Rabbi Eliezer said, "Repent on the day before thy death."

Thereupon his pupils asked, "How does one know on what day he will die?"

And Rabbi Eliezer replied, "If that be so, the more reason for every man to repent today, lest he die tomorrow. For no man is sure, even for one hour, of the time of his death."

From this it follows that every man should always live in repentance. King Solomon also says: "Let thy garments be always white" (Eccl. 9.8). He means that the shroud should be always kept clean and ready, so that when the Lord, blessed be He, calls a man to die, he may be ready with repentance and good deeds.

Concerning this Rabbi Johanan said, "This is to be compared with the parable of a king who invites his servants to a great feast, but does not tell them the day on which it will take place. The wise among them wash and dress in their best clothes and sit at the entrance of the palace before the king. For they know there is nothing wanting in the king's house to prevent the feast being ready at any time when the king should call them to dine.

Therefore, they say, we must be prepared to appear before the king as soon as he sends for us. The foolish among the servants of the king go on with their work, thinking that such a feast cannot be quickly prepared since so many things are required, and that therefore they will have plenty of time to put on their clothes.

Suddenly, the king sends for his servants to come to the dinner, the feast being ready. The wise servants who have prepared themselves come at once to the king, dressed in their beautiful clothes. The fools, however, leave their work hurriedly and come in their dirty clothes before the king. Then the king rejoices with his wise servants, who have prepared themselves for the feast, although they did not know when the feast would take place, and is angry with the fools, who did not prepare themselves and have on their soiled clothes.

"The wise among my servants," he says, "may come and sit at the table and eat and drink and be merry, but the fools must stand and look on while the others are eating and drinking, but must neither eat nor drink, because they did not prepare themselves."

That is why King Solomon says, "Keep thyself wisely ready with thy white garments, so that when the Lord calls thee in death thou shalt be prepared with thy repentance, and do not act like the fools."

He means thereby the wicked among the Israelites, who say, "Why should we repent and prepare ourselves with white garments? Who knows when our death will take place? We shall have time enough in which to repent and shall be able to cleanse ourselves and our garments."

But suddenly the Lord orders their death before they have repented, whereas the pious, who are ready with their repentance, can appear at once before the Lord,

blessed be He, with their white garments. But these wicked ones appear only with their evil deeds. – Then the Lord rejoices with the pious, who appear before Him in a state of repentance and in white garments, and is angry with the wicked, who appear before Him with evil deeds, and He says, "You who have prepared yourselves may now partake of the feast which I am preparing for the pious. But you, the wicked ones, who have not prepared yourselves, shall not partake of the feast, but shall look on while the others eat and drink."

That is why the rabbis say, "Repent one day before thy death;" for no man is sure of the day of his death, and he should therefore repent today lest he die tomorrow, and repent again tomorrow lest he die the day after, and thus he will repent every day and wi1llive a pious life, so that when he is called in death by the Lord, blessed be He, he is ready and prepared through good deeds to partake of the feast together with the other pious ones.