Еврейская мысль к Тегилим 34:13

Vayikra Rabbah 16, describes a certain itinerant herbs and spices merchant, who used to frequent the district of Tzippori, offering the elixir of life. All the people in the district streamed to that merchant anxious to buy his wares. Rabbi Yannai, who sat in his palace teaching the plain meaning of scripture, heard about this, and invited the merchant to visit him and to sell him some of this life giving herb. The merchant said to Rabbi Yannai "you and the likes of you are not in need of my product." When Rabbai Yannai insisted, the merchant took out a book of Psalms and showed him the verse "who is the man that desires life and loves days that he may see good? keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from deceitful speech" (Psalms 34, 13-41) Rabbi Yannai said "also Solomon proclaims the same message in Proverbs 21,23." He continued "all my life I have read this verse and have wondered about its true meaning, until this spice merchant came and explained it to me."This too is why Moses exhorted the people when he said to the people of Israel "this is the Torah of the person who is afflicted with a skin exzema,( tzora-at), he who slanders etc."

Vayikra Rabbah 16, describes a certain itinerant herbs and spices merchant, who used to frequent the district of Tzippori, offering the elixir of life. All the people in the district streamed to that merchant anxious to buy his wares. Rabbi Yannai, who sat in his palace teaching the plain meaning of scripture, heard about this, and invited the merchant to visit him and to sell him some of this life giving herb. The merchant said to Rabbi Yannai "you and the likes of you are not in need of my product." When Rabbai Yannai insisted, the merchant took out a book of Psalms and showed him the verse "who is the man that desires life and loves days that he may see good? keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from deceitful speech" (Psalms 34, 13-41) Rabbi Yannai said "also Solomon proclaims the same message in Proverbs 21,23." He continued "all my life I have read this verse and have wondered about its true meaning, until this spice merchant came and explained it to me."This too is why Moses exhorted the people when he said to the people of Israel "this is the Torah of the person who is afflicted with a skin exzema,( tzora-at), he who slanders etc."

Every intelligent human being realises that there are two ways of looking at life. Either one considers life as we live it to be the real thing, considering physical pleasures and joys as the purpose of it, or one looks beyond the obvious. If one believes that the few short years we have on this earth is what life is all about, then we are dead already while we are still "alive." Alternately, if one realises that all true life is inspired by G'd, and one bases one's lifestyle on that premise, one acquires true life already during one's physical existence. The former view is held by the vast majority of people, who by adopting a lifestyle based on that view, anger the Creator. The latter view, resulting in a lifestyle that prepares for the "beyond", has been practiced by the few truly good people since time immemorial. Eternal life is acquired for one's soul in return for living correctly while possessed of a body. David expressed this view when he said "Indeed, I possessed the faith that I would see the good land of life." (Psalms 27,13) Similarly, in chapter 34,13-15, "he who goes on looking for "good" is the morally sound individual who aims at life's perpetuation." Those select people realised that attainment of the "good", is the ultimate aim in life, not that the so-called "life" is the zenith of what we call "good." It is in this context that we understand Psalms 116,15, "precious to G'd is the death of the righteous," since their departure from earth signals their entry into the portals of eternal life.