The Torah of Tears

Most people have a story of the first time they saw someone they thought was immune to tears break down and cry. The main character in the story varies: sometimes it is a parent, other times a grandparent, a rabbi, a teacher, or a coach. Sometimes the setting is as mundane as a particularly difficult fight, other times as devastating as a funeral. But while these details vary, the emotional valence of the moment usually stays the same. In relating the story, people consistently describe the same feelings: helplessness at being unable to do or say anything to stop the tears, and fear at seeing someone we had thought of as eternally strong in a moment of devastating pain.