Satan's Idle Stories 09. Antipodes

09. Antipodes

 

There is an idea among people that since being in Heaven is unconditionally beautiful, blissful and peaceful, the inhabitants of the higher spheres do not know the anxiety of doubts. It would seem that there is a reason in such a view of things: doubt is always a problem, because, first, it implies a difficult and sometimes risky choice between alternatives, and, secondly, the consequences of the choice are not predictable - otherwise there would be no doubt. However, the presence of different opinions is important, otherwise we will have to forget about the choice. Here we should keep in mind that even a reasoned judgment is not necessarily correct.  

 

The human notion that there are no doubts in the other world stems from the ignorance of mortals about heavenly existence. It is by no means as cloudless as it seems to some who imagine life in Heaven to be absolutely serene. Cloudlessness is to be understood, of course, not in the meteorological sense, for the sky is the natural seat of clouds, but in the figurative sense of the word. 

 

I, as Satan, have to confront all sorts of silly prejudices throughout my life - endless and going into the infinity of the future. The erroneous view mentioned above is a consequence of one of the prejudices. I declare emphatically, "Angels have their doubts, including me, a veteran of Creation, a native of Heaven!"

 

I will now tell my grateful readers about a long ago and instructive event, however, by no means unique, the conclusions of which are still not entirely clear to me, and I am to this day in a state of uncertainty as to the evaluation of the implications of the story I intend to tell. And I am not the only one who hesitates, but I believe that my fellow angel Michael, who holds one of the key positions in Heaven - ruler of Paradise - also hesitates. 

 

***

 

Among my many acquaintances were two worthy men who devoted their lives to the refined art of commerce. To put it simply, they kept shops and sold necessary consumer goods to the citizens of their town. The grocer Ptahya sold cereals, sugar, salt, flour, tea and other important foodstuffs. The textile seller Baruch offered cloth and chintz to some customers, and silk and batiste to others - all kinds of fabrics for every taste and pocket.

 

 - Hello, Ptahya," a customer who looked into the shop greets the grocer.

 

 - Peace be with you, friend, - replies Ptahya, - what can I do for you?

 

 - I'll have two pounds of flour!

 

 - Here you are, friend! For buns and doughnuts you will not find better goods! And the weight is exact: I've got weights that I've tested, it leaves nothing to be desired!

 

 - I know, Ptahya, you're honest, as the Scripture says.

 

 - Cheers, friend, come back often, you're always welcome!

 

 - Hello, Baruch," says a respectable customer who enters the shop.

 

 - Peace be with you," Baruch will reply, "you want to dress up, don't you?

 

 - My son's wedding is coming up, and the groom needs some clothes. I'd like a good cloth. Four and a half arshin will be fine.

 

 - Here's a fine cloth. Take what you asked for. I measure with my own arshin. It's the most accurate, it never fails!

 

 - I know, Baruch, you've got it all right, as the Scripture says.

 

 - To your offspring and daughters-in-law, prosperity, and to you, more grandchildren!

 

 - Amen.

 

So day after day Ptahya and Baruch labor. One feeds the people, the other clothes them. They are not competitors and get along with each other. They are good acquaintances, but not close friends, for there is one important thing on which their views differ.

 

As stated above, I was acquainted with both. When I met them, I reminded each individually of the line from the Law which unequivocally says that one must not do wrong in weight and measurement. I received in return a well-meaning silence, which undoubtedly meant agreement.

 

Now it is time to inform the reader of the sad fact that Ptahya and Baruch were not faithful to the law, but simply put, the grocer was cheating in weight and the cloth seller was cheating in measure. Of course, the crimes of our heroes are not so grave as to be considered irredeemable. Besides, there were not only those who suffered, but those who were benefited - the families of our merchants!

 

Here we should add that outside their shops the two shopkeepers led a righteous life: they prayed fervently and vigorously, fulfilled the prescribed commandments with desire, loved their neighbors, devoted their free hours, as well as the Sabbaths and feasts, to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, and donated to widows and orphans. In short, they performed many acts pleasing to God. 

 

Nevertheless, iniquity will remain iniquity, even if good deeds are done along with it. Recognizing this, Ptahya and Baruch placed great importance on repentance. They both knew that if they repented sincerely on the day before they died, their sins would be forgiven, and they could then expect a place in paradise, for in the High Court of Justice the scales laden with good acts would certainly be at the bottom.

 

Ptahya's and Baruch's approaches to choosing the right time for self-purification differed significantly. While agreeing that one should repent the day before death, Baruch reasonably objected that, glory be to God, man does not know the time of his death. So he was delayed in repenting, confident that the voice of Heaven would tell him the right time.

 

Ptahya, a man of rationality and not much inclined to mysticism, did not rely on the voice from above. He did not want to risk his posthumous future and chose a different line of behavior. A prosperous man should think in advance what to do when disaster comes. Ptahya assumed that death could come at any moment and take a person by surprise. Therefore he purified his soul every night. The regularity was all the more justified because every day of labor gave grounds for repentance.

 

To my careful angelic nature the prudence of Ptahya was closer than the carelessness of Baruch. Besides, the grocer's method of daily repayment of sin had the undeniable advantage of reducing the total amount of evil done in the world. The principle of the cloth merchant had the effect of accumulating iniquity. While maintaining objectivity, I will note that a careless person is not always foolish, and the serious appearance of a prudent man is not necessarily the sign of intelligence.

 

I spoke of my preference on many occasions with the Angel Michael, the superior of Paradise. He invariably agreed with me, but I fear he misunderstood me, for any bureaucratic position narrows the mental horizon.

 

Michael regarded my praise of Ptahya as an intercession. Not knowing of any other means of rewarding righteousness, he sent his angel to the grocer, and the angel took his soul and it was immediately placed in Paradise. Once in the coveted place, Ptahya's soul did not lament the haste of fate. But even in heavenly music there are false notes.

 

***

 

Now we return to Earth. Ptahya entered Paradise and left behind a widow, orphaned children, and a thriving business enterprise. Everyone and everything was taken care of by Baruch, who took on the troublesome duty of guardian.

 

The untimely deceased had usually spoiled his spouse with both generous caresses and lavish gifts. The widow, unable to bear the loss of both, began to wither and grow thin, and soon became ill and died. Baruch gave the deceased a decent funeral. He placed the children in a God-pleased house for orphans. The boys will learn trades, tailoring and shoemaking, the girls will learn the skills necessary for wives and mothers.

 

Baruch now had to decide what to do with the most important part of Ptahya's legacy, namely, to determine the future of the grocery shop, which had fallen into the temporary hands of the authorities. Trading in cereals, flour, sugar and other goods is a lucrative and troublesome business all together. Baruch is an impulsive man, prone to spontaneity and impromptu events. Baruch did not plunge into scrupulous analysis and bought Ptahya's shop from the authorities at a low price.

 

Baruch's professionalism and extensive commercial experience helped him to quickly master the grocery trade. In doing so, he developed the sophistication of his predecessor's methods of handling goods and customers. Baruch's profits doubled, the money multiplied and steadily added to his coffers. It is easy to guess that the new circumstances did not change Baruch's approach to repentance.

 

I asked Michael, the angel in charge of Paradise, if Baruch has a reason to hope for the same honor that Ptahya received? In other words, can he expect a place in Paradise? Michael explained to me that if Baruch will repent of his sins in time, that is, on the eve of his death, there will be no legitimate causes for not accepting his soul into Paradise.

 

We will now summarize. The grocer Ptahya, a prudent man, caring for his future place in the next world, regularly repented for his daily sins and thus did not contribute to the accumulation of common evil. As a result, he received a heavenly reward.

 

A person of carelessness, formerly only a cloth merchant and now almost a tycoon, Baruch has certain hopes of finding himself in heaven. At the same time, he has already won the earthly trophy by becoming quite rich. As the sages say, a smart man tastes the pleasures of two worlds. Unfortunately, as Baruch took over the grocery shop, the accumulation of the world's sin increased.

 

Now we come, dear reader, to the opening point of the story: the burden of doubt is borne by the heavenly angels. Even I, the magnificent Satan, am not sure if I was doing the right thing in praising Ptahya to Michael, the ruler of Paradise? No, I am not saying that Baruch does not deserve the benefits of the present and future life. But who knows, if the grocer's fate had turned out differently, the world would have been a less ugly place. By the way, I'm sure Michael shares my doubts. In conclusion, I want to say that neither angels nor humans need to get rid of doubts, on the contrary, we should doubt more often.