Royal Dignity

Dear Editor,

We hear questions about President Biden's sharpness and his sometimes bumbling during speeches or press conferences.

I think we can see something positive as well, as after all, the fact that he is still president, essentially shows that people have respect for a senior citizen. There is an interesting hashgachah from a recent speech at a trade union conference in Washington, where the president read from the teleprompter, "Imagine what we can do with four more years, pause," and just as he said the word "pause," the crowd began chanting, "Four more years! Four more years!" the president smiled. Thanks to the cheering, the word "pause" was slightly cancelled by the noise.

Within there exists a great lesson. Sometimes we notice areas where we could have said a concept better or sooner, or we make a small blunder. When it gets covered in a respectable fashion the hashgachah is ever present.

As this becomes more evident, it is understood that our main job is to maintain a positive attitude that yields more pleasantries for ourselves and those in our midst. Shemirat ha'lashon (guarding speech), limud zechut (merits for Torah study), and ahavat Yisrael (loving other Jews) are each forms of a positive attitude allowing one to make peace with enemies seeing the challenge as a test from Heaven. Even if one feels their actions correct, look deeper as someone else may take the situation differently. One has the opportunity to make a machloket (argument), or discuss the issue with respect.

Yes, matters need to be dealt with in life, however, panic, "locking up," and becoming one-track minded when presented with a challenge can be changed. Similarly is the lesson of Purim from "Ad delo yada, bein arrur Haman l’baruch Mordechai," – everything, even a struggle, occurring to someone is for the best and has the Divine hand.

I write from experience, a great thought to help one deal more practically and calmly is to think, "If I – or they – one day become a well known figure, what would we feel should this situation escalate into a tumult?" Like any accomplishment, such a feat is a stepping stone to greatness. Quoting Chazal, the Chofetz Chaim explains how the world is kept standing by those who keep silent during an altercation, and never conflagrate the episode.

In addition to the notion of machloket, a positive nature is also seen making a tremendous difference based on the medrashim that relate if Reuven, Aaron, and Boaz had only known that their actions of saving Yosef, greeting Moshe with joy, and extending a dish to Rut would be recorded for all time then they may have responded with alacrity, more efficiency, and more elaborately. Now, their result is certainly significant, yet the Sages lesson of accounting for great value in small acts is noticed. 

Over Pesach, I proudly fulfilled this dictum in shul. I approached a doorway that was blocked by an individual leaning against the passage. Initially, I planned to simply tap the gentleman on the shoulder, motioning my desire to pass. I already opted not to lecture the man for blocking the entrance, but I thought more and realized that this was not how to treat a guest in my community. Instead, I opened with a traditional holiday greeting, and welcomed him to our synagogue, and then added a nice note about his in-laws that he appreciated and responded to. As it happened, another passerby needing to use the doorway approached causing the man to step aside.

Taking advantage of small opportunities, brings to mind a story about Rabbi Dovid Trenk zt"l who often noticed overfilled trash bins with paper towels at Adelphia yeshivah where he taught ninth-graders. The esteemed rebbi would compact the cans by stepping into them. One day, true to the expression that "boys will be boys,' the students filled one such towering bin with water, and placed a layer of paper towels and small items atop. When the revered rabbi stepped in, of course the mechanech got soaked. Immediately, the children regretted their action, pondering how they could have ever thought their idea smart. Rabbi Trenk, in his greatness, did not miss a beat stating, "The boys got me!" understanding human nature and how the world often throws us challenges. Here Rabbi Trenk passed the test by remaining calm and not turning to anger. (True, this was not a challenge his students were supposed to give their mentor!) Nevertheless, the beloved scholar took the test in stride as if it were a good joke and his students grabbed a lesson kept forever.

May we each merit catching onto the fine details in life. 

S.R.