In the Talmud the Amora
Rava says:
“At
the time when man is judged, he is asked if he dealt
truthfully in business, if he set aside time for Torah study, if he
fulfilled the first commandment of procreation, if he hoped for
salvation, if he engaged in wise debate, if he ascertained the deeper
meaning in life, and mostly, if he revered God. This is likened to a man
who instructed his agent, ‘Take me up a kor (a specific measure) of wheat in the loft,’ and he went and did so. ‘Did you mix in a kab (a small amount) of humton (a kind of preservative)?’ he asked him. ‘No,’ he replied. ‘Then
it were better that you had not carried it up,’ he retorted.” - Shabbat 3a, quoted by Judge Elyakim Rubenstein
God has placed within us a soul. It is the most precious thing we possess in our life. But it must be protected. Our task is to return it in much the same condition as it was given.
Comments