Yom Kippur/Yizkor Sermon- 06

YK ‘06

most of you, i am sure, have heard of the Rothschilds, the banking family who have business interests throughout much of the world. well, today i want to share with you a story about the “founding father” of the Rothschild clan, Anshel Rothschild, an observant jew who livewd in the middle of the eighteenth century. Anshel amassed a huge fortune and established a close relationship with the Emperor of Austria.

From time to time the Emperor would send visitors to Anshel’s luxurious and famous palace. It was the most lavish and well-appointed palace in all of Austria, and everyone wanted to see its beauty and wealth.

During one such visit Anshel took his guest, an important government official, on a tour of the palace. He showed him room after room, and the guest was awed by the beauty of the gold, the silver, the furnishings, the chandeliers, the imported fabrics. Everything was a sight to behold. There existed nothing like it in all of Austria.

as the tour continued, Anshel passed a closed door and continued walking. but the guest asked to be shown the room behind the door.

“I am sorry,” said Anshel. “This is the one room in the palace that I cannot show you.”

“Why not?” asked the guest. I would love to see every nook and cranny of your most remarkable palace.
“I simply cannot,” answered Anshel, and continued walking.

The tour concluded, and the official returned and reported everything he saw. The palace was even more than one could imagine. “However,” said the official, “there was one room that Anshel refused to show me.”

“Why not?” asked the Emperor

“I do not know. But I can guess. “You know how wealthy those Jews are. My theory is that in that room there is a magic money-making machine. That is why he is so wealthy. Behind that door must be a machine that creates the wealth of Anshel Rothschild.”

The Emperor did not know whether to believe his official, so he sent a second government official to see the palace of Anshel Rothschild. The second official came back with exactly the same story. And so did a third official, and then a fourth.

by this time the curiosity of Emperor Franz was greatly aroused, so he decided to go himself and visit the palace. Anshel took the Emperor on the same tour as he did all the earlier visitors. And when they reached the “forbidden room,” the Emperor asked to go inside and see what was there.

Anshel explained that that was the one place he could not show anyone. but the Emperor insisted, and Anshel gave in and agreed to show the Emperor the secret room. He took out his keys, opened the door, and invited his guest to enter. the emperor looked in and was amazed at what he saw. There, in a small room, was a simple pine box and some plain white cloth on a table. That was all there was!

“What is this all about?” asked the Emperor.

“We Jews have strict rules about burial customs,” explained Anshel. When a person dies, he must be buried in a very simple coffin, a plain pine box. And his body must be enveloped in a plain white shroud. This is to maintain the equality of all God’s creatures. No one is permitted to be buried in a fancy, expensive coffin, or in luxurious clothing. Though some may live affluent lives, and others may suffer dire, abject poverty, in death all are equal.”

“But why is this here in this room?” asked the Emperor, impressed but still confused.

“At the end of each day I come to this room, and view my own coffin and the shrouds, and I am reminded that even though I have great wealth and power, and I move in the highest echelons of the Austrian Empire, I am still one of God’s simple creatures, and that one day my life will end like that of all of God’s other children. I do this lest after a day filled with high finance and major financial transactions, I think too highly of myself, and develop an inflated sense of my self-worth.”

the emperor was amazed. in fact, he was speechless. His respect for Anshel Rothschild grew even greater than before and He never again questioned the sincerity, honesty or integrity of Anshel rothschild.

that’s the story. is it true? who knows? but its lesson is more important than its historicity!

each of us will, one day, come to the same end. our tradition has provided a series of democratic rituals that assures us the equality of all humans in the eyes of god and god’s creatures. we may live 2 years or a hundred and 2. but, in th end, as scripture says, “We are dust, and to dust we return.” it is not the wealth we accumulate, but our good deeds that live on after us that really count.

benjamin franklin used the “book of Life” image so previlant on this day, when he once wrote that what matters is not the number of pages in our book that matters, but rather what is written on each page. that is our everlasting legacy. all our wealth ans possessions are fleeting. what lasts are our good deeds and the good memories that our families, friends and community keep alive after we are gone.

may the story of anshel rothschild’s secret room keep us humble, compassionate, and devoted to the highest ideals for which we were created. and may we so live that our lives, like those of our loved ones whom we remember today, will truly BE A blessing. amen