The king’s messenger summoned a person to come to the palace at once. When the man saw that the messenger was wearing black garments and had an angry look on his face, he was immediately gripped by a feeling of terror, for perhaps he was destined to receive a harsh punishment from the king.
There was a wise man standing nearby who soothed the man’s anxiety “What do you have to fear from the messenger?” he said. “He cannot do anything to you without a direct command from the king. Therefore, instead of being fearful and worrying, examine your deeds. If you know that you are free of any transgression, you would do well to hurry to the palace as the king commanded and hear what he has to say”
On another occasion, the king’s messenger summoned a different person to appear before the king. This time, however, the messenger was dressed in bright-colored clothes and was very happy as well as smiling. The man was overjoyed and he began to dance.
A wise man turned to him and said, “What do you have to dance about? Who really knows if this messenger is the bearer of good news or not? Do not be misled by the happy expression on his face; rather, think about whether you are truly loyal to the king. If you are, then the messenger is bringing you good tidings, but if you have sinned against the king, Heaven forbid, then evil has been determined against you…”
A person should not judge himself according to whether an event which befalls him is good or bad. Rather, he must constantly examine himself in order to know whether he is loyal to the King or, Heaven forbid, has sinned against Him.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)