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By deductive logic we think we figured out the identity of the perp. We believe it’s another angel fish that has mysteriously undergone an extreme growth spurt ever since his tank mates began disappearing. The family is now divided on how to deal with him.

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My son and I want to flush him down the toilet but my wife refuses to allow it saying that we would be getting down to his level. So we are basically stuck with a carnivorous fish who like a spoiled child, gets his way because no one can figure out how to deal with him.

With Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer, CEO of a foundation which promotes spirituality in the workplace.

A few months ago some of our pet fish began dying under mysterious circumstances. The first to go was a lovely black angel fish. We discovered it one night trapped in some decorative lattice work at the bottom of the tank. Half of it had already been eaten. My son is convinced that there was foul play and that the perpetrator wedged the victim into the lattice work to make it look like an accident. I suppose that put us all on guard and heightened our reactions when over the next few months more fish were expiring without any obvious cause.

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By deductive logic we think we figured out the identity of the perp. We believe it’s another angel fish that has mysteriously undergone an extreme growth spurt ever since his tank mates began disappearing. The family is now divided on how to deal with him. My son and I want to flush him down the toilet but my wife refuses to allow it saying that we would be getting down to his level. So we are basically stuck with a carnivorous fish who like a spoiled child, gets his way because no one can figure out how to deal with him.

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But what if we are all wrong? What if there is no connection between this angel fish’s growth spurt and the untimely deaths of his tank –mates? What if it’s a pure coincidence? No one has actually ever seen him commit the crime. Have we vilified an innocent fish?

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Fish don’t care what we think. But people do, and sadly we hurt them by frequently jumping to conclusions about their behaviour without knowing all the facts. Things are not always as they seem and that is why the Talmudic rabbis said: Never judge another until you stand in his place. Think of all the embarrassment and pain we would avoid if we just gave others the benefit of the doubt.

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