Ever felt like life is throwing everything at you? Stress, endless to-do lists, bosses who think sleep is optional, family members needing attention, bills piling up, and challenges popping up like mushrooms after rain?
If you’re nodding, congratulations, you’re not alone in this wild ride! Buckle up and enjoy this timeless tale that might just bring a smile and a sprinkle of wisdom: 📖
One day, during a festive Passover feast, King Solomon decided to humble his most trusted and arrogant Chief of Army, Benaiah Ben Yehoyada.
With a sly grin, Solomon said, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. I wish to wear it for the eve of Sukkot (1), which gives you six months to find it. I know that if anyone can do it, it is only you.”
Benaiah replied, “If it exists anywhere on earth, Your Majesty, I will find it and bring it to you, but what makes the ring so special?”
Solomon answered, “It has magic powers. If a happy man looks at it, he becomes sad, and if a sad man looks at it, he becomes happy.” Solomon knew that no such ring existed in the world, but he wished to give his minister a little taste of humility.
Benaiah’s dispatched his soldiers to every corner of the kingdom, consulted wise elders who stroked their beards thoughtfully and pored over ancient records that offered nothing but dust and disappointment.
Spring blossomed and faded, summer blazed and dwindled, and the golden days of autumn brought the final harvest. With the Succoth festival looming, time was no longer a luxury. It was a relentless shadow chasing him down.
On the eve of Sukkot, as the sun painted Jerusalem in hues of molten gold, Benaiah wandered the bustling streets. The city, its timeless stone buildings glowing in the fading light, buzzed with last-minute activity. Merchants shouted their final offers, their hands busy packing wares as they prepared to close their stalls.
Desperation clung to Benaiah like a heavy shadow at dusk, impossible to shake and growing darker with each passing moment. He scanned the faces of the vendors, the lines of goods, and the fading sky. Then, as if fate had scripted the moment, he noticed an old silversmith at his modest stand, arranging his wares with deliberate care.
“Have you,” Benaiah asked, his voice heavy with exhaustion, “by any chance heard of a magic ring? One that can make a happy person forget their joy and a broken-hearted person forget their sorrows?”
The silversmith paused, his wrinkled face breaking into a knowing smile. He rummaged through a dusty box and pulled out a plain silver ring. With steady hands, he etched something onto its surface and held it up.
Benaiah leaned in, squinting to read the words. His tired eyes widened, and his face lit up with something he had not felt in months: relief. “This is it!” he exclaimed, gripping the ring like the crown jewels. Without hesitation, he emptied his purse into the silversmith’s hands. “Come to the palace, and you shall have more,” he said, his voice trembling with gratitude. “I cannot thank you enough.”
The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the city bathed in twilight. With the ring safely in hand, Benaiah hurried back to the palace, his heart racing as the sounds of the Sukkot feast began to fill the night air.
The palace buzzed with energy that night. Laughter and the clinking of goblets filled the grand hall as guests basked in the glow of celebration. King Solomon, seated like the star of the show, leaned back with a playful grin. “Well, Benaiah,” he said, his tone dripping with mischief, “did you find the ring that can make a happy man sad and a sad man happy?”
The crowd chuckled, already savoring the idea of Benaiah returning empty-handed. But to everyone’s surprise, Benaiah held up a plain silver ring. “Here it is, Your Majesty,” he declared. The room fell silent.
“It has three Hebrew letters engraved on it: ג,ז,י (Gimel, Zayin, and Yod),” Benaiah continued, leaning in to whisper their meaning into Solomon’s ear. The king’s confident smile melted away. His gaze wandered over the opulence of the hall, the shining silver, and the abundance around him. Tears began to well up in his eyes.
Just as the guests began to wonder what kind of magic this ring possessed, Solomon’s tears gave way to laughter. A deep, contagious laugh that spread like wildfire through the hall.
When the laughter finally subsided, Solomon revealed the ring’s secret. “Gam Zeh Yaavor,” he said, holding it up for all to see. “This Too Shall Pass.”
The crowd sat in awe as the king explained. “Life is a limited-time offer, and the ride between birth and death is the ultimate roller coaster with thrilling peaks, sharp turns, and surprises at every corner. Every joy, every sorrow, every triumph, and every loss are all temporary. That truth humbles us and frees us to live fully.”
Life has a way of throwing curveballs, storms that make everything seem bleak. But even the fiercest hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes eventually fade. The problem is that we often hang on to the clouds, clutching the storm long after it has passed. Let it leave. Storms are meant to move on.
When I was 12, my father collapsed next to me, and 24 hours later, he was gone at just 43 years old. My mom, heartbroken, would cry almost every night, saying, “I was happy, and I did not know it. I would give everything to have my husband back.”
Her words have stayed with me, a powerful reminder of how fleeting life’s moments can be. We rush through the small joys of life, like bedtime stories, family meals, or playful moments, seeing them as tasks rather than treasures. Only later do we realize those simple routines were the memories we should have cherished most, but in our haste, we forgot to savor them while they were ours.
The key? Stay present when life is good. Savor every moment of joy and take a moment to acknowledge all the things that are working, starting with your health. Embrace gratitude, carry humility, and most importantly, remember that others might be braving their own storms.
Extend your hand with friendship and generosity. Be there for them. Offer comfort, remind them that even the fiercest storms eventually pass, and the blue sky always finds its way back. Your presence and care can be the calm they need to weather the storm.
Think of life as a wave. Sometimes you rise high, and sometimes you crash low. When you are on top, it is your duty to lift others. When you are down, let others lift you. This exchange of support is how we keep moving forward.
King Solomon had everything – power, women, and wealth. Towards the end of his life, he realized that holding on to things is an illusion as they are not the source of happiness. So he turned to a spiritual search and wrote in Ecclesiastes: “The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” … What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”
(1) Sukkot (also known as Feast of Tabernacles) is a Jewish festival. In this event, people celebrate the gathering of the crops and remember the time in the past when small shelters were made by the Jews when they were in the wilderness and had no homes.
