Chazal say, פעמים מאות חמש פרעניות מדת על מרובה טובה מדה, “The attribute of kindness is five hundred times more than the attribute of punishment.”
Someone was waiting for a train at a Swiss train station. A train arrived, but he didn't board it. His friend asked him, “Why don’t you board the train?” The man replied, “This train is uncomfortable. The next train is luxurious. Every passenger gets their own table and a bed to sleep in... I'm waiting for that train.”
“But that train won’t be here for many hours...” He replied, “That’s ok. It's worth the wait.” The train finally arrived, and he boarded it with much joy. He enjoyed a good meal at his table. Then, exhausted (partly due to his waiting in the sun for so long), he lay down and slept for several hours. When he awoke, he realized he had boarded the wrong train and had traveled in the wrong direction! It was too late to take a train home. It was almost Shabbos. He didn’t even have Shabbos clothes to wear! He had to seek a place to stay for Shabbos.
This happened due to his misguided focus. He prioritized physical pleasures over what was truly important: the direction the train was headed. When a person’s primary focus is on attaining pleasures in this world, he will lose sight of the true purpose for which he was sent to this world, which is to engage in Torah study and mitzvos.
The Ben Ish Chai zt’l tells the following mashal:
Two rich people were forever arguing over which one of them was wealthier. This was an important matter because the wealthiest person had the final say in the city. They debated this for years and had many disputes on the topic. One day, they decided to test it, once and for all. They would both throw coins into the ocean, one coin at a time. Whoever stops first means that he has less money, since it is hard for him to lose so many coins.
The one who would continue throwing in coins is unquestionably wealthier. After a while, one of them stopped. He didn’t want to lose all his money. The other one was still throwing in coins. It seemed he had so much money he didn't mind losing all these coins. Everyone was stunned by his immense wealth. Later, it was discovered that he threw in fake coins. That’s why he didn’t mind throwing them all into the ocean.
The nimshal is that when one throws away time, it is a sign he considers time like counterfeit, of little value, and therefore doesn’t mind wasting it.
Reb Zalman Brizel (of Yerushalayim) spent a night in Bnei Brak, at his son, Reb Nota’s, house. Reb Zalman was studying Torah diligently.
"Father, it's late," Reb Nota told his father. “You can finish your studies tomorrow." Reb Zalman didn’t respond. He just kept on learning. The son tried a couple more times to convince his father to go to sleep, but each time, Reb Zalman just continued learning. He finished learning around midnight. Reb Nota was then in the kitchen, eating a late supper. Reb Zalman said to his son, "Nota, it's late. You can finish your meal tomorrow." The message was understood. Some things are too important to push off for tomorrow.
