Questions to Ponder:
1) Svetlana has always been hard working and after college lands her dream job at a futures commodity trading firm. The hours are long, but the pay is great and she loves the challenge. This is a male dominated company, there are a few female support staff but she is the only lady on the executive level. The owner of the company is a old-fashioned macho man with a Type-A personality and a crass way of talking to females. He routinely makes inappropriate comments and jokes to Svetlana with the occasional unwanted hand on the shoulder as well. She knows talking to him is not going to change his behavior and in this type of competitive workplace environment, will probably cost her job. She comes to you for advice, what would you recommend?
2) The campus community is in uproar. Hundreds of students are heading to protest the way that the university handled the sexual assault charges against Ryan Smith, the head of the champion swim team. The story goes, a college junior, Stacy Jones went with her sorority to a frat party a few months ago. Stacy met Ryan and the two of them were heavily drinking. They went upstairs together and according the Stacy, he took things too far despite her verbal protest. He denies the whole thing and the university dropped the charges based on lack of evidence. Many students felt that the case was mishandled because the university wanted to protect the reputation of their star athlete. Lindsey, a college sophomore, was heading out to the protest and asked her roommate Katie if she wanted to join. Katie said no, she wasn't into this sort of thing. Upon further questioning, Katie blurted out, "Look, what did she expect to happen! If you get dressed like that and go drinking at a frat party with some guy, she was looking for trouble." Lindsey can't believe her hears, could her own roommate really be blaming the victim for her own assault? What do you think?
3) Gary is a senior executive at a marketing firm and recently came under fire. Gary has very conservative views, especially when it comes to his relationship with female employees and clients. He was avoiding the issues for a while, but it recently came out that Gary would not meet a female client for dinner without his own wife present. And not only that, he refused to shake hands with ladies or attend any of the companies after hour cocktail events. And to top it off, Gary makes excuses to leave the office if its just him and his secretary present, even if there is a big project deadline to finish. Some label Gary as sexist and discriminatory towards women. Others label him as being perverted and not being able to control himself like every other normal person in the company. What do you think?
אמר אביי ובתלמידי חכמים יותר מכולם כי הא דאביי שמעיה לההוא גברא דקאמר לההיא אתתא נקדים וניזיל באורחא אמר איזיל אפרשינהו מאיסורא אזל בתרייהו תלתא פרסי באגמא כי הוו פרשי מהדדי שמעינהו דקא אמרי אורחין רחיקא וצוותין בסימא אמר אביי אי מאן דסני לי הוה לא הוה מצי לאוקומיה נפשיה אזל תלא נפשיה בעיבורא דדשא ומצטער אתא ההוא סבא תנא ליה כל הגדול מחבירו יצרו גדול הימנו אמר רבי יצחק יצרו של אדם מתגבר עליו בכל יום שנאמר (בראשית ו, ה) רק
It is like this incident, as Abaye once heard a certain man say to a certain woman: Let us rise early and go on the road. Upon hearing this, Abaye said to himself: I will go and accompany them and prevent them from violating the prohibition that they certainly intend to violate. He went after them for a distance of three parasangs in a marsh among the reeds, while they walked on the road, and they did not engage in any wrongful activity. When they were taking leave of each other, he heard that they were saying: We traveled a long distance together, and the company was pleasant company. Abaye said: In that situation, if instead of that man it had been one whom I hate, a euphemism for himself, he would not have been able to restrain himself from sinning. After becoming aware of so great a shortcoming he went and leaned against the doorpost, thinking and feeling regret. A certain Elder came and taught him: Anyone who is greater than another, his evil inclination is greater than his.
(ב) פְּסָל לְךָ וֶהְיֵה נָכוֹן לַבֹּקֶר. כָּךְ בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה, וַיְהִי בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בִּהְיֹת הַבֹּקֶר וְגוֹ' (שמות כה, ח). וְכָאן: וְגַם אִישׁ אַל יֵרָא. הַלּוּחוֹת רִאשׁוֹנוֹת עַל שֶׁנִּתְּנוּ בְּפֻמְבֵּי, לְפִיכָךְ שָׁלְטָה בָּהֶם עַיִן הָרַע וְנִשְׁתַּבְּרוּ. וְכָאן אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: אֵין לְךָ יָפֶה מִן הַצְּנִיעוּת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּמָה ה' דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת (מיכה ו, ח).
With reference to the first tablets, it is written: And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightning (ibid. 19:16). But with regard to the second tablets, it is said: Neither let any man be seen (ibid. 34:3). Because the first tablets were given openly, the evil inclination prevailed over them, and (for that reason) they were broken. But in this instance (the second tablets) the Holy One, blessed be He, said: There is nothing more beautiful than modesty.