Soon the fire of discord blazed. In the heat of this minor war, one brother-in-law struck the other forcefully on the cheek. Remarkably, the offended party restrained himself, remained silent, and did not respond to the affront.
My father zt”l, who was also present at the celebration, approached the insulted brother-in-law afterward, bowed his head before him, and asked for a berachah. He explained that someone who “foregoes his dignity” (ma’avir al middosav) has the power to bestow a meaningful and effective berachah!
During Minchah on Shabbos in the Satmar beis midrash in the Holy City, a man with a soft voice served as the shaliach tzibbur. He attempted to raise his voice to the best of his ability, but his prayer still could not be heard clearly throughout the room.
Afterward, a congregant approached him and began reprimanding him harshly, shouting angrily and frustrated. He accused the shaliach tzibbur of rendering his berachos invalid due to their inaudibility and claimed he had wronged the kehillah by leading prayers that were not heard properly. He berated and humiliated him in front of the assembled crowd.
The shaliach tzibbur was deeply hurt by these rebukes. After all, he had only stepped up to the role reluctantly, seeing no one else willing to serve as shaliach tzibbur, fulfilling the dictum, “In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man” (Avos 2:5). Now, he was being criticized harshly for his voluntary act of service.
Yet, he restrained himself. He remained silent and accepted the insults with dignity, without responding. Internally, he prayed to Hashem, asking that the merit of his forbearance stand for him. The man was a sofer and had struggled for years to sell about 80 mezuzos that he had painstakingly prepared. Despite his efforts, they remained unsold.
As he endured the tirade of criticism, he whispered a heartfelt prayer to Hashem, asking that his restraint and humility serve as a merit to help him sell the mezuzos. Astonishingly, the very next day, a distinguished individual contacted him. This person had just completed a newly renovated institutional building and urgently needed 80 mezuzos to install at its many doorways. He offered to purchase them at full price without hesitation.
The man then understood the immense power of the well-known segulah of silence and forbearance in the face of insult. He realized there is no more auspicious time to present one’s heartfelt prayers to Hashem than at such moments.
