Judging favorably helps avoid igniting the forbidden fire of anger, especially on Shabbos. Shabbos is Hashem's special gift, it's ...

An Offer You Can't Refuse

For the aufruf (Shabbat pre-wedding celebration kiddush) of our son, we hired a small hall in the basement of a yeshiva. On Friday, on our way to carry cartons of stuff into the hall, I met a friend who warned us: "Be careful, the electricity there has a tendency to overload and pop the fuse. Several people had to make do with cold kugel at their kiddush." After taking precautions and checking the electricity long in advance, we usher in the Shabbos. We had a great evening meal. In the morning as we prepare for the kiddush, my wife tells me that the hot plates and the air conditioning are off.

Baruch Hashem, it apparently happened that morning, since everything was still warm. But I asked myself: "Why can't the hall's managers improve their maintenance?"

After Shabbos as we pack up, my wife shows me that the wire of one of the hot plates was melted due to contact with the hotplate. The short circuit had been caused by my own carelessness in setting up the hot plate!

By the way, when I approached the hall manager to offer to fix their hot plate at my own expense, he said: "These accidents are part of the deal!" and had his assistant fix it at no cost to me!

The Other Side of the Story Archives

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

Do you have a story to share?

Were you in a situation where there was the potential to misjudge a person, but there really was a valid explanation? Has a friend or a relative ever told you how they were in such a situation?

Share you stories with us for inclusion in future columns of The Other Side of the Story.

To submit your story, send it to info@ohr.edu. (To insure proper handling, put "Other Side" in the subject line of your message).

Subscribe to The Other Side of the Story via PointCast

The Ohr Somayach Home Page is hosted by TeamGenesis