This same man, Irving Bunim, was trying to save lives in America. There were even Jewish organizations that he was up against, because some were very careful and particular about making sure that if they were saving someone’s life, the government was happy, and the visa and this and that were taken care of. Irving Bunim was like, “This is a man’s life we’re talking about. If I can save someone’s life, I don’t care about the government, the visa; I’m saving the life.”
One day, they had it set up to save the life of a rabbi from Europe. But then a Jewish organization got involved and stopped it. Irving Bunim called a bunch of newspaper journalists that day. They asked, “What is it?” He said, “I want to tell you a piece of news. It just hasn’t happened yet.” “What’s the news?” “There’s going to be a brick thrown into that man’s office. I’m going to be the one who throws it into the office, and I’m going to be taken to jail. I’m telling you the news story before it happens, so you have the early scoop.” “So what do you mean? Why are you going to throw a brick into someone’s office?” He said, “Yeah, I’m going to throw a brick into their office because I want it to become a story. But that man is stopping us from saving the lives of a rabbi in Europe.” The man got the message. Irving Bunim never had to throw the brick, and the man’s life was saved.
You can’t always worry about someone’s comment, someone’s thoughts, or what someone’s going to say. The first and most important thing to do is figure out: What does Hashem want from you? Every day, at every crossroads, with every decision, every time you’re unsure: What does Hashem want from you? “But my mother’s going to comment. My sister’s going to comment. People are going to think I’m not such a good person. I’m doing the right thing.” Those are not really relevant points. What does Hashem want from you? Make that decision as clear as you can. And once you know what Hashem wants from you, do your best to carry it out. Do the best you can to make it look right, sound right, be peaceful, be positive, and be okay, because it does matter what people think—but not if you start with what people think. If you start with chasing, you will exhaust yourself and really never move forward. You’ll be so busy moving left to right, you’ll never move north.
But if you can move north and, at the same time, smile at the people who need a smile, shake hands with the people whose hands need to be shaken, spend your time with the people who need you to spend time with them, and be kind to the people who need your kindness, and make sure that you’re mindful of how people feel and mindful of people’s emotions, then in that way you’re able to accomplish this incredible mission from the Pasuk (verse). The Pasuk says, “First, you need to be clean in the eyes of God. And then you need to be clean in the eyes of the people.” And if you can accomplish both, and do as much as you can to have people think positively of you at the same time—if you can do both—then you are almost assured that in Shamayim (heaven), Hashem is proud.