By Rabbi Nissan Telushkin OBM
An elderly man, once the shamash (beadle) at a synagogue in Slotsk, Belarus, often attended my classes. His hometown was known for the great scholars it produced.
He told me that once in the large synagogue, known as the Cold Synagogue, a heated argument broke out on Yom Kippur night after the Kol Nidrei prayer.
Within minutes, people were hurling insults at each other. One man – in the heat of anger – forgot it was a sacred holiday, and grabbed a burning candle to throw at someone. With candle in hand, he suddenly remembered it was Yom Kippur.
Shocked at what he had done, his anger dissipated immediately. The other witnesses were equally appalled by what had happened. All were overcome with trepidation, and silence reigned in the large hall. No one dared lead the prayers.
Suddenly, a clever woman approached the Torah ark, placed her hand on the curtain, and said, “Nothing happened here; these are small children at play. You, G-d, do not mix in.”
Realizing that they had, indeed, behaved most childishly, someone went up to lead the prayers. That evening, they all prayed with extra devotion. For many years, the retired beadle told me, the woman was praised for her brilliance.
It may be necessary to rebuke, but you need to do it cleverly.
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Thank you for sharing
the real question i guess is if the people and the platforms with the power to do so; – The power to lift the people up who don’t even realize they are down, and those that do realize too – are at least taking somewhat responsibility at their true mission in life. the ability is definitely there. So Thank you “Chabad on line” for the recent articles on emunah and bitachon. its truly inspiring. The letter from the rebbe that was posted was especially inspiring. it would be so nice if such letters were posted every day. We’re in dire… Read more »