“Yes, it is so,” replied the students.
“And what do they do with these statues every day?” continued Hillel.
“Every morning, they wash and clean them from the soot and dirt that have soiled them the day before.”
“Consider then,” said Hillel. “If people are so careful to cleanse and keep spotless the figures that are the work of mere mortals, how much more so must we be careful about the appearance of our bodies that is the work of the Holy One, Blessed Be He?”
A Daily Guest
Still another time, Hillel’s talmidim saw him rushing home in a great hurry.
Wondering why he was rushing, they asked him and he answered: “I am rushing home to do kindness to an honored guest who comes daily to my home.”
When the students heard this they asked in surprise: “Do you, then, have a guest who comes to your home every day?”
“Indeed I do,” replied Hillel. “Is our soul not an honored guest who visits us every day bringing us life? The soul is in the hands of the Almighty. At His pleasure He sends it to us and at His pleasure, He takes it from us. It behooves us, therefore that so long as we have this guest in our midst, we treat our guest properly.”
“But how is this done, Rebbe?” asked his students.
“That can only be done in one way,” replied Hillel.
“We must attempt to keep our guest in the same purity and holiness as when it came to us. We honor it by our attentive performing of the mitzvos. These keep us pure, and holy.”