As humankind is suffering from the devastating effects of the CoVID-19 pandemic, I remember how the proverb “And this, too, shall pass,” helped the people in Biblical and earlier times survive during times of difficulties, and could be the beginning of resilience, one of the traits of human beings.
“An eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence, to be ever in view,
and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him with
the words, ‘And this, too, shall pass.’ Abraham Lincoln, described it succinctly as: How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!” (Marilyn Mackenzie)
Jeremiah Jacques relates in another story of a young sultan, who many years ago ruled over a tract of territory along the shores of the Red Sea. Each time a burst of prosperity came his way, the sultan’s spirits soared to the loftiest altitudes of pride and self importance. But during times of adversity, he always fell to the depths of discouragement. His temper never knew a medium. “The sultan was frustrated by complications that entered into his life as a result of the wide springs in his temperament, but he was not sure how to pinpoint the problem. Then one day, news was relayed to the sultan that in a nearby kingdom, there was a ruler who was said to have boundless wisdom, Solomon, king of Judah. So the ruler went to Jerusalem and was granted an audience with the king. He explained his erratic nature and provided Solomon with examples of oscillations in his mood. Solomon listened and said to him: ‘Return to me in one month’s time. I will be able to help you then.’ After a month, the ruler went back and the king handed him a small box and told him to open it. Inside was a ring with this Hebrew phrase etched onto its surface ‘Gem zeh ya’avor.’ (This too shall pass). King Solomon said, ‘This proverb will serve as a constant reminder that all material conditions, positive or negative, are temporary. Wear it, remember it, and live by it.’”
Jacques further wrote: “Some have attributed the well-known proverb, not to Solomon, but to medieval Persian Sufi poets, early Turkish writers or others. The account of King Solomon and the sultan is not recorded in the Holy Bible, but only passed down by Jewish oral tradition, so it is not possible to dogmatically say the Jewish king was the author. However, in his book, This Too Shall Pass, Avi Soloman points to discoveries of ancient rings and amulets bearing the Hebrew version of the phrase as substantiation of the Jewish claims. Still some versions of the Jewish account depict King Solomon not as authoring the proverb but as receiving it from another.
Yael Eckstein writes: “Inside the city of Jerusalem, there is a little jewelry shop known for creating hammered pieces engraved with meaningful words. The store’s most popular piece is a silver ring with the Hebrew version of these words: ‘This, too, will pass.’ Thousands of years ago, this often-quoted phrase was made known to the world in those same very streets.”
With CoViD-19 which was declared by the World Health Organization as having reached pandemic proportions (Philippines: 3,870 cases, 182 deaths; 96 recovered; Global: 1,519,218 cases, 88,531 deaths, 330,880 recovered, as of April 9/worldometers.info), everyone is living in fear, uncertainty, and suffering.
As we face difficult times now, let us find solace in the Bible: Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10). And, this too, shall pass.
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