A good person was rewarded with the chance to see heaven and hell.
Their guide first took this person to hell. When shown the dining room the good person saw only thin and starving people, despite the plentiful supplies of food. The stew in the center of the table could only be reached using long spoons. The spoons were so long that when the diners tried to take the stew to their mouths, they couldn’t reach.
Next the guide took the good person to heaven. Again they were shown the dining room, and in contrast everyone seemed well fed. The diners were offered the same stew they had seen in hell, and which could also be reached only with the use of long spoons. But instead of each person trying to feed themselves they were feeding one another.
This allegory is attributed to Rabbi Chaim Elchanan Tzadikov (born 1813) of Rumšiškės, in Lithuania. He is sometimes known as Rabbi Chaim from Rumshishok, or Rabbi Haim of Rumshishok.
