5 Parables to Ponder: The Impact of Staining Someone Else's Shirt

Anger Stains

One day, Yossi came home very upset, shouting and stomping in anger. His father called him, but he continued with his tirade until he finally voiced, "I'm bursting! Shmuelik really made me mad! He shouldn't have done what he did to me! Because of this, I wish him all the bad things in the world! I feel like I want to kill him!"

Yossi's father, a simple yet wise man, listened calmly as his son continued, "Shmuelik humiliated me in front of my friends, and I can't accept it! I wish he would be very sick and never come to school again!"

The father continued to listen, brought a sack full of coal from the garden corner, and suggested to Yossi, "Do you see the white shirt hanging there? Imagine it's Shmuelik and throw the coal at him until the last piece. I'll come to see afterwards."

The child began his revenge 'game' and eagerly threw all the coals, but since the shirt was hanging a bit far, only some coals hit it.

After a while, the father returned and asked, "Son, how do you feel now?" The son replied, "I'm tired but happy, I managed to hit 'Yossi' with some pieces!" The father took his hand and said, "Come, I want to show you something," and led him to the mirror. Yossi was very surprised to see himself entirely blackened, except for his eyes and teeth.

Then his father looked at him and said, "As you see, the coals you threw did soil the shirt, but there's no comparison, you got dirtied much more."

Remember, when we wish bad things upon someone, it reflects back upon us and amplifies. The more we want to ruin someone else's life, the more that nastiness and problems cling to us, and surely none of us would want that...

Clean the Glasses

A newlywed couple moved into a quiet neighborhood.

On their first morning in their new home, the woman saw her neighbor hanging laundry to dry.

"Look at that dirty laundry she is hanging out!" she said to her husband. "Maybe she needs new soap? Maybe I should teach her how to wash?" Her husband remained silent and did not comment. And so, the woman repeated her remarks every time the neighbor hung laundry.

A month later, the woman was surprised to see clean laundry on the line and said to her husband, "Look, she learned to wash! Perhaps another neighbor taught her..." "No," said the husband, "I got up early today and cleaned our windows."

This is our life: everything depends on the clarity of the window through which we view reality. Before criticizing others, it is advisable to ensure our heart is clean, so we can see everything clearly and correctly around us...

The Pursuit of Success

A fisherman sat by the riverbank, holding a fishing rod and catching fish. A very wealthy man passed by, stopped, and was amazed at the quantity of fish the fisherman managed to pull out! After a while, the fisherman began packing his things to go home. The wealthy man hurried over to him and asked, "Why are you leaving so early?"

The fisherman replied, "I've caught a large amount of fish that will last me for the entire week, and I don't need more. Now I'm going home to learn, gain wisdom, and spend quality time with my family."

"But think of what you could do with additional fish," urged the wealthy man. "You can sell the surplus fish you don't need for yourself and use the money to invest in buying more fishing equipment. Later, you can buy a boat and hire other fishermen to fish for you, while you supervise from above."

"And why should I do all that?" the fisherman asked.

The wealthy man answered, "When you become rich, you can hire someone else to supervise all the work for you, while you retire and finally do what you truly want to do in life."

At this point, the fisherman parted from the wealthy man and bade him farewell, adding, "Thank you very much, but I'm already doing exactly what I truly want to do in life!"...

Sometimes we tend to be so busy with production and achievement, chasing success, that we might live entire lives without ever asking ourselves: "What is the purpose, and what am I really living for?".

Digging a Hole. For Yourself

A man was walking down a city street when he spotted a shiny 10-shekel coin in the sand.

The man approached to pick up the coin and was surprised to find a note underneath, saying: "If you dig a little, you'll find a 50-shekel bill."

Happy with the opportunity that came his way, the man started digging, without asking too many questions...

To his great delight, he indeed found a 50-shekel note, and next to it – how could it not be? – another note!... "A 100-shekel note is another meter down"...

(Photo: shutterstock)

He dug and found the coveted note, also with a note, this time stating that deep below were bundles of notes waiting just for him...

He dug and dug and dug... and there he found bundles of bills. No one was happier than him - in an instant, he became a wealthy man! This time, for a change, no additional note was attached.

Our companion, already exhausted from the hard digging work, thought it was time to go home. But there was one thing he didn't notice until now: while he indeed had money, he had no way to get out of the deep hole he had dug...

The moral: Dear brothers, the evil inclination entices a person with all sorts of tempting things that promise great and immediate pleasure. But after the fact, the person realizes they have fallen into the trap of the inclination and are in a big hole that's hard to climb out of.

Sometimes a person must set limits in life and review their actions! Our sages have taught us: "Consider the end of a matter before you start it."

Gratitude

One day, a young man came to the synagogue bringing good food and drink. They asked him, "What happened?" He replied, "This is a gratitude feast. Yesterday, when I was crossing the street on my way to work, a car hit me, and thank Hashem, I came out safe and sound!"

The next day, another person came to the synagogue, also bringing refreshments and drinks. They asked him, "What happened to you? Did a car hit you on the way to work, too?" The man responded, "No!... For twenty years, I've been crossing the street on my way to work, and a car has never hit me. That's why I'm giving thanks!"...

Some people have an obligation to say thank you if they were ill and healed or if they were saved from an accident. But those of you who have never been in danger, even more so, should say thank you, shouldn't you?

Thank Hashem, we are healthy, whole, and functioning, there is food to eat and clothes to wear... Thank you, Creator of the world!