The Princess

Once upon a time there lived a princess who had everything imaginable and yet was very
depressed. The more things she was given the more depressed she became. She had the
most beautiful clothes and jewelry. She had her own horse and the best teachers who
taught her how to play music, sing, and dance. She learned about nature and animals.
She developed many skills in sports and business. The royal family loved her and she
felt loved, but her depression only got worse.
Then one day when she was walking to the royal seamtrice to try on her gown for her
sister’s wedding, she noticed all the peasants who came out to greet her and her
entourage. Here she was wearing a beautiful gown while the peasants she saw were
wearing rags. Although this saddened the princess, she decided that when she returned to
the palace she was going to sew clothes for them. The king was flabbergasted. “If you
want to give them clothes, I will gladly distribute clothing to them.” But the princess
insisted that she wanted to make them with her own hands and give them to the peasants
herself.
And much to everyone’s surprise, the more she sewed and the more she gave, the less
depressed she was. And the more she gave the happier she became. And to everyone’s
surprise when it came time for the royal family to go on their yearly summer luxury
cruise, the princess refused to go. She insisted that she wanted to stay home, for she
discovered that sewing clothes for the poor was a much greater pleasure than traveling on
a luxury liner.
Judaism believes that G-d created humanity in order to give them all the good
imaginable. The greatest good He gives us is the opportunity to be like Him and be His
partner in bestowing good to others. And it should come as no surprise that living a
creative life of partnering with G-d is also life’s greatest pleasure.