As Jews, we cannot escape the fact that we represent the Master of the Universe. No matter how hard we try, it is impossible for us to go unnoticed. We are always in the spotlight; one way or another, we are bound to be in the news. That is the nature of our existence, and it is what Hashem desires of us. Let us make our impact as positive as we can.
Rabbi Bentzion Lopian, the son of Rav Elya Lopian, was a talmid in the famed yeshivah of Kelm. He once described an exchange that he overheard in the market in Kelm between a non-Jewish lumber merchant and a Jewish customer.
The merchant was demanding immediate payment for his merchandise, insisting that he did not trust the Jew to pay him at a later date, but the Jewish customer wanted to purchase the goods with payment on delivery.
Their argument was soon interrupted by another non-Jew, who asked his friend, “What is the matter? It’s Elul now; you can trust him!”
The influence of Elul was obvious even to the non-Jews of Kelm. Our mission is to recreate that same impression within the world that we live in today.
Reproduced from A Life Worth Living by Rabbi Shraga Freedman with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
