Why the Rabbi said “You’re fired” right from the Bimah!
We asked G‑d’s forgiveness in our prayers, and at the same time we are asked by Jewish tradition to forgive our neighbors, friends and family, especially when they ask to be forgiven.
Sometimes, however, that forgiveness is not complete. We say we forgive but, inside, we nurture a grudge, and actually do not let go completely of our psychological wound.
The Talmud, however, offers us a teaching which can be helpful in reminding us the importance
of obliterating our old resentments. The Talmud records that Rabbi Nechunia lived to a very old age. One day his students asked him: Rabbi Nechunia: “? במה הארכת ימים —How did you attain longevity? What is your secret?” He replied: “ לא עלתה על מטתי קללת חברי — I never went to sleep with a grudge in my heart.”
What we can glean from that story is that if we want to be healthy and feel good about our life,
we should cleanse our hearts of all those stale grudges. People hurt you. Get over it. Stop letting
those injustices bother you. Somebody treated you badly? The way to get even with them is to stop giving them the power to make you feel bad. They don’t deserve that power.
In some ways, Rabbi Nechunia can be connected to Donald Trump in that every night he would take a moment in his imagination to yell “You’re fired!” to any injustices he felt had been dealt to him. He would imagine telling those slights to collect their belongings and move out of his heart, forever.
In this New Year keep experiencing your Donald Trump moments. Say to all your resentments, “You’re fired,” and move on.