Do not be sure of yourself until the day you die

The Rabbi was sitting at his desk, immersed in study, when the knock on the door disturbed him. Opening it, he saw a Jew clutching a bundle of money in his hand. The man explained that he was on his way to a nearby village on business. Now that it was almost nightfall, however, he was afraid to travel with so much ready cash. As a special favor, he asked if he could leave the money with the Rabbi until his return trip.

At first the Rabbi hesitated, as it was very large sum of money. But the man begged and implored him, and in the end he agreed. The Rabbi put the bundle in a safe place and resumed his study.

A short time later there was another knock at the door. This time it was a Jew from his own town, who begged the Rabbi to lend him five rubles to buy a cow that was being offered for sale very inexpensively. The man said he would return the money the following morning after he had sold the cow at the market.

"I would gladly help," the Rabbi said, "but I don't have five rubles to lend."

The Rebbetzin, who had overheard the conversation, came over and whispered into her husband's ear: "What about the thousands of rubles in that bundle? Surely you can lend this man five rubles overnight."

The Rabbi hesitated. The Torah prohibits tampering with a pledge. But the Rebbetzin pleaded the man's case so fervently that the Rabbi gave in. The man promised to leave the cow in the Rabbi's courtyard overnight.

Early the next morning, well before dawn, an angry banging awakened the Rabbi. It was the police. Pointing to the cow in the courtyard, they informed the Rabbi that the animal had recently been stolen from its rightful owner. The Rabbi realized that he had fallen into a trap, but it was too late. He was led off to the police station in shackles.

Foremost on the Rabbi's mind was the disgrace this could bring upon the Jewish community. G-d forbid that the affair should become public knowledge! Considering the thousands of rubles still in his possession, he convinced himself that in an emergency situation like this, surely he was allowed to use some of the money. And so, by bribing the prison guards handsomely, the Rabbi was quietly released before word could spread.

Much to the Rabbi's surprise, however, the man who had deposited the money with him for safekeeping came back earlier than anticipated. He arrived that very day to reclaim it.

When the Rabbi muttered ashamedly that he no longer had the money, the man turned white. Despite the Rabbi's assurances that he would find the money, the man became increasingly agitated until he suddenly toppled over and fell to the floor. A doctor who was summoned confirmed that he was dead.

For the second time in a day the police led the Rabbi off to jail. But this time the charges against him were worse. The investigation that ensued revealed his tampering with the original pledge, his bribery of the prison guards, and his role in causing the depositor's death. The Rabbi was sentenced to ten years in jail.

Overnight, the Rabbi was reduced from a respected leader of the community to a common criminal. Even his cell mate, a young Jewish man who was also serving a ten-year sentence, felt pity for him.

Time passed, and the Christians celebrated their holiday. The village priest paid a visit to the hapless inmates. Addressing his words to the younger Jew, the priest promised his freedom if he renounced his faith. The young man rejected the offer adamantly.

After the priest left, the young man brooded for awhile before revealing what was troubling him. "Maybe I made a mistake. I could always run away to another country and resume my Judaism there..."

"How could you even consider it?" the Rabbi replied, aghast. "How many Jews have willingly given up their lives rather than renounce G-d's Name for even a single moment?"

The following year the priest returned and repeated his offer. This time the young man took him up on it, and he was freed.

Another year passed, and the priest returned. Again the Rabbi pushed him away with both hands, but this time the priest would not be deterred. All the Rabbi had to do was accept Christianity in his presence, and freedom was his.

Deep in his heart the Rabbi knew that it was forbidden by Jewish law, but he was so despondent that he agreed. Surely it was preferable to transgress for a single moment than to remain in prison for years...

At that moment the Rabbi awoke from his dream, shaken to the depths of his soul. He could not believe that he, an esteemed Rabbi, had entertained such a notion even in a nightmare.

Then he broke out in a sweat. A few days before he had been present at the deathbed of an elderly Jewish man, and had helped him recite his final confession. When he got to the part which states that if the dying person utters anything against G-d in his final moments, his words should be considered null and void, the Rabbi had wondered: How could it be possible for an 80-year-old Torah scholar to deny G-d, even in his final moments?

"Now I have my answer," the Rabbi whispered to himself. "Our Sages were certainly justified when they said, 'Do not be sure of yourself until the day you die.'"