Let us continue with Derek Eretz, how we are to get along with each other.
''Consider that all you possess today may not be yours tomorrow. Since you cannot be 100% certain that what is in your possession today, will be yours tomorrow, what is the use of striving to possess what belongs to others? "
Allow me to teach about being attached to ones' material possession and coveting others' worldly goods with a Midrash. King Solomon decided to humble his advisor Benaiah. He said, "Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want. You have six months to find it."
Replied Benaiah, "I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?"
"It has magic powers," answered Solomon. "If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy." Solomon assumed that no such ring existed.
On the night before the 6 month deadline frantic Benaiah passed by a merchant in the Jerusalem souks. "Have you heard of a magic ring that makes the happy wearer forget his joy and the broken-hearted wearer forget his sorrows?" asked Benaiah.
He watched the merchant take a plain gold ring and engrave it. When Benaiah read the words on the ring, his face broke out in a wide smile.
The next day Solomon asked: "Have you found what I sent you after?"
Benaiah held up the small gold ring and declared, "Here it is, Majesty!" Solomon read the inscription. His smile vanished. The jeweler had written three Hebrew letters on the ring: gimel, zayin, yud, which began the words "Gam Zeh Ya'avor" -- "This too shall pass."
Solomon realized that all his wisdom, fabulous wealth and tremendous power were fleeting. One day he would be nothing but dust.
None of us know what tomorrow may bring. But history shows us that possessions can be gone with the wind at any moment. Look at our recent floods, tornados, fires, etc. From June to November we live under continual hurricane threats.
This is why the Talmud teaches us that while it's nice to have possessions, a wealthy person is one who is happy with what he has. [Pirkei Avot 4:1]. We are to learn to be spiritually-dependent, and not dependent on ''stuff''.
Since we cannot be 100% certain that what we have today will be ours tomorrow, how silly it is to covet, or even worse, steal, someone else's possessions, job, or honor. The Talmud wisely teaches, the more possessions, the more worry. {Ibid. 2:8}. The sages also teach that the way to get honor, is to honor, not dishonor, someone else. Truly understanding Gam Zeh Ya'avor--This too shall pass," allows us to live a life of being happy, free, and joyous, and truly saying spiritually, but not intellectually uncurious: "What? Me worry?"
Rabbi Arthur Segal is an international lecturer, author, and teacher. Visit him at www.JewishSpiritualRenewal.org . Follow him on FaceBook at 'Arthur L Segal', on Twitter at RabbiASegal, or his blog at http://rabbiarthursegal.blogspot.com . Email at RabbiSegal@JewishSpiritualRenewal.net
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