20 Jan BO: DEFINING GOOD AND BAD

When we receive good
things from Hashem,
we say the brachah
Baruch Ata Hashem….
Hatov V’hameitiv,
and when something
unfortunate happens,
the brachah is Dayan
Haemes. Chazal say
that both brachos should
be recited with the same
amount of joy.
The Rambam (Pirush
HaMishnayos, Brachos
9) explains: “This
concept is understood to
the wise… There are many things that, at first,
we think are bad, and end up being very good.
And there are many things that we perceive as
good and turn out to be very negative in the
end. Therefore, a wise person shouldn’t have
tzaar when a great tzarah comes… because you
don’t know what will come of it. Also, don’t be
too happy when something (you think is) good
happens to you because you don’t know what
will result from it.”
Many years ago, there was an old Yid who
would always say “Who says…?” When he
heard about a bitter situation, he would say,
“Who says this is bad? Maybe it is good?” Also,
when people told him about something good and
happy that occurred, he would say, “Who says
this is good? Maybe it is bad?”

This old man owned one horse and had
parnassah from it (travels and deliveries). Once,
early in the morning, his horse ran away and
no one was able to find it, and the Yid was left
without any source of income. That day, this
elderly Yid stayed at home. Why should he go
outside if his horse wasn’t around to give people
rides and deliveries? Everyone in his town came
to visit him, to console him of his lost horse, and
for the loss of his source of income. They pitied
him for suddenly becoming a poor man. The old
man replied with his standard line, “Who says
this is bad? Perhaps it is good?” The people of
his town thought, “Nebach. He is so confused,
due to his tzaros. He obviously lost his mind and
can’t reason. He thinks that what occurred to
him might be good!
Meanwhile, his horse was frolicking deep in the
forest with his newfound friends – other horses
who roamed freely, without responsibilities to
an owner. The horse was happy with his new
friends who had a heart for freedom like himself,
but his happiness wasn’t for long. A few hours
later, the horse became hungry, his stomach
was churning for food. It realized that his new
friends weren’t going to give him even a drop
of food. The horse decided it was time to return
to its home, to the barn owned by the elderly
Yid. When the horse returned, it didn’t come by
itself. Its friends came along because the horse
told them about the good meals he received daily
at his master’s home.
The entire town was shocked when they watched

the horse return, together with four or five other
horses! They then realized that the old Yid was
correct when he said, “Who says it is bad?
Perhaps it is good?” and they went to tell him
how correct he was, and how good it was that
he had lost his horse for that short time. Now
he had many more horses! His assets increased
four times!
When they spoke with him about the good news,
the elderly Yid responded with his standard
stanza: “Who says that this is good? Perhaps it
is bad? “
The people of his town whispered amongst
themselves that the old man must have been
severely traumatized when he lost his horse. So
much so that he wasn’t able to recognize when
something good happened to him.
Soon afterward, this old man’s youngest son, a
seventeen-year-old bachur, took a ride on one
of the new horses. The bachur figured that since
there were so many horses, he could ride on
another horse every day. After riding on it for
some time, the horse, accustomed to its freedom,
not to having people ride on its back – stood up
on its hind legs and tossed the bachur off. The
bachur fell and broke both of his legs.
The townspeople brought the boy to the hospital.
His legs were bandaged and placed in a cast, and
then he returned home, where he had to stay for
a long time, lying in bed. Everyone in the city
came to visit him, and they cried over the terrible
episode that occurred. They said to the old
father, “You were correct when you said, ‘Who

says finding the horses
is good? Perhaps it is
bad.’ Now we see that
you were right. It was indeed bad. Look at what
happened to your son due to the many horses
that came to your home!”
The old man replied, “Who says that this is bad?
Maybe it is good.” The people of the city nodded
their heads with pity. “Nebach” they said. “The
tzaros are so heavy on him that his mind has
become confused, and he thinks that the tzaros
are good for him!”
Two weeks later, Czar Nicolai’s army came to
their town to draft Jewish boys into the Russian
military. Many Jewish lads were tragically
taken by force to the army. When they went to
the house of the old Yid and they saw his son
lying in bed with bandages and casts, they let the
bachur stay at home.
Some weeks later, the news came from the front
that many of the bachurim of their town died
from hunger. But this bachur was alive and well.
Then everyone saw that the old man was correct
when he said, “Who says it is bad [when his
son broke his legs]? Maybe it is good?!” (This
mashal was told by Reb Noach Weinberg zt’l,
Rosh Yeshiva of Eish HaTorah.)
The lesson is that humans don’t know what is
good and what is the opposite. Only Hakadosh
Baruch Hu knows. Therefore, let us accept with
joy whatever Hashem sends our way, even if it
seems to be bad now. Let us trust that Hashem
always leads us in the best way.