the residents of the closest city are obligated to bring an eglah arufah and declare, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood.’ We had nothing to do with this tragedy! This is even more relevant when the deceased is a tzadik and a holy man who never once spoke lashon hara or even said any pointless words!”
The Rov continued to praise the individual that he was eulogizing by saying that even when he was struck or embarrassed, he never took revenge. He never hit back or said an angry word to the one striking or shaming him. Furthermore, he was an ascetic individual who never ate meat or fish. He made due with very simple clothing and never even slept on a bed; rather, he lay down on the ground and slept there.
Understandably, everyone was moved to tears. They were amazed to learn that such a great tzadik had been in their own city!
The Rov then declared, “This tzadik is laying here before you. We all must ask him forgiveness for not showing him proper respect!” He yanked the blanket off, revealing the donkey carcass. Everyone drew back from the site and got angry at the Rov for making a joke out of them and wasting their time.
The Rov then said, “Everything I said is 100% true. This nifter never did any aveiros. But he still was a donkey!” We learn from this story that avoiding sins is not enough. One also must do mitzvos, learn Torah and excel in all areas of Yiddishkeit.
