Mr. Monday and other tales of Jewish Amsterdam

DISPUTES 115

Individual and his Property." He proclaims:

"Everything I do springs from pure selfishness. That is because Egoism is the only motive of human action. Never have human beings done anything except for self-gain."

The bystanders listen attentively but for one little Jewish fellow this theory goes too far. After all, he stems from a people for whom rachtnones, compassion, is considered the highest virtue. So he cannot keep silent.

"How can you say something narrish like that? Everything a man does he does out of egoism? Meshugaas! Imagine that I walk over that bridge over there and I see you lying in the water of the canal. Well, just in a manner of speaking of course, because I hope that you will live to be a hundred. So I see you in the water, you are drowning. I cannot swim, but what do I do? I jump anyhow, wham, over the railing and into the canal to get you out. I nearly drown, myself. If other people who can swim hadn't pulled both of us out, we would have cycled on a tandem together to Heaven. Now will you please explain to me why I risked drowning out of egoism? Oy, if I had really been an egoist I would have stayed on the bridge, wouldn't I? But I had real rachmones with you being a corpse, so to say."

The bystanders murmur in agreement. The logic is crystal clear, the example convincing. But the dock-worker does not give up so easily. "No Mister, you're wrong. Let us analyse what you thought when you jumped in after me. You were strolling happily along the street. You reach the bridge at the end of the street and suddenly you hear someone crying for help. You look down and what do you see? You see me lying in the water drowning. That is a terrible thing to see. Your pleasant thoughts are chased away.