"And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar."
- Herman Melville, Moby Dick [1851]
I always have a hard time when I see someone Jewish doing something "wrong". I'm so quick to judge even though I know that I shouldn't. This is especially true when I see chassidim doing things that are "wrong". Even though I may be doing the same thing, like going to a movie, or a bar/club/concert/etc., I automatically look down on them as if they should be held to a higher standard.
I automatically assume that they are scummy fakers as opposed to looking at them as good people just looking for a little entertainment. Because of the sensational stories I hear, I tend to forget that most chassidim are warm, generous, and genuinely good people. I should really assume that if I see them at a theater, that is the worst thing that they are doing.
Maybe it's like Melville said, if you're really a good person, even at your worst you're still better than most bad people at their best.
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