An Honorable Reaction
One Shabbat, in the midst of the tefillah, a man burst into the Beit Hakeneset and began to publicly denounce me. A number of congregants began defending my honor. I immediately squelched any would-be squabble by smiling at the man and treating him pleasantly. I signaled for the others to continue with their prayer. Had I remained silent and allowed the people to avenge my honor, a tremendous chillul Hashem would have ensued, damaging the honor of Shabbat and the honor of the Beit Hakeneset.
By foregoing my honor and calming the anger before it got out of control, I felt as if I was offering my anger as a sacrifice to Hashem. This is the meaning of the words in Vayikra (6:2), “This is the law of the burnt-offering: It is the burnt-offering [that stays] on the flame.”
Since I sacrificed my personal honor for the honor of Hashem, the entire congregation remained placid. Anger was never given the chance to rear its ugly head, and the matter was laid to rest quickly and quietly.
