Thursday, November 19, 2009

Perfume

"At all times, wear white; don't be without perfume in your hair." (Koheles 9.8)

Imagine -- a person is invited to feast with the king. The invitation however, does not mention any date or time. All it says is that the king's servants will arrive to escort him. If this person is wise, he will bathe himself, dress in his best and be ready at all times -- after all, he doesn't want to forfeit this platinum opportunity. If he is a fool however, he will ridicule such an invitation, and ignore it.

Our every minute is important -- still, some moments are more special, more unique. At such moments, we want to perform at our highest level, with enthusiasm, energy. If we can anticipate these moments -- a celebration, an important meeting, an interview -- we can ready ourselves. We can take a nap, shower, dress carefully, and most of all, ready our thoughts and attitudes. Other times, though, we have only a few minutes to prepare -- or no minutes at all. Then, there are moments we never knew were special, seemingly trivial, but which carried great weight -- eyes watching us, evaluating us and making decisions for our future.

Therefore, we need at all times to wear white, and have a fragrance -- a perfume of pleasantness, friendliness and the desire to help others -- wafting from us.

(Rashi explains another idea here. A person never knows when he will leave this world -- therefore, he should bathe and dress himself with good deeds at all times, that when his time comes, he may enter the next world in peace.)

Visit the author's site. Subscribe to "Keep Smiling".