The Book of Tobit, a beautiful and often overlooked story from the Apocrypha, tells of a righteous man living in exile in Nineveh. He's committed to burying the dead, a sacred act of kindness, even when it puts him at odds with his own community.
Imagine this: The sun dips below the horizon, casting long shadows across the land. Tobit, driven by his unwavering sense of duty, goes to bury a man who was slain. It's a dangerous task, fraught with risk. And what does he get for his trouble? Mockery. "This man feareth not for his soul," his own kinsmen sneer, "and he burieth the slain!" They don't understand his devotion to chesed, to loving-kindness, even in the face of death.
But Tobit perseveres.
The story continues: After burying the dead, he washes himself, attempting to purify himself in a land considered unclean. Remember, he's in exile, far from the Temple in Jerusalem, far from the rituals he knows. There's a deep sense of longing here, a yearning for the spiritual purity that seems just out of reach. As the prophet Jeremiah said of them, ‘Thou shalt not be made clean any more.’
Exhausted, he lies down by a wall, his face uncovered. He doesn't realize that birds are perched above him, waiting. And then, it happens. Bird droppings fall into his eyes.
Can you imagine the shock, the disgust, the pain?
What follows is even more devastating. A whiteness forms in his eyes, and he goes blind. Four years of darkness. Four years of relying on others.
He seeks help from physicians, but they are powerless to heal him. This detail underscores the feeling of helplessness that permeates the story. Sometimes, even the best efforts of medicine cannot alleviate suffering.
Yet, even in his blindness, Tobit is not abandoned. His brethren and kindred are grieved by his affliction, and his kinsman Akikar provides for him. Akikar's support is a small glimmer of hope in the darkness, a reminder that even in times of great hardship, there is still compassion and kindness to be found.
This part of Tobit's story reminds us that even when we strive to do good, even when we act with the purest intentions, life can still throw us curveballs. It can feel unfair, unjust even. But it also highlights the importance of community, of supporting one another through difficult times. Because even when we are blinded by misfortune, there are still those who will offer us a guiding hand.
What does it mean to be tested? Is it a punishment? Or is it an opportunity to reveal our true character? The Book of Tobit doesn't offer easy answers, but it does remind us that even in the darkest of times, hope, faith, and human kindness can still shine through.