The Frierdiker Rebbe lamented: “In days gone by, a person would be embarrassed to say that he was acting in a ‘worldly’ manner, that he was simply following the crowd. Today, that has become an excuse. When questioned about a behavior, a person justifies himself by saying, ‘But everyone does it!’ “
On another occasion, the Frierdiker Rebbe said: “Recently, people have begun feeling embarrassed. Embarrassed – from whom? From some ‘clothing on a post’?! This embarrassment has actually caused many people to compromise their Yiddishkeit, so that they leave ‘pieces’ at the barbers and the tailors... We need not be embarrassed by them; they should be embarrassed by us.”
)126 ,120 ,92 'סה"ש תש"ב ע(
The Rebbe once expressed surprise as to how a Yid could possibly feel inferior, relative to the goyishe lifestyle and culture: “You are part of a nation that HaShem chose from among all other nations – and you are ashamed of them?! At the time when their ancestors were cannibals, the Yidden had received the Torah and were following its moral ways, and only later did the goyim begin following those ways! Why should a Yid be ashamed to lead the rest of the world by the light of the Torah?”
(שיחו"ק תשל"ח ח"ג ע' 170)
In the year תש”ב (in 1941), one of the young chassidim served as a rov in a small community. He strove to improve the observance of Yiddishkeit there, but he was met with resistance. Some of the local Yidden did not appreciate his efforts and constantly ridiculed him. This had such a strong effect on the young chossid that he even considered leaving his position.
When the Frierdiker Rebbe got word of this, he sent him a letter of encouragement in which he wrote:
“I am surprised that you are being affected by the opinions of the people. You must bear in mind that ‘there will always be poor amongst us’, people who are ‘poor’ in Torah and good middos and will brazenly try to disturb good things. You must not be affected by their words, just as a person riding in a fancy carriage would ignore the shouts of crazies. Take it as a sign that you are doing good work, and the truth will prevail.”
(אג"ק ריי"צ ח"ו ע' צה)
CONSIDER
Did the Chinese people not care about what anyone thought of them? Or did they only care about a different society?
How does realizing the inferiority of those who ridicule us cause us not to be embarrassed?
