Sunday, January 31, 2010
Accusing Others (moral)
The summons hanging on the milkman’s door, bewildered him. He was an honest man, who always behaved appropriately.
_________
The baker used to buy butter and cheese from the milkman, for his baking, but he felt that he was being cheated. One day, he decided to check out the matter, and weighed every lump of butter, that he bought from the milkman.
The baker was angry “he is cheating me,” he told his wife angrily, “I am not going to be quiet about it”. He went to the local court and complained about the milkman.
“We have to prosecute him” said the baker. “We can’t let him cheat all the villagers, people trust him!”
That same day, the court messenger hung a notice on the milkman’s house, that he had to come to court.
________
The Judge asked: “I assume you have a very accurate scale in your dairy.”
The milkman said: “No your honor, I do not have a scale.”
“So how do you weigh the butter?”
‘I built myself a scale – the kind that needs a weight on one side, to balance the butter on the other.
Every morning when I come to weigh the butter for the baker, I place a kilo loaf of bread, on one side of the scale.’
The Judge said: You are telling us, that the amount of butter that you give the baker, is exactly the weight of the loaf of bread that he supplies to you?”
“Yes” said the milkman
The baker’s face suddenly fell…
_________
Before we judge others, we must first check that our own house is in order. Maybe we have the same failings, that we accuse others of.
Chazal say: “Straighten oneself first, then straighten others.”