NUM70 Andy Warhol shrewdly commented that all of us are entitled to fifteen minutes of fame. Yet a brief, questionable notoriety is surely not what our tradition had in mind. Judaism emphasizes the lasting durability of a shem tov, opposing the fickle judgment of a bread-and-circus-loving public. "R. Simeon b. Yohai said: More beloved is a good name then the Ark of the Covenant, because the ark went before the Israelites for only a distance of three days [this verse], while a good name goes from one end of the world to the other" (Eccles. R. 7.1, 3). Jews think in terms of lifetimes. Thus a midrash explains Ecclesiastes's puzzling statement: "The date of death is better than the day of birth" (Eccles. 7:1). "R. Pinhas said: When a person is born, all rejoice; when he dies, all weep. It should not be so. But when a person is born there should be no rejoicing over him, because it is not known whether by his actions he will be righteous or wicked, good or bad. However, when he dies, there is cause for rejoicing if he departs with a good name and leaves the world in peace. It is as if there were two ocean-going ships, one leaving the harbor and the other entering it. As the one sailed out of the harbor, all rejoiced, but none displayed any joy over the one that was entering. A shrewd man was there and he said to the people, 'There is no cause to rejoice over a ship that is leaving the harbor, because nobody knows what will be its plight.… but when it returns to the harbor all have reason to rejoice, since it has come in safely'" (Eccles. R. 7.1,4).