We need more of these

At a recent Sheva Brochos party for a newly married couple held at the Mir Yeshiva (rabbinical college) in Jerusalem, the groom, a pious learned young talmudic scholar with a stellar reputation, told a story about "a turning point in his life" that astounded the guests. It happened when he was in fifth grade. A classmate, Naftali, came in one day showing everyone an expensive new watch he had just received as a gift. At recess, with everyone running out to play ball, the boy took off his watch, and left it on his desk, so as not to breaking it during recess.

When he returned to class after recess, the watch was gone! He let out a hysterical shriek. There was no consoling the boy as he cried, begging his rebbi (religious teacher) to help him find the watch. The rebbi was quite sure that no one had entered the classroom since recess began. His instincts told him that it was a boy in his own class who had probably taken it on the way out or in from the playground.

The rebbi got everyone's attention and said, "I know that it may have been tempting for someone to take Naftali's watch. We all saw that it was very beautiful and quite expensive. However, we must get the watch back to him. Did anyone here take it by mistake? And if yes, would you like to return it?"

No one stirred as the boys nervously glanced around to see if anyone was admitting anything. The rebbi waited a few moments and said, "I guess I have no choice. I am going to ask all of you to stand up front, facing the wall and I am going to go through your pockets to see if it's there. But I am giving you one more chance to admit that you may have taken it by mistake. Look, it can happen. Someone just wanted to admire the watch so he may have picked it up and then inadvertently put it into his pocket."

Again no one said a thing. The rebbi called up the boys and asked them to stand against the wall and not to turn around even for a moment until he gave them permission. The groom's face turned red as he explained what happened next.

"I was the third boy in line. Once everyone was in place he started going through the pockets of every boy, and he found the watch in mine. I had been hoping against hope that he wouldn't find it, as I planned to return it to Naftali after school. However, now the rebbi had the culprit. I was literally shaking, knowing that I was about to be exposed and scolded.

"Instead he continued checking every single boy! When he finished searching the last boy, he said, 'You all can go back to your seats. I have the watch.'

"As I walked back to my seat I had to hold myself back from crying. I understood what the rebbi did and how he saved me from being embarrassed. He had continued the search so no one could figure out who had taken the watch. He didn't even look my way. He resumed teaching. I decided then and there that someday I would like to be like him."

The groom, a rabbinical student in one of the world's most prominent institutions of higher Jewish learning, indeed became a wonderful person because his spiritual mentor protected his dignity and afforded him honor back in the fifth grade. With that gesture, the rebbi laid the foundation for the validation of a student in a new generation so that he eventually would do the same for his children and disciples.

[The foregoing story is documented in the Spirit of the Maggid, by Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn]