A Quandary? - by TPO

A Quandary? *
by TPO
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      [Question: Who knows best?
           Answer: The self knows best.]

Once, there were three brothers who went to different universities for their education. Each came back with a different wisdom. One developed a television-like unit that could see great distances. The second invented an air travel machine that traversed great distances in no time at all. The third brother discovered a natural healing formula which could cure a broad variety of maladies.

One day while viewing his video screen, the first brother discovered that a King’s daughter was deathly ill. The youngest brother immediately contacted his sibling who transported him and his elixir to the capital city. The treatment was effective and the princess returned to good health. The elated monarch offered her hand in marriage to one of the team of heroes.

"Had I not seen the problem on my video the worst would have happened," claimed the first brother. "Without the speed of my aircraft we would have arrived at the palace too late," said the second.

"Yes," agreed the youngest. "However without my medicine nothing could have saved her."

The King, seeing some validity in each argument, turned to the princess and asked her to choose.

"As far as the past is concerned, you all contributed to my salvation," the wise princess observed. "But as far as my future is concerned, should I suffer a relapse, it is the elixir that I will need."

She therefore chose the brother who had developed the miracle cure.

         [Note: In the final analysis, it was only the princess who could and should give the 
resolution to the dilemma in this tale. She, herself, was the sole affected party.]
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* Source: Rabbi Raymond Beyda
http://www.torah.org/learning/tabletalk/5767/kedoshim.html