The Ben Ish Chai writes an incredibly uplifting story. Someone came complaining to a group of Yidden how European Jewry had such a spiritual fall, and that they were no longer conducting themselves as proper Yidden. He numerated different flaws that were present among them.
The onlisteners were unhappy about the conversation talking bad about the Yidden. One of them replied, “Your conduct mimics a fly! Did you ever analyze a fly? A fly is attracted to the garbage. Even if there’s a beautiful garden, he’ll go to the garbage. There, a scrumptious steak can sit alongside a smelly bag of waste, yet he pays no attention to that. All he’ll see is the garbage.
“You too,” continued the listener, “are acting similarly. Yidden have so much good to them, and there’s so much good that can be focused on. Yet, all you seem to focus on is the minute bad of them.
“Do you want to do teshuvah?” asked the man. “I’ll tell you what to do to rectify your misdeeds. Say a story that bring out the greatness of the Yidden. By this, you’ll rectify your misdeed and reprogram your mind to see the good in the Yidden.” And so, he relayed to them an amazing story:
The King’s Advisor
There was a king whose kingdom had two neighboring countries. Each year, they would meet one another to discuss the political issues with each other. They prepared an extravagant meal for the attending kings.
This was a very high-ranking meeting, and understandingly, no one, under any circumstances, was granted entry.
One of the kings had a personal advisor whom he wanted to attend who happened to be a very wealthy Yid. The other kings were very disturbed. “How can this king bring along his Jewish advisor? No one, is allowed into the meeting!” But they didn’t deny his entry.
At the welcoming of the meeting, every king was escorted in. The Yid, too, received a befitting escort. As he approached, his escort noticed that a group of kids were blocking the road, seeking trouble.
As they got closer, he heard that the group of boys were screaming in mockery: “Jew! Jew!”
The driver realized what was happening and entered the chariot confronting the advisor with the dilemma. The Yid reached into his pocket, took out 1,000 golden coins, and instructed the driver to hand it over to the boys. The thrilled kids moved aside, allowing the chariot to proceed. The Yid finally arrived at the meeting and was greeted with great honor too.
One of the kings sparked up a conversation with the Yid and said, “I heard that there were boys in your way. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I really should punish the children for such improper behavior and such disrespect, but you understand that this is not under my control.”
Right then, the Yid understood already what was going on. The king himself had setup these boys as a protest to his participation, blaming the boys to cover up his involvement.
“Don’t be sorry,” replied the Yid. “Not only did they not hurt my feelings, they actually gave me the greatest present. If I would’ve had more money on me, I would have given that too. They gave me something nobody’d ever given me.”
The king was shocked by the response. “What do you mean?” asked the king. “You just experienced a great embarrassment and humiliation? What could you possibly be thanking them for?”
The Jewish advisor said: “I’ll tell you a story.”
Magnificent Diamond
Mr. Saks’ sudden passing left his son a very wealthy man. The father had owned an enormous amount of real estate and shares in many different places. Among his assets was one item that out valued everything else: the world’s most exclusive diamond. He left it all for his one and only teenage son.
The son was a very wild child and didn’t treat his new wealth with intelligence. Within a short time, all the wealth had been gambled away, leaving the son penniless. The only thing left was that valuable diamond.
This didn’t stop him from gambling. He went to the bank to get a loan. They told him that the only way to get a loan would be by giving them collateral so they can collect the debt if needed. This would allow them to offer him the loan. He took the loan with the backing of the diamond.
After a little while, the money he’d borrowed from the bank was all spent. He had again lost everything. So, he returned to the bank and requested an additional loan. He still had more to “spend” from the diamond, and so they gave him an additional loan. However, again he lost all that money from gambling as well.
This time when he returned to the bank to request another loan, they said they would only grant him the loan if he would agree to sell the diamond if he doesn’t return the money. “You maxed out on your loans, and we can only give you an additional one if you give us the diamond.
“No,” he replied determinedly. “I gave up everything of my father’s assets, but the precious diamond is something that I can’t possibly give up. It is the most valuable thing in the world, and I can’t possibly forsake it.”
With this, the Yid explained to the king the reason for his rejoice. “I was religious, and I have slipped away, discontinuing any religious customs. I have lost so much, but the very last inheritance that I have I can’t possibly give up.
“Now, as I was coming to the glorious meeting with the king, I was reminded about the most precious possession that I have. More valuable then all the power that I was granted is that I am the son of the Creator. At this very time, when I have rose to the top, I got this message reminding me of the true inheritance that I have.”
Now, getting back to the man who spoke against the Yidden in Hungary, he finished: “This Jewish advisor had, so to say, made it to the top, and yet what is he treasuring? What he’s treasuring is how lucky he is for being the son of Hashem, and this is worth more than all the honor that the kings are offering him.
No matter how far one has fallen from serving Hashem, they can always remember the great present that they were gifted with. With this, he rectified his misdeeds from talking bad about fallen Yidden.”
How much more so should we take pride in being the children of Hashem observing His mitzvos. We, baruch Hashem, are His loyal children, and that is the greatest pride that we shall take.
