By Rabbin Reuven Semah
The following is a story about Rabbi David Luria, the Radal. The Radal was once arrested by the Czarist government on trumped-up charges, and was brought to court to face a panel of judges. As he stood before them, the judges began discussing his case in French, assuming that a “backward” Jewish Rabbi would certainly not be familiar with this modern language.
However, the Radal was in fact fluent in French, and he took a few steps backwards so as not to overhear their conversation. When the judges noticed that he had stepped back, they became incensed at him, and one judge screamed, “You insolent Jew! Don’t you realize that you are on trial for your life! How dare you step back before this tribunal without our permission!”
The Radal replied, “Your honor, please excuse me for stepping back without permission. You see, I did not think it was respectful for me to listen to your deliberations in French, in which I am fluent.”
The judges were stunned by his honesty and decency, especially since they were discussing his fate and he could have benefitted greatly from knowing what they were thinking. Realizing that such a righteous person could not be guilty of the accusations against him, they dropped the charges and released him.
Reprinted from the Parshat Tesaveh/Purim 5786 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace.
