There once was a wealthy man who had two sons living in a distant city. One of the sons was a successful businessman who had grown very wealthy; the other, a penniless pauper. It had been many years since the two brothers had last seen their father, and their reasons for this varied according to their personal situations. Due to his business dealings which were extremely time-consuming, the first brother was simply unable to spare the time to visit his father. The second brother, on the other hand, endured day-to-day hardships that did not allow him to leave home.

One day, the wealthy brother decided that enough time had passed since he had seen his father. He therefore resolved to take a short leave of his business and visit him. He approached his brother and suggested that he accompany him on his lengthy journey.

Upon hearing his brother’s words, the poor brother thought to himself, “This is a golden opportunity for me. As a rule, I hesitate to go around the city collecting charity, for this would be an em­barrassment to my distinguished brother. However, now that we will be taking leave of our city I will be able to go from door-to- door in order to raise money”

The brothers set out on their long journey, each one with a different motive in mind. The first brother wished to see his father, while the second wanted to collect alms in places where he would not be recognized.

At the same time, their elderly father was sitting in his home and thinking, “I have two sons in a distant city who do not have the free time necessary to pay me a visit. I yearn to see them, but what can I do?” He immediately decided, “I will travel to them instead!”

And so he did.

Traveling on the road, the brothers met up with their father However; while the wealthy brother was overjoyed to meet his beloved father, the poor son lamented his lost opportunity.

A holy person’s sole intention when he eats is to maintain his body in order to serve the Holy One, blessed be He. An impious person, however, eats in order to satisfy his cravings.

If a person wishes to discover which category he belongs to, it is not very difficult to determine. Let him simply observe his reaction if he becomes satisfied before having finished his portion. A holy person feels great joy over having fulfilled his pur­pose in eating; an impious person, on the other hand, suffers terribly…

May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)

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Listen to more stories told by the Master Storyteller, Rabbi Rachmiel Tobesman – The Treasures of the King, the Princess and the Peat Digger, Seven Jewish stories, on iTunes and Amazon or Coins, Candles and Faith, eight stories of faith on iTunes and Amazon