A Soulful Journey

Two donkey-drivers who hated one another were walking on a road. One of the donkeys collapsed, and the other donkey-driver just passed by seeing that it had collapsed under its burden. The second donkey-driver said: Is it not written in the Torah, “If you see a donkey of someone you hate struggling with its burden, and you are hesitant to help that person—you must help that person”? What did the second donkey-driver do? He turned back to help the other man reload his donkey, and then accompanied him on the way. One began to converse with the other, and helped loosen here, lift up there, tighten here, until he reloaded the animal with him. They found that they had made peace between themselves. The one whose donkey was struggling said to himself: “I never understood why this person hated me! See how compassionate he was with me when he saw my donkey and me in distress!” At this point, they went into an inn and ate and drank together, and they grew to love one another. -Midrash Tanḥum...

Rabbi Samuel ben Isaac taught in the name of Rabbi Samuel ben Eleazar: ‘The seven “vanities” mentioned in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) correspond to the seven worlds that a man beholds.  At age one, he’s like a king, seated in the litter while all hug and kiss him.  At two and three he is like a pig, sticking his hands in the gutters.  At ten he skips like a kid.  At twenty he is like a horse, adorning himself and seeking a wife. Having married, he is like an ass, that is, the beast of burden. When he has had children he becomes brazen like a dog, in order to bring in bread and food…

An old Greek fable tells of a man who bought a donkey to transport sacks of salt to the market.   He overloaded the animal shamefully.   Staggering under the sacks of salt. The poor donkey painfully worked his way along the road to town and slipped into a stream alongside the road. To the surprise of the animal, his burden gradually became lighter.   The water was dissolving the salt, leaving only a few wet sacks for the donkey to carry. As he was was an intelligent donkey, every time he passed the stream he managed to fall in.   The proprietor took the problem to his wife. “Agemnon, the solution is simple.   Throw a few sacks of dry sponges on the donkey’s back." As the donkey wended his way into town again he reached the steam. He eased his way into the water and them climbed out of the stream.   The sacks were now much heavier.  We all learn through experience. It is a great teacher.  And great is the teacher w...