"For the Fifth Time – We're Eating Roast Chicken!" 5 Parables to Ponder

Knowing How to Give

Three brothers met and argued over who was helping their elderly mother the most.

The first said, "I built her such a huge mansion, she has a room for every day of the year."

The second said, "I bought her a fleet of cars and drivers, so she would have service at all times."

The third said, "I don't have as much money as you do, and I didn't have anything to buy with the little I had. So I sent her one Argentinean peso. It was the only money I had."

The second brother chuckled: "Seriously, don't you read financial papers? What will mom do with a peso? It's worth almost nothing today."

The first brother scolded him: "Really, brother, where is your respect for our parents?!"

Some time later, a letter arrived from the mother: "Thank you all for the gifts, my beloved sons.

My eldest – thank you for the mansion you built me, but it is too large for me and it is hard not to feel lonely in it. My second son – thank you for all the cars, but even one would have been sufficient for my weekly trip to the city center.

And my youngest – thank you so much! How did you remember what was missing in my beloved coin collection?"

Sometimes we boast about giving to others, but in reality, we give what we want to give, not what the other actually needs... We must understand what others truly need, which is different from our own desires, and provide them with what they lack, not what we feel the need to give according to our nature.

(Photo Illustration: shutterstock)

A Blind View

A professor and his wife went out for a few days of camping - they set up a tent, ate there, and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, the wife woke up and asked her husband, "My dear husband, look at the skies and tell me what you see?" He replied, "Millions of stars."

"And... what does this tell you?"

And he answered smugly: "Astronomically, it means there are millions of galaxies with the potential for billions of planets.

Chronologically, we are approaching 3 AM.

Theologically, it shows the greatness of the Creator and in contrast, our smallness as humans.

Meteorologically, it seems to me tomorrow will be a nice day..."

Then the professor turned to his wife and asked, "And what does it tell you, my dear wife?" She replied, "My dear husband! Who cares about the weather, the galaxies, or anything? Can't you notice that our tent has been stolen?!"

Friends, sometimes we ignore the essential and focus on the trivial. Everyone knows their life on this world is temporary. The question is whether one lives with this awareness or chooses to ignore and suppress it.

One can see the immense wonder of creation their entire life without being awed. The nature of creation blinds us, and we continue to take everything for granted. All creation screams that there is a Creator of the amazing world we live in. We just need to open our eyes...

It's in Our Hands

In distant China, in one of the villages, lived an elder who was very wise. Many from the village and neighboring villages would come to learn from him and seek his advice. It was said that he never made a mistake and had an answer to every question and a solution to every problem.

One day, the village children decided to play a prank and try to "trick" the wise old man, saying, "They always say he never makes a mistake and always knows the right answer. This time we'll fool him, he won't have a choice and he will err."

The children held a butterfly in their hands and said, "We will hold the butterfly between our hands and ask the old man whether what we have is alive or dead. If he says alive - we will crush the butterfly and show him he was wrong, and if he says dead - we will open our hands and release the butterfly to show him he was also wrong."

Pleased with their trick, the children went to the wise man and asked, "Old man, old man, is what we have in our hands alive or dead?" The old man looked at them with wise eyes and said, "It depends on your hands."

So is our life: everything depends on us, the choice is in our hands.

One who believes and fulfills commandments does so because they want to, choosing this path of their own free will, while giving up personal desires and overcoming urges that pull them towards a life without responsibility and faith. This is a true choice, and they are deserving of reward.

Through faith in the Creator, one will be awarded eternal life, the life of the world to come.

(Photo: shutterstock)

Offering Criticism

A husband was worried that his wife's hearing was not what it used to be and thought she might need a hearing aid. He wasn't sure how to convey this delicate message, so he called the family doctor for advice. The doctor told him there's a simple informal test he could do himself to help gauge her hearing loss better.

"Here's what you do," said the doctor. "Stand about 15 meters away from her and in a normal speaking voice say something to her and see if she hears you. If she doesn't respond - move closer to 10 meters, then 5 meters, and so on, until you get a response."

That evening, his wife was in the kitchen preparing dinner while he was in the study. He remembered the doctor and thought to himself, "I'm about 15 meters away from her, let's try what the doctor suggested."

In a normal voice, he asks his wife, "What's for dinner?" No response.

He moves closer to the kitchen, standing about 10 meters from her and asks again, "What's for dinner?" Again, no response.

He moves to the dining room, about 5 meters from her, and asks once more, "What's for dinner?" Silence.

Then he enters the kitchen, stands by the door, less than 3 meters from her, and asks, "What's for dinner?" Still no response.

He steps right behind her and loudly says, "What's for dinner?"

"Yaakov, for the fifth time – roast chicken!

Friends, before we criticize others, we should ensure our hearts are clean, so we can see more clearly and accurately what is happening around us.

Remember, correct criticism is constructive. Incorrect criticism is destructive. Therefore, one should carefully consider every word when expressing criticism. What to say, and especially what not to say, and how to say it. Approaching with love, influencing and giving, now guiding and directing solely for the other's success and well-being, impacts the other's soul, influences them, and builds them.

Who Is the Real Driver?

A rabbi traveled abroad for a series of lectures. In one of the cities he visited, he asked a man to drive him to the hotel where he was staying. When he got into the car, he noticed that there was a steering wheel on both the driver's side and the passenger side. Puzzled, he turned to the driver and asked him about it.

The driver replied, "I have a hyperactive son, and he gets so excited during the ride that he might jump on the steering wheel and, heaven forbid, cause an accident... So I installed a toy steering wheel for him and told him, 'This is your steering wheel, and this is mine.' This way, he thinks he's driving, and I don't worry about him interfering during the ride."

The rabbi listened, then said to the driver, "Thank you very much, you've taught me a very important lesson in faith."

The driver didn't quite understand, and the rabbi continued: "Hashem gave us all toy steering wheels so we think we are driving and managing the world... The doctor says 'I will heal you,' the lawyer says 'I will assist you,' the judge says 'I will imprison you,' and so on. But they are merely driving with 'toy steering wheels,' it's not really in their hands... The real steering wheel is in the hands of Hashem, and only He heals, assists, saves, etc."

Isn't it clear there is a guiding hand that controls and directs the perfect order and design of all creation? Once we understand that Hashem alone is the true driver, and everyone else is driving with toy steering wheels, our lives will be much easier and with much less worry.

Friends, the greatness of man is in fulfilling the commandments precisely when he does not understand Hashem's guidance. This is a trial, for which we are rewarded. Even though the commandment may seem illogical to us, we believe that Hashem leads the world, and we, being mere flesh and blood with very limited understanding, fulfill His commandments – both those that are understandable and those that are not to us. One who elevates and stands this trial is promised their reward in this world and the next, Amen!