# The Tale of the Mad Grain

מקור: https://rabenu.app/books/the-tale-of-the-mad-grain/

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## The Tale of the Mad Grain

Rabbeinu told a parable relating to the need to serve the Creator with self-sacrifice even if one appears to be crazy to the rest of the world.

As our Rabbis of blessed memory said, on the verse “Those who turn away from evil are considered mad ” (Isaiah 59:15) that one who wants to turn away from evil appears crazy.

That once a certain King dreamt that all the grain that grew in his country was ruined and whoever would eat from it would become crazy, God forbid.

And he took council with the Viceroy (the Second to the King) what to do.

The Viceroy advised him that there is no choice and they are obligated to eat the tainted grain, his reason being that it is impossible to gather good grain for the whole country, and to only gather for themselves, if only they would eat the good and healthy grain, then they would appear crazy in the eyes of the lands residents, for they would be different from all the lands residents, therefore there is no option whatsoever other than to eat the tainted grain, but we will make some sign for ourselves so that we will know that we are crazy.

The King did not agree with him at all and countered his claim saying “And if the people of the land will be crazy, we should also be crazy like them? And do such a crazy thing like this: to eat from the grain that causes madness? No and No!! We will gather from the healthy grain and eat it. And if we appear crazy in the eyes of the rest of the country, so what, for that we should eat from the grain which causes madness?”

So the same thing is in regard to serving God, if the people of the land and not behaving accordingly and chasing after imaginary honor and wealth, and they are not thinking about their days and years which are flying away and passing with vanity and nothingness, we should act like them? No and No!! Rather we shall gather for ourselves the healthy grain which is learning the Divine Law (Torah) and using Prayer in order that we have should have power and strength to stand against their crazy customs.