A Tale of Appearances

A man was passing by a devout ascetic, and judging by his looks, took him for a Jew. He struck a hard blow to the back of his neck, yet the poor holy man gave him his own shirt. Ashamed, the man said: 'What I did was wrong. Forgive me. How can this deserve a gift?' The ascetic answered: 'In gratitude I bow my head, because I am not the man you took me for.' A person of good character, plain and unpretentious, is better than one with a fine name but ruin inside. In my eyes, a night thief on the highway is better than a hypocrite dressed as a saint.