Before I begin - important note. I am telling a story from my personal experience in order to bring out a point. It is NOT ABOUT ME. So please - no emails about me. The reason I tell these stories is for the mussar we can learn. Nothing bad has ever happened to me and I just go through life trying to derive lessons from my experiences and share them with others through this blog that I am privileged to share with the world. I also work hard not to hold grudges. Ulcers don't come from what you eat but from what eats you.
This incident reminded me of another.
Years back, I was sitting in a meeting at a place where I worked. I said something that was misinterpreted by someone else who then laced into me at length. It was obvious to everyone in the room [except the offended party] that I meant no offense. I tried to no avail to defend myself and explain that I didn't mean anything about the offended party - neither negative nor positive. I was talking about something else. But I was shouted down by this person and told that it is too late. My words had already been said and I could not take them back [I didn't want to take them back - just to explain that I meant no malice towards him]. Nobody said a word in my defense. They were apparently afraid of not incurring the wrath of the offended party and "getting it" themselves.
Afterwards, people told me that it was completely wrong the way I was publicly reprimanded for something I didn't say. But nobody spoke up then. And that was the beginning of my end.
A few months later he said in another meeting that he read a book on the importance of forgiveness and that he forgives me. [I didn't ask for forgiveness because I didn't do anything wrong]. Then some time later he said that he takes it back. He doesn't forgive me after all.
Eventually, due in part to this incident I believe, I lost my job, my status and my livelihood.
And I didn't have a rich father-in-law to take care of the livelihood part because my father-in-law was anything but rich - he was also long dead.... ALAV HA-SHALOM!!! [That was really shver].
I am not complaining [see the preface to this post!!]. CHAS VI-SHALOM!!! It was all li-tova. I might be very skinny but it is not from lack of food Baruch Hashem. ALL GOOD!!! My status? So I get less Kavod. MUCH BETTER!! Spreading Torah? Baruch Hashem I haven't stopped.
But there is an important lesson here - if you see injustice, SPEAK UP!!! Learn from Moshe Rabbeinu who became the leader of the Jewish people because he STOOD UP for people who were oppressed.
When you see someone being insulted, embarrassed or otherwise treated unfairly - PROTEST!!!
DON'T REMAIN SILENT!!!
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
[Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Lutheran pastor in Germany. He emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps].
