Are You a Mensch?
In Jewish culture, there is no greater honor than being called a mensch. A mensch is kind and decent. A mensch is a person of integrity, someone who is humble and empathetic. Growing up in a Jewish household, I often heard my parents implore me to “be a mensch.” They challenged me to do the right thing regardless of the consequences.
In third grade, my best friend Josh stole my big wheel. I confronted him and we had a knock down fight yielding mutual bruises and black eyes. My mom urged me to apologize even though in my eyes Josh was at fault. “Be a mensch,” my mom said. “You need to be the bigger person.” I apologized, Josh and I became friends again and I let him ride my big wheel whenever he wanted.
In his book The Joys of Yiddish, author Leo Rosten wrote that a mensch is someone “of noble character” who displays “rectitude, dignity and a sense of what’s right.” Mensch derives from the German word for “human being.” In Yiddish, mensch translates to “a good person.” It’s technically a term reserved for men, while women are referred to as “menschlichkeit.”
Being a mensch is not related to personal success, wealth or status. A mensch may strive for achievement but never at the sacrifice of another person’s gain. A mensch is not egotistical, pompous or self-aggrandizing. A mensch is sensitive to the feelings and needs of others. A mensch behaves for the benefit…
