In the Middle East a story is told of a famous Rabbi, Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Yehoshua once went to a faraway city. He walked along a straight, smoothly-paved highway. But when he was near the city, he came to a fork in the road. Before him lay two roads – one road was paved and smooth, and the other was rough and covered with sand and stones.
Rabbi Yehoshua did not know which of the roads to choose. He looked around and saw a little boy sitting on a rock in the shade of a tree. He turned to the boy and asked, “Tell me, my son, which road leads to the city?”
The boy answered, “Both roads lead to the city.”
Rabbi Yehoshua then asked, “Which is the better road?”
The boy pointed to one of the roads and said, “This road is both short and long.” Then he pointed to the other road and said, “And this road is both long and short.” Rabbi Yehoshua was confused by the boy’s directions.
“Apparently there is not much difference between the two roads. I will take the short way which also seems to be more comfortable, and I will reach the city faster,” he thought. So he continued on his way. It seemed as if he had made the correct choice, for he was quickly getting closer to the city. But just as he thought he was almost there, the road suddenly ended. In front of him were the orchards and gardens surrounding the city. If he continued in the same direction he would have to climb the fences and look for paths through the orchards and who knows when he would reach the city!
Rabbi Yehoshua turned around and went back to the crossroads. The same boy was still sitting there.
“Here I am, back again. Did you not tell me, my son, that this was the shorter route?” asked Rabbi Yehoshua.
“Rabbi, did I not tell you that it is also longer?” asked the boy.
Rabbi Yehoshua went over, kissed the boy on his forehead, and said, “You have taught me an important lesson today, my son. There are roads which seem short, but which are really long. And there are roads which may appear long, but are straight and therefore shorter after all.”
Saying this, Rabbi Yehoshua took leave of his young guide and went on the longer route. It’s true that at the beginning, this road was longer, but it led him directly to the city.
I find it very disturbing seeing the ongoing conflict between the Americans believing in the war against Baghdad. Some argue that we ought to bomb our way through at the cost of urban war while others feel that it would be wiser to wait and see if we can find Saddam Hussein and his cronies. Which road is better?
By looking to the past we know what to do with Saddam Hussein. We must destroy him even at the cost of his people. Now is not the time to debate peace and war at the expense of America’s safety. With our men and women in the war zone we need to back our President by taking a tough stance. President Bus seems to be prudently taking the longer shorter way.
Beginning April 16th the Jewish people will celebrate the holiday Passover, the exodus of a Jewish nation from Egypt.
The Bible records that Moses, the fearless leader, did indeed try to save Egypt from eventual destruction. He constantly worried, cajoled, and pleaded to the wicked Pharaoh. Moses was a leader trying to save the Egyptian country while destroying the tyrannical leader. This, too, is President Bush’s approach.
The holiday of Passover is a lesson to all nations of the world. We all may be exposed to evil people but we do not have to become like them. We can liberate ourselves by remembering our Divine spirit and experience freedom.
Don’t forget, freedom is not monopolized by America and the coalition. It is open to the world.