Why They Cried
A man once traveled to a distant land, where he worked very hard until he earned enough to support his family for several years. Before returning home, he visited a local shop to buy a gift for his wife. Noticing a display of pretty knives, he purchased one for a small sum. Then he began the long journey home, traveling over mountains, through dense forests and along narrow mountain paths.
When he was almost home, he stayed in an inn where one of the other guests noticed this knife amongst his possessions. The other guest was greatly impressed and offered to buy it for a significant sum of money. The man turned him down, explaining that he intended to gift his wife with the pretty utensil. But the other guest would not let up, offering more and more money for the knife, until finally, he offered 100 gold coins.
“Why are you so interested in buying this trinket?” the man asked in amazement.
“I am a diamond dealer,” the other guest replied, “and I noticed that set into the handle of your knife are many beautiful precious gems, which I can sell for hundreds of gold coins!”
At this, the man fainted. When those around him managed to revive him, he cried out, “Woe is me! Woe is me!”
The onlookers could not understand his reaction. “You were just told that you possess a valuable knife. Why are you so distraught?”
“You don’t understand,” the man replied. “I am returning from a faraway place where I bought this knife for mere pennies. Had I only known its true value, I would have bought dozens of them and become wealthy beyond compare!
“How unfortunate I am that I lost this opportunity!”
The Medrash tells us: “In the future, Hashem will reward those who changed their shoes for Shabbos, after which everyone will cry loudly and bitterly.”
Shouldn’t we rejoice after being rewarded?
Like the man in the story, when we realize the tremendous reward for even a seemingly small, easy mitzvah like putting on our Shabbos shoes, we will cry bitterly over the many opportunities we lost when we had the chance to perform so many other mitzvos and didn’t bother.
Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky would share this story and then tell her listeners: “We are all still in the land where we can acquire priceless gems for pennies! Keeping Shabbos, honoring our parents, learning Torah, they’re all ours for the taking. Let’s not give ourselves cause for regret by passing up these opportunities!”
Mitzvos are not just obligations – they are opportunities!
Take This Home
As you prepare for Shabbos this week, think: I WANT to shop/vacuum/polish my shoes for Shabbos. It’s my ticket to Olam Haba!
In Short
“When a person has firm conviction of the World to Come, he is going to be very careful in utilizing this life.”
– Rabbi Avigdor Miller
(Rav Avigdor Miller on Olam Haba, Judaica Press, page 15)
It Happened to Me!
My Olam Haba Moment
Road rage! When I’m an anonymous driver in a rush on the road, it’s easy to lose myself, especially when I’m running late, and it seems like the only way to get anywhere is by being aggressive. When I’m driving alone, and I find my fingers inching toward the horn, or I’m thinking of speeding up and passing the cars waiting at the light, I’ve been able to keep myself in check by remembering that if I control myself, I’ve gained something for eternity. And when I forget, I regret it and feel that I’ve lost something.
Share how Olam Haba awareness is making a difference in your life. Send your story to [email protected].
