Inspiration: Abraham Our Forefather Was the First Individual

It never happened to any teacher before, and even he himself never dreamed it would happen to him. He was sitting with students, an experienced teacher who already knew how to overcome the small daily problems. He knows the nature of the students, those who always prefer to escape from studying and run away from school. But he has his ways and his pleasant discourse. He is experienced and already knows the way to the hearts of the young children.

After all, in his previous job he had a challenge far greater. Yet today, he wasn't able to teach even a single verse.

It started in an unbelievable way, precisely from the small side window. The first time Rabbi Shmuel the teacher saw this room, he thought it was good to study in a ventilated room. But now he sees what troubles can peek through the window.

And so it was: round and somewhat youthful faces peered through the window, a somewhat frightened look and a childish yet hoarse laugh. A person in his twenties, but his eyes had the gaze of a small child. He looks through the window and shouts with his coarse and rough voice: "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!"

Overcoming the Mockers (Illustration: shutterstock)

He was momentarily embarrassed but quickly composed himself. He approached the window and firmly shut it. But the man was not calmed. Like one whose understanding is concealed, he doesn't comprehend the action opposing his behavior, and he appears from the second window! "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!" he cries shamelessly.

Can students possibly study in such conditions, when taunts are yelled at their teacher through the window?

Certainly, they cannot, as this is so absurd and distracting.

"Let's go study in the courtyard," the teacher suggests creatively. But this idea does not prove successful at all. Because there in the courtyard again awaited them the unpleasant surprise. The dimwitted person is there, exuberantly shouting: "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!" He attempts to usher the students back inside for the lesson, but the children can no longer concentrate. Kids are kids, and such a scene causes an uncontrollable burst of laughter from them.

The lesson ends in disappointment. A devoted teacher with much goodwill, a lot of experience, and quite a few good intentions. But not everything can be managed, even with great talent and wonderful intentions. He leaves Reb Chaim's house, hoping in his heart to complete the lesson another time. He makes his way to the small apartment allotted to him, but that peculiar man follows him. "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!" he calls after him with persistent cries, as if unaware of the inappropriate nature of his actions. Rabbi Shmuel the teacher tries to close his eyes for a nap, but he cannot succeed. How could he? The cries of "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!" bombard him, assaulting and surrounding him without relief. He can take it no longer. He arises in despair, abandoning any hope of rest, and goes out for the Mincha prayer. All along the way, the peculiar man does not cease his calls. "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!" The cries reach the synagogue and attack him even during a brief conversation with the locals. What is to be done?

He inquires: "Do you know of this phenomenon? What can be done about it?" The locals are not familiar with the phenomenon and yet try to muster some advice.

"Go kindly, explain to him, appease him," suggests one. He tries this, attempts to appease him with words. But the glazed look proves there is no one to talk to.

"Give him money, and he will calm down." Reb Shmuel feels his head about to burst from the repetitive calls without salvation. He also tries this. Approaches and offers him charity. The peculiar one drops the money with complete disinterest. He carries on undeterred, shouting with full force and foolishness: "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!"

"You need to deal with him forcefully," suggest the more determined, even willing to assist (unlike previous suggestions). They approach the peculiar one and give him a strong beating. This indeed silences him for a few minutes, but no longer than that. Once again, the annoying calls rise: "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!" Now the people prefer to disperse just not to hear the unwavering cries again. They quickly distance themselves, hoping for Reb Shmuel's success in ridding himself of these calls. They have run out of strength to hear them anymore. The calls still echo, and in Reb Shmuel's ears, they continue to ring again and again at full steam. "Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!"

What to do? They advised Reb Shmuel to seek counsel from the righteous rabbi residing in nearby Anipoli. He decided to do so and set out towards the rabbi's home. The persistent and exhausting calls followed him, but he hoped at least at the end of this journey a solution would be found to his problem.

After all, one cannot live like this. Certainly cannot teach, learn, or pray in this way.

He reached the rabbi and laid out his anguish. There, at that place, he felt a kind of relief, here the righteous rabbi listens pleasantly to his trouble and understands the depth of his distress. Although it is not a physical suffering similar to other people's troubles, it is not a familiar illness or financial difficulty like many others have, yet it can indeed drive one insane.

The righteous rabbi looks at him with his kind eyes and asks him where he was before arriving at the nearby village.

"Before this, I taught two orphaned children: Moshe and Tzvi. The landlord paid me well. I was there even before the mother passed away. I devoted myself to the children. I was both a father and a mother to them. The sickly mother passed away, and the busy father was preoccupied with his businesses and often traveled to big cities for trade. He implored me to stay longer and teach his children. They were somewhat bitter children, finding it difficult. And the rich man promised me double the salary just to stay and care for his children. Moshe and Tzvi progressed nicely in their studies and the rich man relied on me, he didn't want me to leave and have to search for a new and unknown figure for them. He was happy I taught them reading and writing, weekly Torah portion, and also worldly matters: arithmetic and manners. He was pleased that I was watching over them and also served as a friend and close counselor. Due to this, a large debt accumulated, with a promise to pay triple the regular for every hour. Although he didn't give me any money, he wrote it all down, and I trusted him, believing that as soon as I leave, I would receive all the money promised to me.

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"And then one day the rich man went out as usual for his trade, and his journey extended greatly. Upon his return, he brought many gifts for his children, and his smile revealed his extraordinary happiness. In the evening we sat together and talked. He told me that in three months he is going again, and this time for a special purpose, something that would change his life. He is going to get married. In a few words, he told about the match he found, and it turns out that this rich man is going to marry a divorced woman.

"Really? I was horrified. After all, he is a 'kohen' and is forbidden to marry a divorced woman. 'Forgive me, sir,' I said to him with concern, 'but a kohen is forbidden to marry a divorced woman.' The rich man's face turned terribly red. He rose in anger and said, 'If anyone hears a word from you, you will never see a single coin from me!'"

"What a heavy threat. After all, he accumulated a five-year debt for me. A substantial amount, doubled and tripled of which I haven't seen even a penny. What can be done?

"That night I tossed and turned in my bed. I was beside myself. Could this Jew really intend to do something contrary to Torah? I knew he was disconnected, deep in worldly matters. But to this extent?

"Days passed. I continued teaching the children, while the rich man occasionally directed a piercing and threatening look at me. I understood its meaning. His eyes sparkled with fiery sparks every time he saw me, as if they said: woe betide you and your soul if you dare ruin my plans, woe betide if you disgrace me with your words.

"I tried to ignore this terrible matter and continue studying with the children. However, the matter was not easy at all. My mind was distracted, and I was deeply troubled.

"But the days went on, one after the other. Until the appointed day arrived. Carriages loaded and filled with everything good stood outside the house. The townspeople came to rejoice with the wealthy man and bless him. None of them knew anything about the bride's past. Only I knew and my heart was not with me.

"I saw the carriage receding, and suddenly a more terrible panic overtook me. I am the only one who knows, I am the only one who can stop this matter.

"I decided to follow the wealthy man and stop everything. I would speak with the officiating rabbi at the location and ensure that everything would be halted in time. I looked right and left. The great cold, the distant road. I do not own a carriage like my master, nor a donkey to ride on, nothing. Despite this, my conscience gave me no rest. I decided to go on the journey with dedicated self-sacrifice, on foot.

"I walked only a short distance and already felt the terrible cold penetrating to the depth of my bones, freezing me. I continued to walk, not knowing how I would persist on this path. A difficult path and such wild weather. In that moment, a carriage parked beside me. The coachman's head peeked out of the carriage, snug under a warm fur hat. 'What is a Jew doing here on such a cold day?' he asked kindly.

"I told him to which city I needed to arrive. 'I'm heading that way, you can join me,' declared the coachman, bringing me joy. I boarded the carriage and felt my aching legs, sending waves of weakness and pain. 'Tell me, what brings a respectable Jew out on a cold day like this?'

"I spilled out my heart to him, telling him the whole story with sincerity. Suddenly, his face twisted with laughter. He laughed and laughed. His laughter echoed among the snowy trees around. He asked me: 'Tell me, Jew, do you intend to fix the world? Isn't it enough for you, what you have, that you also go and correct other Jews? Tell me, are you doing this in such weather? You've gotten carried away, gotten carried away...'

"His laughter did its job. Suddenly I felt so foolish and small. About to lose all my money for the matter of another Jew. 'I'll take you back to your master's house,' the coachman generously offered. 'There you'll warm up, ease your bones, and take care of what's yours.'

"I returned to my master's house, and ever since, I have had no rest. I came here and encountered those terrible calls."

"Now you can understand the meaning of those calls," the righteous rabbi said softly. "A great rush arose in the heavens when you embarked on that difficult and stormy journey. Here was a Jew on a mission for Heaven's sake, willing to lose money, invest effort, and face the road, to stop another Jew from sin. Here was a Jew venturing for the sake of Heaven on a hard path out of true dedication. The Messiah was about to come into the world.

"But the Satan was neither quiet nor tranquil, pleading for permission to stop you, begging for just one emissary to be sent to hinder you on your path. The emissary was disguised as a coachman and he just laughed. He simply laughed and laughed. That was enough. Since you turned back, the emissary of the Messiah follows you, calling from the depth of his heart: 'Foolish teacher! Foolish teacher!'"

The teacher heard these words, awed and alarmed.

We too hear these words, awed and alarmed by the power that mockers hold.

Abraham Our Forefather Serves His Creator with Simple Faith

This week's Torah portion warns us against mockers. Abraham our forefather served his Creator with simple faith and was not ashamed before those who mocked him. In service of Hashem, we need a measure of 'to be bold in the ways of Hashem,' not to be embarrassed by mockers.

In our times, the trial is difficult and threatens at the threshold of every one.

What, will you go away from everyone else? An unbranded product? An old car? An unrenovated house? Will you really be different from 'everyone'? 'Everyone' has become a very threatening word, and 'what will they say' two very formative words.

Is This Normal?

A woman added an evening shift to her hard and exhausting work just to host an event at a place where she wouldn’t be embarrassed before her sister-in-law. "I can't afford to be so different from my sister-in-law," she said, taking upon herself a four-hour evening shift every day two years before her son's bar mitzvah. Believe it? It's hard to accept. Hard to think about the children whose mother works long mornings and is now gone for long hours at night too. Hard to think about the bar mitzvah boy receiving such an embarrassed and frightened message from the world, just when he needs clear and powerful messages as supplies for life.

One family became embroiled in a complex and intricate feud affecting two generations, because one uncle refused to reveal his occupation. Although it wasn't a respectable profession, although not really accepted. But for this, he sacrificed all the peace in the family. Because someone dared to tell someone, thereby embarrassing him. Because of this, he lost all his strength, and he couldn't handle it.

How do you muster strength? How do you broaden your view? How do you gain perspective to stand firm against derisive opinions?

Mockery has enormous power, more than reproof or hatred. Contempt has a melting and dissolving power that many cannot withstand.

Why? A person's honor is very sensitive, and it is unbelievable how much a person is willing to invest for their honor. Not all consciously, not all formally, but still there is an inner point that broadcasts that it is really essential – to find favor in the eyes of, to please, to satisfy the will, the will of whom?

The verse awakens us to put in front of our eyes Hashem alone. This is the best way to always behave as a Jew and choose the right choices "I have set Hashem before me always," otherwise we may, Heaven forbid, end up like that foolish teacher startled by a giggle, missing a golden opportunity never to return.