Question:
B”H
Kavod haRav,
Thank you for your help. My question deals with something that happened recently and I am seeking clarification from a halachic standpoint if any further action needs to be taken by me…I work in a school setting with young children. On the same floor of the building are two schools, so when the school I work with is heading downstairs for dismissal, the other school has arrivals for their after-school program. It was during this time of dismissals/arrivals when I was helping my students go downstairs that I noticed a water spill outside the door of one of the other schools rooms. In the past, I would have simply returned after helping my students and cleaned it up, but it was in an area that someone really could have slipped, and I was going to be away from that area long enough that if it wasn’t cleaned up right away, someone could have been injured. I asked two teachers from the other school if they had paper towels because there was a spill, and they ended up wiping it up themselves. They were very sweet about it, and there did not seem to be an issue at all. I went back to both of them after my students were dismissed and said thank you and that I would have wiped it myself but I didn’t have paper towels with me. While it would seem to be a very simple scenario, this is where my question comes in: I have been actively working on not over apologizing, and B”H have been doing much better. From the perspective of halacha, and giving honor to others/ not embarrassing others, am I obligated to apologize to them(maybe I handled it wrong somehow?) This is an area I struggle with (self doubt), so my perspective on what is appropriate if often unclear. Was wondering if I should say anything to them about it (apologize?), or not. (If anything, the fact that they took care of it right away shows Ahavas Yisrael…so it didn’t degrade/embarrass them, but showed excellent middos on their part…) Thank you sincerely in advance
Answer:
Hello,
You have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t spill the water on the floor, and they would have an equal obligation to prevent others from getting hurt. As long as you let them know tht you are not the one who spilt the water, s they don’think that you put your job on to them) everything is fine.
Have a good day
