A French marquis that was raised to a grand and exalted position was known to have in his palace a room called "The Shepherd's Room". In that room were reproductions of hills, valleys, running streams, rocks, and sheepfolds. There was also a staff and rough clothing. When asked one day the meaning of this, he replied, "If ever my heart is tempted to haughtiness and pride, I go into that room & remind myself of what I once was: a poor humble shepherd keeping someone else’s sheep!” Such humility would have saved Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and many leaders of ancient and modern history.
Next week starts a special calendar period. It is the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a time when for eight days, Jewish people remember their sojourn through the desert. Many Jewish families build a small temporary shelter that either stands on its own or leans against their house. In warm countries, people often build it on the terraces or on their roof or even on their balcony. People are meant to spend some time in it each day, by themselves but preferable with family, friends and neighbors. It is meant to be a time of high rejoicing. The whole idea is to remind the Jewish nation from whence they come: an enslaved race on a temporary voyage to a Land promised to them from times past, a journey which seems to have lasted so far 2,400 years, and is still in discussion. But. why remember? In times of success, we may tend to forget from whence we come. It is at that point that arrogance also settles in our hearts along with its relatives: pride, selfishness, anger, meanness, intolerance, ...etc. This remembrance is meant to teach people to be kind and merciful to the poor and to the stranger. For me this is personal. After a very troubled childhood, I did what many lost and disillusioned young people of my generation did. I became a hippy roaming through Europe and the M.East. The problem with that vocation is that it is very short lived. It lasts until the age of about 25. After that, the idealism is gone and one becomes just a bum. So today, when I see people my age dirty, hungry, aimless as well as homeless in the cold and rainy streets, I remember the few people who at times showed me mercy and kindness. Remembering that this was exactly where my life was headed had it not been for divine intervention, I tell myself: “There, but by the Grace of God, go I!”
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