Observations placeholder

Zohar I 201b [translated by Gershom Scholem] – Forgiveness

Sitting one day at the gate of Lydda, Rabbi Abba saw a man approach and seat himself on a ledge which jutted out over the hollow ground far beneath. The man was weary with travel, and fell asleep. Rabbi Abba beheld a serpent crawling toward the man, and it had almost reached him when a branch hurtled from a tree and killed it. Now the man awakened, and, seeing the serpent before him, he jumped up; at this instant the ledge collapsed and crashed into the hollow below.

Rabbi Abba approached the man and said: “Tell me, why has God seen fit to perform two miracles for you, what have you done!”

To which the man answered: Whosoever wronged me, at any time, always I made peace with him and forgave him.

And if I failed to effect peace with him, then I refrained from going to take my rest before I forgave him, and along with him, forgave any others who had vexed me; at no time did I brood on the injury the man had done to me; rather, I made special efforts of kindness from then on to such a man.

At this Rabbi Abba wept and said: This man surpasses even Joseph in his deeds; that Joseph should have been forbearing toward his brethren and shown them compassion was only natural, but this man has done more, and it is meet that the Holy One, be blessed, work successive miracles for him.

After this Rabbi Abba discoursed on the verse: "He that walketh uprightly walketh securely; but he that perverteth his ways shall be known" {Prov. 10:9}.