“The Short Vort” is a column by Rabbi R.Y. Eisenman
Date: Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 13:49
*Why?*
He was never too successful in school.
Being in a yeshiva where the boy who *chapped* the Gemara the quickest was
rewarded with a dollar, he was considered below the poverty standard.
In a yeshiva where the boy who was able to anticipate the question Tosfos
would be lauded with praises and accolades, he remained in the back of the
class, quietly and sometimes not so quietly day dreaming of the day when he
too would be appreciated by others for what he was and not chided for what
he would never be.
At recess he was not too athletic and unfortunately his rebbe seemed more
interested in *schmoozing *with the other rebbeim than with engaging him in
conversation; so he mostly sat by himself watching the large trucks go into
the warehouse across the street from his yeshiva.
He somehow made his way through the yeshiva and began to attend a yeshiva
high school where *his *type of boys went.
When he came back to his old stomping ground, the administration said hello,
however, he knew he would never be their poster boy as some of the boys who
were now in the *real Mesivtas *were.
He found davening difficult. He never really learned what the words meant;
he was just told to daven and to turn the pages. He found it difficult to
concentrate and his attendance in shul began to lessen.
tonight? There are so many different maariv minyanim, no one will bother you, go and
daven.
made his way to shul for what he assumed would be a new start; a maariv
which perhaps would be the beginning of fresh start.
He arrived in shul with a smile on his face and a siddur in hand.
He did not wear a hat and jacket; that was no longer part of his repertoire.
He did not even wear a white shirt and dark pants; he wore a colored shirt
and khaki pants.
As he entered the shul it happened.
I know what you will say, “rabbi, don’t make such a big deal about boys and
their pranks. Boys will be boys you know.”
Perhaps, perhaps.
Chaim enters the shul and the first boy- a nice *frum bachur-* says to him,
Maybe I am overreacting and maybe Chaim and his mother are oversensitive; maybe. Chaim went home and cried himself to sleep; promising himself and Hashem that he would never return.
At the end of 120 years when the *frum bachur* comes to the heavenly tribunal what do you think they will say to him?
1- Great job, Mr. Kannai (zealot) you really put that renegade
Chaim in his place. Good riddance to him and his ilk. Thank you for doing
2- Mr. Kannai you are responsible for the 8,987,688,000 tefillos
which Chaim could and should have davened if only you would have gone over
with us. “However, since you rebuffed him, we are taking away all of your
tefillos.
Nu, what do you think will be the greeting received by our zealous Yeshiva
bachur?
Why, why do we hurt those who need our love and acceptance more than anyone
else? Why do we think that *he* who looks different than us is a threat to us?
Why is Chaim no longer to shul?
Why?
Congregation Ahavas Israel
181 Van Houten Ave.
Passaic, NJ 07055
973-777-5929