As we strive to live a life of Emes and integrity, we may need to deal with others around us who do not share these values like we do. We should realize that if we have too many encounters with such people, we could get discouraged and disheartened. However, we should realize that standing up for principles of Emes and integrity requires emotional resilience, and even a leader such as Moshe Rabbenu experienced moments of discouragement when faced with these challenges. Acknowledging this can help us continue to remain strong in our ideals of Emes and integrity even when we repeatedly encounter those who may not share our ideals.
During World War I, there was severe food rationing in Vilna, and Rabbi Grodzinski, like everyone else, received official ration cards for basic necessities. One day, he discovered that the clerk had mistakenly given him an extra bread ration card.
Despite the fact that his family, like all families in the city, was struggling with hunger and food shortages, Rabbi Grodzinski immediately returned to the office to give back the extra card. The clerk was surprised and told him he could simply keep it since it was the office's error, not his.
Rabbi Grodzinski explained that keeping something that did not rightfully belong to him would be theft, regardless of how the mistake occurred or how desperately his family needed the food.
