Taking Responsibility

 Blame is easy.  All we have to do is shirk responsibility.  

The Torah speaks of the victim of a murder being found near a city.  In that instance where the killer cannot be found the Torah demands that the elders of the closets city gather at the place where the crime was committed and say, "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.”   ~ Deuteronomy 21:7.  In other words, even though they did not know the perpetrator or perhaps even the victim they are called to take responsibility for a crime that occurred in their vicinity.

While the natural human reaction to being blamed is to pass it on or make excuses for what happened, the Torah tells us to take responsibility.

A story is told of the famous Rabbi Hayim Brisker who had a Hasid as a teacher.  The Hasid trained Brisker from a young child in the ways of Torah.  One day the Hasid took the young lad to see his rabbi.  At that time, the young man took a fruit from his bag and began to nibble on it.  The elderly rebbe was surprised that the young man did not say a blessing first.  “You should have taught him how to say the proper blessing before he eats!” he scolded the Hasid.

The boy looked up and retorted, “You should have taught him to teach me!”  ~ told by Rabbi Louis Jacobs

 

Perhaps if we take greater responsibility for the  things that happen in our family and community we wil become more responsible.