“The story in this week’s Double Take, that of employer Meira and employee Russy, is one of colossal failure”
The story in this week’s Double Take, that of employer Meira and employee Russy, is one of colossal failure.
Russy may be young and inexperienced, but she is well enough along to understand about the obligations of hakaras hatov, chesed, not hurting someone, and standing by one’s word and commitment.
Russy’s upbringing failed her. Her schooling, elementary through high school, failed her. Her undoubtedly expensive seminary in Israel, which her parents (described in the story as not having much money) had to scramble to pay for, which was supposed to teach her how to enter adulthood as an ethical, responsible, God-fearing bas Yisrael, failed her. Her parents failed her. The rabbi she consulted with, assuming he understood the case presented, failed her.
Meira the employer chose her, offered her a job, trained her and paid her to be trained, gave her a month off to play in camp before starting to work, so that she could count on her to help keep her hard-won business afloat when she had her baby. Knowing how vulnerable Meira was, Russy gave her word, and Meira counted on it. Russy betrayed her, with the blessings of her parents and her rabbi.
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