SEFER CHOFETZ CHAIM — Hilchos Rechilus 1:6-7
Yehudah Burke, owner of Burke Mortgage Bankers, enters his office one morning to find a note on his desk:
“Dear Mr. Burke: We really did not appreciate having to work overtime right before Succos. We all have succahs to build and yom tov needs to purchase, and the long work hours made our preparations very difficult. Please be more considerate in the future. Sincerely, A Disgruntled Employee.”
Mr. Burke, who is known to be short-tempered, is not too pleased with the note. He summons Yisrael, a loyal, quiet, respectful worker, shows him the note, and says, “I know you didn’t write this note, but I have a hunch that you do know who wrote it. Tell me who it is!”
Yisrael knows that Heshy Greenberg is the culprit. He also knows that to reveal his name would be to speak rechilus. On the other hand, his boss is demanding to know the writer’s identity. What should he do?
The Chofetz Chaim leaves no room for doubt. Yisrael is not permitted to reveal the writer’s name. Even if he knows that his boss will react by screaming and insulting him, he may not reveal this information. The Chofetz Chaim quotes our Sages’ famous teaching:
Those who suffer insult but do not insult in response, who hear their disgrace but do not reply, who perform G-d’s will out of love and are happy even in suffering, of them it is written, “And those who love Him [Hashem] shall be like the sun going forth in its might.”
To bear insult for the sake of Hashem and His Torah is a sign of true greatness. Yisrael can rest assured that the long-term gain for remaining silent will far outweigh whatever momentary discomfort he may suffer from his boss’s insults.
What if Burke responds by threatening to fire Yisrael? Even in this case, Yisrael must remain silent. A Jew must be prepared to give up all his money and possessions rather than transgress a single lo sa’aseh (negative commandment).
There are situations where it would be permissible for Yisrael to reveal the writer’s identity. For example, if in addition to leaving a note, Heshy spray-painted his boss’s office with graffiti, Yisrael would be allowed to reveal Heshy’s identity, provided that the conditions for speaking rechilus l’to’eles (for a constructive purpose) are met. These will be discussed in forthcoming segments.
Remaining silent when the result might be losing one’s job or being embarrassed is a difficult test. It is at such times that we must bear in mind: We never lose from doing what is right. If the Torah demands that we not speak rechilus, then we should be proud to uphold the halachah and not be intimidated by threats, insults, or even the possibility of being fired.
When the great rosh yeshivah Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky arrived in America in 1937, his first job was as a fund-raiser for a charity organization. The moment he discovered that the organization was not being run with absolute honesty, he quit — though he had absolutely no idea how he would support himself and his family. The very next day, R’ Yaakov met an old friend who arranged for him to serve as temporary Rav in Seattle. The rav in Seattle for whom R’ Yaakov substituted arranged for him to be appointed to a prestigious position as rav in Toronto. Through that position, R’ Yaakov became acquainted with the legendary founder of Mesivta Torah Vodaath, R’ Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, and was subsequently appointed Rosh Yeshivah of Torah Vodaath.
R’ Yaakov was not fired; he resigned his position as fund-raiser because he was certain that that was what Hashem wanted him to do. As a result, he became head of a great yeshivah and recognized as a leader of the generation.
One never loses from doing what is right.
IN A NUTSHELL
One may not speak rechilus even under the threat of being embarrassed or fired.
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