The Other Side of the Story - Shlamazel Tov
It is indeed "bad luck" when others misjudge you; if they do, perhaps you deserve a...
Shlamazel Tov
We had the zechus (merit) of making a bar mitzvah celebration for our son last summer. My brother came from New York to participate in the celebration. My brother and I, although he is 6 years my junior, have similar facial features and are both approximately 5' 10" tall.
At the bar mitzvah, a certain relative said "Mazel Tov" to my brother twice. He apparently ignored her; he either did not hear her or thought she was talking to someone else. (He never met her before because she is actually my wife's relative, not mine.)
Several weeks after the event, we heard from the family grapevine that our relative was very upset at me and never wanted to talk to me again because I ignored her at the bar mitzvah. It took some convincing that I have a brother, that he came in from New York, and that we look alike. We are again on speaking terms.
The moral of the story: Never assume it's really him even if he looks like him...or...always respond to "Mazel Tov" even if you do not recognize the person greeting you!
An Ohrnet reader, Har Nof, Jerusalem
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