There are, of course, some exceptions to the rule about coming early. There are some people who really are VIPs. It doesn't really matter whether they are busy or not, but they have to make a grand entrance. This is part of the game.

You've probably been at a wedding and had to wait for an important rabbi to arrive or maybe the mother of the bride. It does not really matter whether these people are busy or not. Maybe the are, maybe they aren't. But they certainly knew that they were supposed to be at a wedding and that they had a part to play in that wedding. Yet, it's part of the game to know that everybody is waiting for that VIP, the mother of the bride or the rabbi.

Did you ever go to a conference in which an important political personage was supposed to speak? He probably came late and he did not speak at the allotted time. He spoke a bit later. He feels that it does not serve his image properly if he comes early and then waits for others to finish their speeches, so he comes late and makes a grand entrance. This is also part of the game.

In the case of the rebbe or the politician the grand entrance is no less important than their presence in the ceremony itself. They must make this good impression or this impression of being very busy.

When you think about it though, it does not really logically mean that they are very busy. Does coming late mean very busy? Does it mean that you're more important? After all, at a certain point they did show up at the wedding or at the ceremony and at that point they were not able to handle their other business affairs.

However, that's not the point. They are trying to give across the following message. There are two important things happening right now. There is this ceremony and there is my appearance. If I come on time then you might not realize when I have arrived, but when I come late it gives the impression that I was able to sacrifice some of my busy time in order to come. It's all a question of sacrificing and making a show rather than reality.

You may know somebody who is a busy person or who maintains a position of authority. There's no question that you have noticed that, yes, the person does have his busy times, but he also has plenty of time to do the things that he wants to do. He is not overwhelmed. He does have time for the things that are important. He could come to events on time. He works it out so that he has enough other people, if he's a good bureaucrat, that he delegates authority in the proper way, and he is certainly able to come on time. However, he chooses to come late. It's part of the show but not part of reality. When there is something that he has to go to on time, he's there on time. If there's something that he wants to do, possibly for his family, and he chooses to be there on time he's there on time, and when he chooses to make a certain impression then he comes late. However, he can come on time if he wants to.