Short stories have many uses. One is to act as a kind of contemporary scripture. Tolstoy had something like this in mind when he wrote “What is art?”
I.L. Peretz’s story “If Not Higher” is a good example.
Spoiler alert: If you think you might read this story soon, stop here.
Every Friday morning, the rabbi of Nemirov vanished. There was speculation that the holy man might be in heaven. One doubter scoffed at the idea and spied on the rabbi, hoping to discover the truth.
It was easy to discover. The rabbi simply changed clothes. Dressed as a woodchopper, he went into the forest and cut bundles of firewood. The doubter watched as the rabbi in disguise pressed the firewood on a poor widow at a low rate and then loaned her the money to buy it, assuring her God would provide.
When I was younger, I distrusted feelings. I especially distrusted people who trusted their own feelings as ethical guides. I thought we ought to use our rational faculties to keep a short rein on our emotions.
Decades later, I think it makes sense to use our rational faculties to train our emotions. Some feelings are better than others. Peretz’s simple little story is a reminder that empathy and generosity touch something that is good in humanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment