Gentiles vs. Gentility
As I was traveling once by train, I noticed that the gentiles seated near me were staring at my strange demeanor. I sat quietly, immersed in writing my Torah thoughts, sporting a long beard and kippah which they found cause for ridicule.
In contrast, they behaved no different from the animals of the field. They ate gluttonously and laughed raucously. Their conduct bespoke coarseness, lacking all ethics and any measure of respect.
As I reflected on the vast difference between my restrained and self-possessed manner and their wild ways, I realized that this world is, indeed, upside-down. Instead of me mocking them for their unruly, uninhibited behavior, they were mocking me. Why was this so?
I understood that their laughter came from a sense of emptiness, with the purpose of covering up for lives of nothingness. When they observed my quiet manners, my diligence in learning, my care in mitzvah performance, and all other aspects of a Torah-true lifestyle, they felt obliged by the diametrical contrast.
We shared nothing more than a car in the train. As I behaved according to the Torah’s mandates, these people become very uncomfortable, realizing that maybe they are also required to act with a measure of decorum. But this is too much to ask of them. By ridiculing me, they effectually cast off the impression of my refined behavior. This exonerated them from contemplating their lifestyle and possibly changing.
