Blame it on Stupidity!

Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.

– Elbert Hubbard.

***

Once upon a time, there lived a man who, by mistake, arrived on a never-before-discovered island. As he walked ashore, he was pleasantly surprised to see the beach covered with the most precious diamonds he’d ever seen. Dreaming of being the richest man alive, he quickly started grabbing diamonds.

With his hands and pants full, he started walking further inland to search for habitation. Before long, he walked into town. Expecting to find a city of gold, he was shocked to find a very simple town smelling terribly of cheese.

Hungry as he was, he found a grocery store and filled a cart. When it came time to pay, he took out a small diamond, handed it to the grocer and asked for change.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” said the grocer. “Over here we pay with cheese, and this stone is worthless.”

Shocked at first, our fellow soon was one of the gang using cheese as currency and living this interesting life style.

Eventually, he amassed quite a “fortune.” One day, as he remembered the family he had left behind, he decided it was the right time to return home. Not wanting to return empty-handed, he filled up a dozen ships with cheese and began his month-long journey home.

Those were before the days of refrigerators. Words can not describe the grand welcome he received when he entered his home equipped with his treasures…

***

How is it possible for man to sin? That G-d is The Truth we all believe; that relationships are more important than work we all know; that money won’t bring us happiness we see. So how is it that on “theory level” the head is “screwed on,” yet when push comes to shove and you “gotta walk the walk,” suddenly the talk is only talk as the actions stray far from where your convictions lay?

The only reason for this hypocrisy is utter stupidity, a state in which the intelligent mind – given as a unique present to humans for the purpose of thinking – gets put aside in favor of something with no value. As our sages say, “A person does not sin unless he is overtaken by the spirit of folly.” Cheese rots, as does the physical, yet the chase is on after the cheese. Blame it on stupidity…

Man who falls into stupidity can go so far as to use his mind as a tool for the devil, conspiring to cause destruction. 9/11 is such an example…

Or that same mind, a gift from G-d, can be used for its original intention.

L’chaim! The diamonds are strewn all over - Tefillin, Shabbos candles and kashrus, to name but a few. Just bend down and pick them up. Get rich overnight!

Do something about it:

Add some cash to your spiritual bank account!