Saturday 22 June 2013

Mussar: All's Well that Ends Well

Babylonian Talmud, Tractate B'rachot, end of Folio 60b, top of 61a

A man should always accustom himself to say, 'Whatever the All-Merciful does is for good', [as exemplified in] the following incident.

R. Akiba was once going along the road and he came to a certain town and looked for lodgings but was refused at every place. He said 'Whatever the All-Merciful does is for good', and he went and spent the night in the open field. He had with him a cock, an ass and a lamp. A gust of wind came and blew out the lamp, a weasel came and ate the cock, a lion came and ate the ass. He said: 'Whatever the All-Merciful does is for good'.

The same night some brigands came and carried off the inhabitants of the town. He said to them: Did I not say to you, [it] is all for good?


Best Regards,
RRW

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