152. For a Bribe Doth Blind the Eyes of the Wise
“For a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise.” When one begins to criticize the work and its conditions, one is faced with the possibility that it will be impossible to receive the work, for two reasons:
1. The reward for the work is not one hundred percent guaranteed. He does not see those who have already been rewarded, and when he visits people who have given their toil to suffer the weight of the work, he does not see if they have already been rewarded for their work. And if he asks himself, “why have they not received?” if he succeeds in giving the highest answer, it is because they did not follow all the conditions of the work to the letter. But those who follow the orders to the letter receive their reward from the Whole.
And then comes a second question: He knows that he is better capable to the conditions of the work than his friend, to be able to cope with all its terms. Hence, he is one hundred percent certain that there is no one who can criticize him for evading, but he is one hundred percent right.
2. Therefore, the question arises: One who begins the work has certainly experienced all the calculations, and yet, took the work upon himself. Thus, how did he answer all the questions to himself? The thing is that to see the truth, we need to look with open eyes. Otherwise, we only think that we see who was right, the righteous or the world. But in truth, we do not see the justice. And to have open eyes, we must be wary of bribery, “for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”
And the essence of the bribe is in the will to receive. Hence, one has no other counsel but to first accept the work with all its terms, without any knowledge, but only in the form of faith above reason. Afterwards, when one is cleaned from the will to receive, when he criticizes, he can hope to see the truth of the matter. This is why those who only look with reason, certainly cannot ask a thing, since in truth, he is right, and he will always win the argument, since he will not be able to see the truth.