Your Good Deeds Are Your Best Friends
Ezekiel Isaac Malekar
|
A certain man had three friends: two of whom he loved dearly , the other he but lightly esteemed. It happened one day that the king commanded his presence at court, at which he was greatly alarmed, and wished to procure an advocate. He went to the two friends, whom he loved. One flatly refused to accompany him, the other offered to go with him as far as the king's gate, but no farther. Desperate, he called upon the third friend, whom he least esteemed; and that friend not only went willingly with him, but also so ably defended him before the king that he was honourably acquitted.Similarly , every man has three friends, when Death summons him to appear before the Creator. His friend, whom he loves most, namely his money , cannot go with him a single step; his second, relations and neighbours, can only accompany him up to the cremation burial ground, but cannot defend him before the Judge, while his third friend, whom he does not highly esteem his good deeds go with him before the king, and obtain his acquittal.This story is narrated by Joseph Hertz in his Daily Prayer Book.
Hayim Halberstem said, “In my youth, I thought to convert the youth, I thought to convert the whole world to God. But soon, I discovered that it would be enough to convert the people who lived in my town; and I tried that for a time, but did not succeed. I realised that my programme was still too ambitious and I concentrated on the persons in my household.I could not convert them either.Finally it dawned on me. I must work upon myself, so that I may give true service to God, but i did not accomplish even this.“
Often, our good ideas and objectives are dissipated because of more alluring alternatives that present themselves before us, using up our limited time, energy and resources. The irony is that the pursuit of noble and worthy aims seldom carries with it financial gains. So we often are tempted and change our course of action and replace our intentions with more `profitable' activities.
The greatest legacy , footprints on the sands of time, that one can leave behind are a trail of good deeds, which alone can justify one's mortal existence. The habit of procrastination kills good intentions. It takes a strong will, inspiration and great enthusi asm to start any enterprise and more so for an understanding of that which is of spiritual value rather than of material value.material values are not to be But material values are not to be despised since these may be harnessed to ethical objectives. The moment a good intention is born, it must be executed immediately . What is the point of good intention if it is not executed?
Each person is an artist that creates his own personality . His character creates the image that he presents to others. By our own deeds and thoughts, we can make this image of infinite beauty or we can make it ugly. Before it is too late, let us make good deeds our best friend.
“A man is known by three names.The first is the name which his parents give him; the second is the name by which others call him, and the third is the name by which he is identified in the true record of his life, from Birth to Death.“ Midrash (The writer is priest and honorary secretary , Judah Hyam Synagogue, New Delhi.)
Hayim Halberstem said, “In my youth, I thought to convert the youth, I thought to convert the whole world to God. But soon, I discovered that it would be enough to convert the people who lived in my town; and I tried that for a time, but did not succeed. I realised that my programme was still too ambitious and I concentrated on the persons in my household.I could not convert them either.Finally it dawned on me. I must work upon myself, so that I may give true service to God, but i did not accomplish even this.“
Often, our good ideas and objectives are dissipated because of more alluring alternatives that present themselves before us, using up our limited time, energy and resources. The irony is that the pursuit of noble and worthy aims seldom carries with it financial gains. So we often are tempted and change our course of action and replace our intentions with more `profitable' activities.
The greatest legacy , footprints on the sands of time, that one can leave behind are a trail of good deeds, which alone can justify one's mortal existence. The habit of procrastination kills good intentions. It takes a strong will, inspiration and great enthusi asm to start any enterprise and more so for an understanding of that which is of spiritual value rather than of material value.material values are not to be But material values are not to be despised since these may be harnessed to ethical objectives. The moment a good intention is born, it must be executed immediately . What is the point of good intention if it is not executed?
Each person is an artist that creates his own personality . His character creates the image that he presents to others. By our own deeds and thoughts, we can make this image of infinite beauty or we can make it ugly. Before it is too late, let us make good deeds our best friend.
“A man is known by three names.The first is the name which his parents give him; the second is the name by which others call him, and the third is the name by which he is identified in the true record of his life, from Birth to Death.“ Midrash (The writer is priest and honorary secretary , Judah Hyam Synagogue, New Delhi.)
