Acts
Of Forgiveness
"And he (King
Solomon) was wiser than all people." I Kings
5:11
Dealing with a person who is irrational
requires extraordinary wisdom to get him to see your point and respond appropriately. Distorted thought can be every
bit as unshakeable as distorted sight or sound. If a person's eye ailment causes him to see everything as green, you
cannot convince him that snow is white. Logical argument cannot overcome a sensory experience.
If you find yourself dealing with a person
who appears at all irrational, do not continue to press your point. He will not see it. Step back and think how
you can get around his irrationality.
Rabbi (pastor) Yisrael of Salant, was once
insulted by a vulgar person. The man subsequently apologized and asked his forgiveness. Rabbi Yisrael said, "I
forgive you wholeheartedly. Now, is there anything I can do for you?"
The man was taken aback. "You want
to do something for me, after I was so rude to you?" he asked. Rabbi Yisrael nodded. "Precisely," he said. "The
Torah says that it takes an act to undo a thought. One thought cannot undo another. If I felt resentment toward
you, even momentarily, then it is not sufficient that I drop that resentment. I must do an action of some kind to cancel
the negative feeling. Please think of something I can do for you, because that is the only way I can thoroughly rid
myself of every vestige of resentment." |