To put a bad scenario in a good light sometimes takes more than just imagination. Sometimes...

It Takes A Thief

Last summer, in the midst of the various terrorist attacks in Israel, a Jewish person at the rush of a bustling Dizengoff intersection in Tel Aviv alerted those surrounding him that the bag he just brought there contained a live bomb!

After the squad disconnected the explosive, the person was investigated by the police. The man explained that earlier he was at the beach; and meaning to steal the contents of a good-looking bag, he picked it up, escaped the security and opened it at the Dizengoff intersection.

To his dismay, inside, instead of finding something of value - he found a bomb!

Apparently that bag had been planted at the beach by terrorists earlier that day. Through his intention to steal, this "bag-picker" saved a hazard. If, G-d forbid, that bag had exploded a minute earlier in the midst of a bustling intersection, what would the world have thought about this man? Would anyone have let his imagination drift and thought: "That guy probably stole the bag, and it just so happened to contain a bomb?"

Many times, what seems to be imagination proves to be reality. So let's follow the directive of the Torah and judge favorably.

Avroham Shor, Neve Yaakov, Jerusalem

OHRNET NOTES: The above is a powerful illustration of how wrong we can sometimes be about others. However, in no way is it meant to justify those who actually perform acts of terror and murder, nor meant to justify theft.

The Other Side of the Story Archives

Based on "The Other Side of the Story" by Mrs. Yehudis Samet, ArtScroll Series

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