Doing the right thing - whether anyone else knows you did or not.
Binah Wineries was a company to admire. Located in a small suburban city where it employed a majority of the residents,this large, successful corporation was an amazing enterprise that attracted entrepreneurial talent from all over the world.
One of the first things any visitor would notice when walking into Binah was the happy look on the face of each employee. People who worked at Binah knew they were not just an employee, they were family. If an employee had a personal issue, there was a special help-office in the Binah headquarters designated specifically to help employees deal with their challenges.
Binah’s superb wines repeatedly won awards from around the world. The great secret behind this amazing company was CEO Abba Yesodowitz - an entrepreneur from birth. Even as a small child, he loved reading popular books on how to run a successful business. When Abba was only twenty years old, he decided that it was time to create not just a company, but a business environment that met the highest standards.
Each year, the people working at Binah would participate in the annual celebration of their beloved CEO’s birthday. For his fiftieth birthday, top management held a brainstorming session on how to celebrate. After hours of discussing different ideas, they all agreed on one.
Management decided to build a fifty foot tall replica of a trademark bottle of Binah Wineries with a spiral staircase all the way up. At the top, a 500 quart temperature controlled barrel would be filled with the town's most famous and rare 1992 cabernet.
A town hall meeting was set, the idea was presented and everyone was very excited. It was unanimously decided that each of the 500 employees would donate one bottle from each of their personal wine collections.
The great bottle was built, and the day finally arrived. Each person was given the ability to walk to the top to pour his or her contribution into the spectacular larger-than-life bottle.
Marty Higgems worked for Binah for quite some time and had much for which to be grateful to Abba. Before Binah, he was never able to keep a job for more than a few weeks; and now he was living the good life.
However, when it came time for him to choose a bottle from his very large personal collection, Marty was overcome by greediness. He reasoned that since the other 499 emplyees would all be bringing real wine, who would know that he had not?
Marty filled an empty bottle with cheap grape juice and water; then off he went to "contribute" his “wine” to the great birthday cause. Unfortunately, Marty was not the only one with this scheme. It seemed that many of the employees had the same idea; which of course they did not share with their co-workers.
On the day of Abba’s birthday, every member of the community came to greet him and to watch Abba as he poured his first glass from the hand-made golden nozzle at the very top.
Abba finally filled his glass; and after making his first toast and giving a heartfelt greeting and thanks to all of those who participated, he took his first sip. To everyone’s shock, he immediately spit it out in disgust.
It turned out that, like Marty, a majority of the employees had decided to bring watered down bottles of juice.
After the initial shock, Abba realized what had transpired. However, instead of responding with anger or disgust, he became inspired. These people just don't get it, Abba thought. They believe -- they assume -- that they can do the wrong thing because someone else will do the right thing. But if everyone acts that way, it won't be a very nice world.
Something good can come from this, Abba resolved. He opened a new “Club Mentsch” branch in the Binah Corporation, because he realized there was something more he could give his employees. "Club Mentsch" would teach them that each person must pursue goodness, that each person can make a difference
Lesson number one was straight from Maimonides (http://www.jewishmalibu.com/library/article_cdo/aid/911896/jewish/Chapter-Three.htm) "A person should always view himself and the entire world as if it is exactly balanced. If he does one good deed, he is meritorious, for he has weighed himself and the entire world to the side of merit".
The above parable is adopted from an ancient Chassidic tale
(http://www.jewishmalibu.com/search/keyword_cdo/kid/2534/jewish/Chassidism.htm)
Shabbat Shalom! Happy New Year!
Rabbi Levi Cunin, Emissary of the Rebbe, Chabad of Malibu,
22933 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265,
Tel. 310-456-6588
Email: [email protected]
www.JewishMalibu.com