The Talmud says that you can know what a person is really like by the way he behaves when is drunk, angry or spending money. I don’t know how much, if anything, Mel Gibson had to shell out as the result of his DUI mishap, but we could tell what this superstar is really like when he is drunk and angry, and basically, we learned that he doesn’t seem to like Jews. I believe that he did apologize for his remarks, and while I am not a rabbi in a position to officially accept such an apology on behalf of the entire Jewish People, I think it was in order. Where my reaction may differ from those of many others is that I think that it was actually refreshing that Mel Gibson was caught saying such things, and unlike many of us, has the opportunity to really come face to face with his deepest feelings.
A lot has been said about Mel Gibson’s views, but how many people have the opportunity to face their prejudices out in the open? How many people harbor secret dislike for others and somehow are able to gloss over their true feelings by saying that they feel a certain way out of political convictions or some other reasons. A person can tell himself that “some of his best friends” are Jews, Asians, African Americans, etc… but how many people have the opportunity of seeing their true feelings in print, on radio and television, exposed to the world.
This is the task of a famous person, to come face to face with his views or at least his image and confront it. Mel Gibson has the luxury of fame that the rest of us, who can hide, do not have. Are our thoughts and actions any better than his behind closed doors? And how do we confront and repair our hearts?