The Power of Forgiveness
In the Zohar, a story is told about a traveler, who seems to have evaded death in his sleep – not once, but twice. To paraphrase the story:
Rabbi Aba was walking along the road when he noticed a traveler sleeping on a small hill that overlooks a valley. The Rabbi spotted a snake creeping towards the man. Preparing to attack, the snake coiled in front of the sleeping man when a large segment of the tree fell on the snake, crushing it. Amidst the commotion, the man suddenly awoke to find a dead snake near him. Quickly rising to his feet, he backed away from the place where he slept when suddenly the hill began to break away. A landslide ensued, carrying that section of earth down into a valley below, thus the man escaped death twice.
Rabbi Aba ran towards the man and asked him, “What have you done that G_D performed two miracles for you?!”
The man replied, “In all my days, I forgave anyone who did evil towards me. If I could not make peace, I would not let myself sleep until I forgave everyone.”
“Then, I’ve tried my best not to harbor hatred and I’ve always tried to do kindness for anyone who harmed me so they don’t think I hate them.”
Rabbi Aba, in amazement replied, “These deeds exceed even those of Joseph for Joseph forgave his brothers [who wronged him], but you show mercy to complete strangers. This is why you are worthy for G_D to perform miracles for you.”
This story teaches us that there is a hidden power in forgiveness. In a world where retaliation or grudge-bearing are the norm - forgiveness is a life-giving and other-worldly gift to be shared.
