One day the maggid from Dubno went to collect tzedakah (charity) for the poor. He came to one rich man, and he wanted to get rid of him with a small donation. When the Maggid hinted to him that it was not proper for a rich man to do this and that others, poorer than him, gave much more. The rich man said:
“This may be true, but I bequeathed a large sum to the poor.”
To this the Maggid replied:
— Peasants raise chickens and pigs. A chicken lays a small egg a day, and a pig produces a lot of lard and meat. Despite this, everyone loves chickens, they even allow them to jump and fly around the rooms, and the pig is given a place away from the house. What is it about a pig that people try to stay away from it, despite all the benefits it brings? Listen, I’ll tell you: a chicken gives what it has - even if it’s a small wealth - immediately and every day, and a pig, on the contrary, gives a lot, but only after death.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru