Listen to the short story, The Treasure, There are many treasures in the world and to many times faith is discounted. In serving the Holy One, Blessed be He, treasure, but in order to find it, they must travel to a teacher or guide.
ST6 The Treasure
Tag: teacher
The King and His Old Teacher
One of the kings had a wise teacher who had instructed him since his childhood in all matters of things such as mathematics, differences between light and dark, sciences, as well as matters of honor and respect. Every day was a new lesson that the teacher instilled into the king, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever…Many shall be running back and forth, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12: 3-4)
The teacher grew old, and age was heavy upon him, and weakness and want had overtaken him. After many years, the teacher came to visit the king one day with his son to support him at his side. When the king saw him, he rose from his throne to bid him welcome and to receive him with honour. He seated him at his right hand, then turned to his ministers and servants and said to them: “This was my teacher in my childhood, and he taught me what is good and right and instructed me in the ways of goodness and wisdom.“
Then he turned to the old man and asked him: “Is all well, father mine?“ And the old man answered: “Your majesty, well-being is far from me, for the pangs of old age will not let me be and the days of evil have come upon me and the years with no purpose press wearingly. What good is life to a man whose moments are long and whose arms are no longer strong, and he sleeps by day and remains awake all night long. I dare say, and whose ears are too heavy for him to hear and his eyes are too dim to see with, I fear. Food he despises when it is there, yet he longs to feast when it is somewhere else. His pains slow him down, and the birds wake him up, and his dear ones annoy him, and his dreams frighten him enough to destroy him, and his bones have grown dry, and he has forgotten his good days; they are so far away!”
The king and all those who were seated before him wept aloud and said: “Alas, for living when the beginning is forgotten in its ending, and people would sooner be dead than alive.” The king told those before him that one must always “Revere your teacher as you revere Heaven.” (Avos 4:12) The king said to him: “Father mine, I can change your lack to wealth, G-d be praised, but I cannot change old age to youth.” And he gave him money and the robes he wore and endowed his children with a good inheritance and ordered them to support their father honorably and treat him with respect. Then the old man blessed him, saying, “He who pleases his teachers is destined for the World to Come” (Shabbos 153a). The old teacher and his son left the king in peace.
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)