To justify questionable behavior, we need not go hunting on an African Safari. The most exotic excuses are often right in our back yard. Take the following story, which I call...
An Elephant With Nasal Congestion
I walked into the staff room at my Yeshiva just as a friend of mine, Michael, was saying to Rabbi Nosson Slifkin: "You smell like an elephant!"
How could I judge Michael favorably here?
The real story is as follows. Rabbi Nosson Slifkin gives Torah tours of the zoo, explaining Torah lessons to be learned from different creatures. (He has a website, www.zootorah.com). He had just come back from giving a tour at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, where an elephant sneezed on him! Just before I walked into the room, Rabbi Slifkin told my friend Michael about his spray with pachydermal phlegm, and they were kidding around about it. Thus, I entered the room to the cry of "You smell like an elephant!" But it was all said in good fun.
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