Esther made it big in business. So she spent money buying a piece of land in the suburbs and built a three-storey villa. She had an impressive swimming pool in the garden with a hundred-year-old Fig Tree in the backyard. She bought the property precisely because of this tree. Her husband loved eating figs.
During renovations, her friends urged her to get guidance from a Rabbi, to tread on the side of caution. Esther never reasonably believed in Religion. Yet surprisingly, she took the advice to heart and went out of her way to meet a Rabbi from Israel.
The Rabbi was none other than Rabbi Andrew, who has been in the profession for thirty years, renowned in the Priesthood. They had a meal in the city. Then Esther drove the Rabbi to the suburbs. Along the way, when cars behind them tried to overtake, Esther would give way.
The Rabbi laughingly remarked: “Esther, your driving is safe.” He spoke fluent Hindi for an Israelite.
Esther laughed at the remark: “Usually, people who need to overtake have some urgent matter to attend to, so we shouldn’t hold them up”.
In a smaller town, the streets grew narrow, and so Esther slowed down.
A giggling child suddenly darted out from an alley, and as the child ran across the street, Esther still didn’t speed up. Instead, she kept her gaze on the path as if waiting for something. Out of the blue, another child darted out, chasing after the child ahead.
Rabbi was surprised and asked: “How did you know there would be another child following suit?”.
Esther shrugged: “Well, kids are always chasing after each other. So a child can’t be in such glee without a playmate”.
Rabbi gave her a big thumbs up and laughed loudly: “That’s considerate of you!”.
Arriving at the Villa, they got out of the car. Suddenly about seven to eight birds flocked from the backyard. Seeing so, Esther said to Rabbi: “ If you don’t mind, please wait here for a little while”.
“ What’s the matter?”, Rabbi was taken aback.
“Oh, there’s probably some kids stealing figs in the backyard. If we walk in now, we might frighten them. Let us not risk anyone falling off the old Fig Tree.” Esther replied humorously.
Rabbi stayed silent for a while before stating matter-of-factly: “This home doesn’t need a sanctification anymore”.
It is Esther’s turn to be shocked: “Why’s that ?”
“Any place graced with your presence naturally becomes the sanctification itself.”
When our minds prioritize others’ peace and happiness, the one who benefits is not just others but ourselves. When a person is considerate of others at all times, this person has unconsciously become enlightened.
“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” – John Andrew Holmes Jr.