Chazal said, “Do not disregard punishment!”. This means to say that one must always keep in mind that he is destined to receive all sorts of punishments which commonly occur in the world, and that he is willing to accept the heavenly decree with love to the extent that nothing will seem a surprise to him, so that he will not be disgusted by the reprimands of Hashem, and he will not lose his mind when bad days come upon him. Instead, he should accept it all with love in the manner fitting to accept the decree of our Father in heaven, who rules over the whole world and does with it as he sees fit. We are his servants and the sheep of his hand and therefore we are obligated to thank Him and bless Him for everything.
All the more so must one make sure not to disregard the day of death, for the day of death is destined for him from the day of his birth, and death cannot delay, nor is anybody saved from death. Therefore, one should always repent today, in case tomorrow he will die. All one’s accounts and affairs should be written and explained fully, for a person must worry that he will die suddenly. Even if he is as young and strong as a cedar tree, who can be the guarantor that he will not die suddenly? About this it says “Fortunate is the man who is always afraid.”, for by so doing he will prepare food for his journey and try to fill his needs. He should command his sons and household members, and he will then rest in peace.
We find also regarding goodness that Chazal said, “Even when a sharp sword is lying on his throat, he should not despair of mercy!”. He who trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by kindness. All the more so regarding the redemption, that it is incumbent on a person to sit and await the coming of Moshiach, as it says “If he delays, wait for him”, for he will surely come with joy. So should be the will of Hashem, speedily in our times, Amen.
