“There is no time to rest now. I will have the rest of my life for that, but today I must run. What I work for now will be mine to keep forever.”
Yosef jumped up and began again to run, driven to cover more of the lush, green land. Finally, he stood on top of a beautiful hill and realized he was very hot. Straight overhead the warm afternoon sun was beating down upon his head. He had been working very hard all morning, too busy to notice the sun’s steady progress across the sky.
With the sun high in the sky, he realized, “High noon! It’s midday. I’ve got to turn back. Why I’ve already spent half a day on my journey, and I must be back before sundown. It’s time to turn around. I haven’t a moment to lose!”
Yosef looked ahead of him at what was probably the most beautiful sight he had seen yet. A meadow greener than any he had ever seen lay below him. Surrounded by trees of all types, it seemed a magical place, as animals played in the tall grass and birds flew majestically overhead, singing pleasant songs.
“How can I give up this valley?” said Yosef, looking worriedly over his shoulder at the sun high overhead. “I know I have more time than this. After all, I didn’t leave in the morning until the sun had been up for at least a while. I probably still have more time before I must turn back.”
Greed and envy pushed him on, and Yosef continued through what was truly a splendid meadow. Half an hour later, he stood on the other side and saw sights even more beautiful. This time Yosef admonished himself, “No, I must not be persuaded by thoughts of greed and envy. The hour is well past noon, the sun is past the high point in the sky. I must turn back now, otherwise I will never be back before sundown.”
Yosef took the stick he had been carrying, plunged it deep into the ground, and made sure it held fast. The red handkerchief waved in the wind. He had finally marked off his spot.
Yosef knew that it was definitely time to turn around. He took one last, longing look at the valleys and hills ahead of him, but in a panic said, “No, I can’t have it. I already have hundreds of acres, and now I must stop.”
With a great sigh, Yosef began to run home, one firm purpose guiding him, one goal he could not fail to attain: he must be back before sundown. His heart raced, his blood pulsed quickly, and his legs covered the miles in leaps and bounds. Whereas before he was too preoccupied to look at the sun, now he was almost obsessed by it. He checked its progress constantly.
It seemed to Yosef that he was running with even greater speed than in the morning. No longer distracted by the delightful sights he passed, he sprinted across the grass in the hot summer afternoon. He did not even notice how his body was becoming parched and dry. He had not eaten anything all day, but was unaware of the fatigue that overwhelmed his body. He began to stumble and fall often now, and that could not escape his notice.
“What is happening to me? Am I losing my strength? I can’t slow down now!” Yosef continued ahead. He fell again, harder this time. Yosef picked himself up and felt a stab of pain in his leg. “I’ll have time to deal with the pain later,” he assured himself. “I’ll have the best doctors. I’ll have anything that I could possibly desire. Right now I must work harder than I ever have!”
Yosef reached way down into the storehouses of energy and strength that lay deep within him. He began to recognize where he was. It was just a few miles from his final destination. He looked towards the horizon to check if he could see the Euphrates River in the distance. How sweet a sight it would be to see his master, Mr. Parnas, standing just ahead of him!
“He can’t be far off now,” Yosef consoled himself as he squinted to catch sight of him. The sun was setting and it was quite late already, and Yosef was becoming frantic. His mind vividly played out a terrible scenario over and over: his master stood waiting for him as day turned into night and the sun hid itself from the moon; yet Yosef never returned!
Confusion overcame him. “Perhaps I’ve been running in the wrong direction. But that’s impossible. The sun is behind me. I must be going in the right direction. Or am I?”
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Yosef could not take time to stop and decide. He continued to run in desperation, tripping and falling all the while.
At long last Yosef spotted the welcome sight of the Euphrates River off in the distance. He thought he could make out the shape of Mr. Parnas standing there. But how much time was left?
Yosef was aching, every muscle and joint screamed out in pain. His head throbbed and his breathing was erratic as he fought for control. Yosef was in deep trouble. With still a mile or two to go, the sun began to touch the horizon, only minutes left before sundown.
Yosef shrieked, “No, this can’t be happening.” He ran more frenzied than ever towards the little dot on the horizon that stood on the bank of the Euphrates River. Sadly, the inevitable happened, and Yosef fell. Only this time he had not tripped; his body had given out. This time Yosef did not get up. On that very spot, early the next morning, the people gathered for Yosef’s burial.
We learn that “envy, lust and [the desire for] honor can put a man out of the world” (Pirkei Avos 4:21). The chase after material wealth and the respect that we assume comes with being wealthy can actually destroy a person. Some people spend endless amounts of energy wishing and dreaming about how wonderful it would be to be rich. Some actually spend lifetimes in the pursuit of the riches they think will make them happy. However, the truth is that no matter how much a person already has, there is always more to be gotten, and if we always look for more wealth, honour and fame, we will never be satisfied with what we have. If we can learn to see the good in what we already have and appreciate it, then we will be happy and feel wealthy as well. As we are taught, “Who is rich? He who rejoices in his lot, as it is said: “You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors, you shall be happy and you shall prosper” (Psalms 128:2).” (Pirkei Avos 4:1)
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)
