A Mashal by the Ben Ish Chai for Rosh Hashanah
A Mashal by the Ben Ish Chai for Rosh Hashanah
One day, a dove flew to its fellow doves in a terrible panic: “Quickly, fly with me and help me—there is a man planting flax seeds. We must fly there and peck them all up.”
- “Why?” its companions asked.
- “How can you not understand? He is about to plant the seeds, flax will grow from them, then he will harvest the flax and make threads from it; from the threads he will weave nets and catch us in them.”
- “Oh, you’ve really gone too far,” the doves said. “Maybe the flax will grow, maybe it won’t; maybe he will harvest it, maybe he won’t; maybe he will weave nets, maybe he won’t; maybe he will catch us, maybe he won’t...”
Time passed. The man planted the flax seeds, the flax grew, he harvested his crop on schedule, wove nets, and caught the doves.
And there they sat in the nets, bitterly lamenting that they could have enjoyed the delicious flax and avoided all these troubles.
The Ben Ish Chai teaches, by citing this mashal, that the forms of a person’s sins change with the seasons.
At the beginning of the year, it is still possible simply to peck up the seeds—one’s lapses and mistakes—and guard against their consequences. Later, however, it will be too late; one will have to tear apart the nets and escape.
(Rabanit Esther Ofengenden)
Was this helpful?
100% of readers found this article helpful (36 votes).
Please note: some articles on our site contain the holy Names of the Almighty. If you print these articles, they may not be thrown away or destroyed. Please handle printed copies with care and respect.
Tags: Ben Ish Chai, Rosh Hashanah, Rabbanit Esther Offengenden, Mashal by the Ben Ish Chai on Rosh Hashanah, A Time for Teshuvah
