From Outside the Camp

Last night I went to see the showing of "From Outside the Camp". It was Bais Yaakov D'Rav Meirs high school production from 2003, that the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation has been promoting all over the world. The theme, to show how powerful your words are. It was a very good play, good actresses and the point drove home. The hard way. It was really amazing to see it.
I had a choice last night. Go to Walmart with my sister-in-law, or go to the play. I first chose Walmart as it is not so close, I wanted to go, and didn't want to go "out" myself to the play. Before the designated time that I was planning on going out, my friend called and asked if I was going to the video presentation as I had mentioned it to her on Shabbos. She was going with her neighbor and was offering to pick me up. Great opportunity to go with friends to something I heard was phenomenal to see. So I quickly called to cancel the shopping trip as I can do that another time. This was my night to "learn".

I remember high school performances as my school put one on every other year. Ours was mostly a musical, as others had a story line but had dance and choir as well. This one was different. This had one choir once! In the beginning. Then the rest was straight acting. No dances. No choir that came on stage to sing. Lots of actresses and even little kids go to be in it. I really wonder how it was presented on stage in real life. They had some scenes that involved the ocean, and someone's house, and a walk...And that was NOT done on stage.

The storyline in short: There was only one valedictorian. She had the highest grades, best middos, etc the best there was. The seniors were talking about how a wonderful girl she is an all around girl that surely deserved this honor with her perfect score. Her best friend who worked harder and had a different life style than her was upset because this year the school chose only one person to speak instead of the usual 2-4 girls (salutatorian, etc) so she made a comment that it doesn't come like that for some. Someone else not part of the girls overheard the conversation, and repeated it to someone on the phone that the valedictorian didn't deserve the honors. The girls go on to seminary where the valedictorian is accused of stealing a test paper before the test. She goes home for Pesach and stays home. Cries to her best friend about how hard it was. She lands a teaching job via her daddys connections. She has a date, and the night she is supposed to get engaged, the boys parents hear this horrible information where the future kallah is a stealer and lies and where does she learn it from? Her father. So they break off the planned engagement. Life goes on. Of the two girls the other gets married and has two kids. Meanwhile this girl gets shidduchim that don't mind going out with a girl who steals or lies. None of them are suited for until..
One day she is red' a great guy. Everything is ready for them to go out, but his aunt says NO! She heard at the girls graduation how she didn't deserve to get the honors and refuses to let her precious nephew date this horrible girl. The mother of the girl goes to the best friend and says Please help us. Please find out what was said at that graduation and find out who said it. Please! You don't know the gehenom that this girl has been going through. After the mother leaves, the best friend rethinks back years ago at her graduation. She thinks about the words that was said. She thinks of her friendship...And the comments and then realizes that it was SHE who has said those horrible words. She made a comment that was in turn misinterpreted by someone who over heard the comment. The innocent comment of how the work didn't come just like that...It was misconstrued into something that wasn't true. She tracks down the aunt to find out what she heard to verify. Instead she gets the aunts daughter who said her mother called her from graduation to tell her the valedictorian didn't deserve it. She was at her friends house who she told over the info. That girl inturn told it over to her parents at the dinner table about how the girl stole the tests in order to get her high marks. The father made the comment that she should stay away from her and the family. The mother was like, stop, how do you know?? The father said if she steals, she learned it from someone. And it must be her father. So word went around and this poor girl was "unfit" to marry a ben torah. Her best friend went to her friend and said please I ask you for mechila it was me who said the comment. Her friend shrieked and ran out. Meanwhile to do good on her words many years ago, she tracked down every person who it was repeated to to tell them the truth about the girl. She wanted to find out who knew and who told who, so she can find every single person. Some cared, others brushed her off while others laughed at her. She finally ends up at the aunt of the boy who is refusing to let him date her. She explains the situation to her telling her it was not so. The aunt said she understands and will do what she can. You see that night she was there because her sister was too sick to attend her own daughters graduation. She was so upset that some people have things all so easy. Then she heard these words and blew it out of proportion. She implied that the girl stole the answers when in reality all that was ment was the girl actually has had a tutor to help her study and not that it comes so easy for her.
They showed how the best friend takes her kids to the ocean and opens a pillow. Gives the two girls a feather and told them to hold on tight while all the other feathers are blown high and low and across the entire ocean. This is how far you words go, all around the world and you cannot take it back.
In the end the girl forgives her best friend because she realized it was not entirely her fault. But it does not show whether or not she gets married or what happens.
This is the gist of it. It was really powerful, and I see why the CCHF has been promoting it around. If you are female, go ahead try to catch the next showing..it is something to think about.
Who knows what you say and what is overheard by someone. You can say the most innocent comment and someone misconstrue it. Be careful. I guess it is back to another issue, when complimenting one person, you can indeed hurt someone else.
Be careful of your words!