Comments on: Out Of The Mailbag – To YW Editor (Chol Hamoed Chillul Hashem)

By: LostSoul

LostSoul — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:39:05 +0000

#20, Hashem takes care of the earth? I have yet to see God clean up garbage, oil slicks, hypodermic needles in the ocean, strip mines, deforested rain forests, empty oil wells, contaminated water, etc. The Jewish world could do wonders if they just taught their children to care for the environment and not rely on “miracles” to clean up after them.

By: chasidyingerman

chasidyingerman — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:18:52 +0000

I wonder if those who have a problem with ‘please pick up your garbage /the goyim are worse” are probably those that litter……

By: mom18

mom18 — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:05:47 +0000

#44..

Remember the story of Rashi’s parents? If my memory serves me correctly, his father would dust off the bais medrash with his beard, so dear to him were the koselos of the bais medrash.

Although my childish imagination always imagined an old man with a flowing white beard wiping off near-nonexistant dust the same way that our feather ‘wipes’ off the minute crumbs by bedikas chometz..Perhaps, in contemporary terms of understanding, he was a person who would pick up other’s coffee cups, used tissues, ‘used’ seforim, and put them in the proper places.

Many people take on segulos — such as lighting shabbos candles with oil as a segula for worthy children —

Imagine if it was a ‘popular’ segula that the key to great, really great children was to clean up after yourself/others when it reflects on Kibud HaMakom…in your bais medrash..in your mikdosh me’at, on a daily basis, on shabbosim after a kiddush, shalosheudos, simchas torah, etc!

There would be fighting going on as to who had the honor to do it!..I *think*, in the times of the bais haMikdosh, the kohanim would pick lots?straws? to determine who takes out the terumas haDeshen..and was it not another form of disposing of something with proper kavod?

Thoughts? Reactions?

By: anon1m0us1

anon1m0us1 — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:45:59 +0000

You are all pessimists! Look at the Kiddish Hashem there is when we throw garbage on the floor or do not clean up after ourselves! Do you know how many people would be out of a job if we all cleaned up after ourselves? From the bus boys, to man who returns your cart to the store (even if it is only two feet away), to the sanitation workers who pick up all the trash on the boardwalk. If we all cleaned up, these people would be out of jobs. They should thank us, Jews, that we do not mind living like a pig, but g-d forbid to eat it.
What is the point of having a clean car? The mitzvah of Pesach cleaning applies to dirty cars! True story, my mother borrowed my uncles car for a day to take us to a mall. While driving she was looking in her rearview mirror, and she a mouse running in the back window. We almost crashed! So not only did my uncle have a hiddur mitzvah cleaning his car for Pesach, he went a step further to have rachmonas on the poor defenseless animal.

By: Proud of KAJ-WH TIDE

Proud of KAJ-WH TIDE — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:01:29 +0000

Unfortunately.we,the people who wash our hands and go to the mikva,cannot learn cleanliness. I know of some men in the beth hamedrah who never return a sefer to its place,never throw their used tissues into the trash can,leave wrappers and left over food on the table and then complain about the mess when they walk in. People must re-learn derech eretz. If the parents and rebbes would do the right thing,the children will follow.,too
Learning Pirkei Avos,mussar seforim TN’,ach ,with meforshim and rebbeim,would certainly help. WE MUST TEACH DERECH ERETZ TO OUR CHILDREN BUT WE ADULTS MUST SHOW THEM BY OUR ACTION. Perhaps concerned individuals would pick up ‘heimishe’ trash as they walk down the street or in the parks and set an example to others how to fulfil “kedoshim Ti’h’u”!

by Proud of KAJ-WH TIDE (Torah Im Derech Eretz)

By: lgbg

lgbg — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:36:16 +0000

wow people love to bash. yes there maybe a problem with garbage that yidden leave,first children learn manner at home.when your kids finish supper, do you tell them to throw out the garbage thats on the plate. when they open up a bag of snack in the car do you have an empty shopping bag for garbage? or do you let them just dump in on the floor and eventually next pesach cleaning you’ll clean it up?

on another point, whoever was in six flags new england can admit that it was a beautiful kiddush hashem, everyone acted so wonderful and on thier best behavior. yes there may have been a pile of garbage to collect at the end of the day but look at the positive side that b”h we made a tremendous kiddush hashem!!!!!

By: orthodocs

orthodocs — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:26:01 +0000

to ’32′-thanks for saving me the time to answer ’20′–according to his logic, there is nothing wrong with throwing garbage on the ground–haShem will clean it up for him!

By: Proud of KAJ-WH TIDE

Proud of KAJ-WH TIDE — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:12:35 +0000

Learning Pirkei Avos,mussar seforim TN’,ach ,with meforshim and rebbeim,would certainly help. WE MUST TEACH DERECH ERETZ TO OUR CHILDREN BUT WE ADULTS MUST SHOW THEM BY OUR ACTION. Perhaps concerned individuals would pick up ‘heimishe’ trash as they walk down the street or in the parks and set an example to others how to fulfil “kedoshim Ti’h'u”!

By: abc08

abc08 — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:46:13 +0000

Why can’t a person make a suggestion for improvement within the klal without someone jumping on them crying “but the goyim are worse!” ?

A person does not need to be a “self hater” to offer a suggestion that could possibly prevent others from thinking negatively about klal yisrael. A self hater, in my humble view, has no respect for themselves and therefore sees no reason for self improvement. The write of this letter sees klal yisrael as a respectable nation with tremendous potential to improve its conduct in this area. Why is this so terrible? Why must we get so defensive at every suggestion for self improvement?

Will every reader take every suggestion that is written in a public forum? Of course not! Everyone chooses areas that they feel that they can work in their personal situation. But please, understand, there is asbsolutely no “down side” to cleaning up after yourselves. And there is certainly no reason to shy away from, (or worse: direct extremely negatives comments towards someone who) writes in a simple suggestion to do so.

By: apikorus

apikorus — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:36:10 +0000

i definitely would not mind if someone could write a letter expressing the opinion of the masses, in regard to the chol hamoed events that occur year in and year out which advertise “tzniusdig enviroment”, and much to our dismay many of us had to be machshil and be exposed to such pritzus and lewdity!!!