One night a disciple of the
great Maggid of Mezritch was returning
after a long trip with his master. On the way, he decided to visit the city of
Karlin to meet its renowned Rabbi Aharon. He arrived after midnight and headed
straight to the Rabbi's house. He saw a light in the window so he knocked on
the door. The Hasidim are accustomed to use given names in addressing one
another. The disciple called out,
“Aharon, please open the door.” He heard
the knock and the voice and asked, “Who is at the door?” The disciple answered, “It is I” (Dos bin ich).
It was a long pause until the Rabbi words cut through the silence, “Who is it
the dares to speak of himself as ‘I’? Only the Lord can say ‘I’!" -Rabbi S.Y. Zevin
“To say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time.” John W. Roper Those who get in trouble most often are those cannot seem to keep still, remain silent. Life teaches many lessons. Among the best lessons of life is one my father taught me at an early age was, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.” The contributions we make to life via our mouth are many and varied. Most of the time, I reckon, they are not contributions at all, but things that diminish the richness of life.
Comments