No Anger for David

David had “good eyes,” which means that he had a positive way of looking at the people around him. He always looked for the good in people and appreciated the beauty of their souls. Even when he looked at his brothers, he tried to think only about their good points and not their meanness.

When his parents came home and saw that the house was all clean and neat, they praised David and said, “What a fine boy! Three cheers for David! You’re a good, innocent boy who always helps out at home and makes your parents happy!”

When his brothers heard this, they weren’t angry or jealous. Instead, they all felt ashamed of what they had done. They realized that their own Yetzer Hara had caused them to make a mistake and mistreat their brother. They saw that by cleaning the house, even when it wasn’t his turn, David had done something really special. So each one turned to him and said, “I’m sorry.” David wasn’t angry, either. He just smiled and said, “That’s okay. I was happy to clean up. I thank Hashem for giving me the chance to do a mitzvah.”

That’s not the end of the story, dear children.

When David later thought about how well things had turned out, he stood up and thanked Hashem for His help. Not only that, He asked Hashem to please help him if anything like that happened again in the future.

He begged Hashem to help him be forgiving of others. When someone might bother him, he should just let it pass and not allow himself to get angry. “Hashem,” David prayed, “allow me to love everyone and forgive anyone who bothers me or makes fun of me. Help me understand that if something happens to me, even if it’s not pleasant, it’s something that You made happen so I would train myself to believe in You. Remind me that the person who is doing this to me was actually sent by You. Please help me always remember that, so I won’t get angry and fight with the person but, instead, will remember that this is Your will and is for my good.”

That was David’s prayer when he was a boy, and he prayed it the rest of his life. Even after he grew up and became king, that prayer would help him avoid anger when someone disrespected or insulted him.

Your prayers are always with you and guard you wherever you go. David, who prayed all his life from the time he was just a boy, saw how his prayers protected him.