The Parable of the Two Goats

ã 2003 Rabbi Yehoshua M. Othniel

  There once was a poor farmer who owned two goats. One goat was gentle, a real mentsch. The other was coarse, a dybbuck from the start. Each night the farmer would attempt to pen up his animals to protect them from the dangers of the night. The gentle goat he would call, and the animal would come running to him. The other would run away and would force the farmer to rope him and drag him to the pen.

  One dark night, a pack of wolves came and attacked the goat pen killing the gentle goat. The ill-mannered goat managed to escape without harm. When the farmer discovered what had happened, he took a knife and slew the bad tempered goat and ate him.

 The moral of this story is, don’t allow evil deeds to deprive you of the necessities of life!

  This story seems rather foolish at the first reading, but keep in mind that like the onion, it has many layers. The poor farmer has but two goats. He’s deprived of one so he kills and eats the other? Then again, why should he hold onto tsuris? Live today and go on tomorrow! Had he held onto the other goat he'd only have additional tsuris, the very real fear that the wolves would return. We must cast away our anger and pain. Never give anger and bitterness a chance to take root. Bitterness is a spiritual cancer; it destroys the soul. Battle this cancer with a heart to win. Only then can you hope to survive, flourish and endure!  - The M’Kablim Rebbe