One day I had to pass through one of the busiest streets of Jerusalem, the Holy City, I had seen many plays in my lifetime, but I had never seen such a sight, a man dressed in a respectable way, but he was standing on the side of the street, in the alcove leading to one of the shops, and he was just talking to himself out loud. The man wasn't just talking, he was giving a real speech: with hand gestures, with facial expressions, with a lot of emotion. No, there was no one in front of him. I checked. He stood alone, his eyes fixed on an imaginary point in the air, and his mouth was talking—without the evil eye. It was already strange.
For a moment I gave myself an explanation: he was just talking on his cell phone. But a closer look made it clear that he had no earbuds in his ear, no string dangling into his shirt. The man was really talking to himself—and even more so with the utmost seriousness and enthusiasm. He seemed quite respectable to be crazy. I had to crack the riddle, and then I got the attention of my American friend who was walking with me at the time. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was amused. Another group of guys joined in the tremendous astonishment of the phenomenon. They stood and smirked at the strange man standing up and speaking to himself. But my American friend suddenly grabbed my hand excitedly: "Do you know who it is?" he said to me. "It's... Well... What is his name"... My boyfriend hasn't remembered yet, but now a large camera crew approached the nicely dressed crazy man: one man with a camera, two more who went down to this world to hold microphones for other people, and another who asked the respectable man if he was ready? My boyfriend explained to me that it's one of the most senior radio broadcasters in the United States, it's a broadcaster that people all over America glue to the radio receivers to hear him, he records a story, so until the camera crew got organized, he was rehearsing the script.
Then I went up to him and asked him, "First you stood at the entrance to the store and recited the text to yourself. There were a few boys standing here." I pointed to the group that had mocked the broadcaster earlier, "And they laughed at you, doesn't that bother you?" The broadcaster looked at the group of young people for a moment and his mouth curled with a smile of disdain, listen, my young friend: "Do you know how much I get per season? My salary is one of the fattest in the American entertainment industry. One minute of my broadcast is worth tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. That's why I'm standing here, and every moment I make big money. Do you really think I even see them? Do you really think I'm referring to them? Who are they? Just poor guys."
Suddenly the understanding of the true meaning of the halakha brought in the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim, "Do not be ashamed of those who mock him in the service of God" – if a Jew feels inferior to those who do not keep the Torah, if he is not at peace with himself, it will not help at all. He will always be ashamed, he will always not feel comfortable, he will always feel the need to apologize. If, for example, he has to pray Mincha on a street corner or recite Birkat HaMazon at some wedding, he will cringe in embarrassment and hurry, because it's not pleasant, the trick is to know and internalize that every moment we fulfill God's commandments, we make much more than one of the fat salaries in the American entertainment industry. The trick is to know that at every moment we are collecting treasures. Tens if not hundreds of thousands, endlessly, for our sages said: "One hour of contentment in the World to Come is better than any life in this world" and then, automatically, we simply don't see anyone! Does he look at us? Does he make fun of us? Who is he anyway? He is nothing... Therefore, in truth, Pinchas was not bothered by the fact that he was ridiculed, and he went to do the will of his Creator, even though he knew of the reproaches that might come upon him, but the Holy One, blessed be He, who had mercy on the honor of the righteous, treated Aharon in order to imply that with Him, the one who does His will is the main thing...
