Today my office was ambushed by the Mitzvah Police, well maybe not an ambush, after all there were no weapons, just a “green stick and a yellow rock.” For some reason it bothered me. I would like to know what you guys think so please leave me your opinion via the comments link below.
First let me tell ya’ll what happened. Sometime after lunch there was a ring at the front door of our corporate suite. A few minutes later the receptionist came into my office and said, “There are two Rabbis at the front door, they are carrying a green stick and a yellow rock, they wanted to know if there were any Jewish people in the office.”
This I had to see so I walked down the hall and opened the front door to reveal not Rabbis, but two Lubavitch boys, (18ish?) each holding a lulav and etrog. As soon as I opened the door one of them asked, “ Sir did you..” I cut him off, “Yes, this morning in Shul during Shachareet, good Yuntif” They responded in kind and I shut the door.
For some reason their “visit” really bugged me. They didn’t “out” me, my co-workers are very aware of my religion and level of observance. I think part of the reason was it reminded me of when I was a kid and my parents were checking up on me (that bothered me too).
Mostly it bothered me that these two boys knocking on office doors were turning Sukkot into a chore. To me it seem as if they were treating these rituals of Sukkot as inanimate objects, as if the lulav and etrog were a green stick and yellow rock, rather than what they were---part of a vibrant, lively traditon.
I really enjoy the festivals, yet most non-observant Jews consider them minor holidays. For some non-practicing Jews in my building today this was their first exposure to the holiday in years, having a “green stick and yellow rock shoved in their face and being cajoled into making a brucha. So they do it this once and forgot about it. It’s like what the sages said, “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat for a life time.
What of instead these people were exposed to the joy of decorating a Sukkah with children, the beautiful melodies of Hallel, or even the warmth of a meal with family and friends in a Sukkah? Maybe then, they would eat for a lifetime.
So again I ask, what do you think?
11 comments:
Are you sure that it wasn't just because they ambushed you at work???
Theyn ask me all the time if I light Shabbos candles and all it does is prove that my sheitel's good!
Overall I think you are right...but the young Lubavitch boys efforts are I believe well-intentioned and what is obviously viewed as intrusive behavior by some is probably done with good intentions in the interest of Judaism...however parochial in their interpretation.
An interesting point - it may seem like a chore to some, but I also believe that their intentions are good.
Many Jews did not have the privilege of growing up in an observant home, so perhaps one glimpse at a beautiful mitzvah is all it would take to put them on the right path.
Still, once one knows about the mitzvahs, it is their responsibility to perform them without being cajoled. Perhaps this is their way of teaching others to "fish".
We may get offended when Chabad boys run up to us because as you stated it's as though someone is checking up on us or lumping us into the same category as those that don't know better.
I myself took a Lulav and Etrog to my firm today and repectfully invited everyone from our CEO to our managing directors to make the blessing with me. I explained to each of them what we were doing and why and they genuinely appreciated the fact that I chose to share this with them.
Chabad boys mean well. They don't have the time to discern who put on teffilin and who didn't and sometime4 that bothers me but then I remember - hey I am but one of such a small minority and they just as well assume that I am of the majority to save time. So be it.
As for what they are doing - they are creating awareness and therefore getting the completely unafilliated to ask questions. 20 years ago most Jews in NY never heard of a Hannukah menorah, Sukkah, teffilin or Etrog. Now you would be hard pressed to find one and for that we have Chabad to thank. Many have remained just as they were but many asked questions which led to a quest for answers.
It ought not to bother you. You should be proud that you are of the few that can say "thank you, but I already did that in shul". and lastly Mi Ki'amcha Yisroel - look what our 18 year olds are busying themselves with on their day off. They could be off playing ball or hanging out and instead they are hitting the streets in hopes of inspiring one Jew to fulfill a Mitzvah for the very first time.
Perhaps it's time, to do more than mere "mivtzoyim"? Perhaps we should approach people differently, even if that means that we reach fewer in number?
But think about it, we might achieve a higher percentage of quality in our kiruv work!
Judaism has an incredible social dimension. But, your suggestion, “decorating a Sukkah with children, the beautiful melodies of Hallel, or even the warmth of a meal with family and friends”. is not what these boys should do for two reasons.
First, it isn’t very practical. It would be very difficult, for two eighteen year old strangers, to convince someone, to participate in something like that.
Second, their goal is to strengthen the Jews’ connection with God. This can only be done through mitzvahs.
As for your feelings; as legitimate as they may be, they should be discussed with your therapist.
I think they were just trying to be helpful to those Jews who did not 'find the time' to put on teffilin, and do the morning prayer.
Being offended by someone trying to do a positive mitzvah doesn't seem like the right thing for you to do.
OH MY Kirk I wasn't offended at all. It was more like I didn't feel right about it
Shalom and Mo’Adim L’Simkha:
Send them to me. In Jax we don’t have even a kosher butcher.
Shalom, Berakha, VeTova
Rabbi Haim Cassorla
www.Rabbihaim.com
www.HaReshima.com
www.HaReshima.com/icor/rabbihaim.htm
www.Parnasa-Inc.com
I kind of see what you mean. Instead of inviting unaffiliated Jews to partake in all the aspects of Sukkot, they are walking around with the lulav and etrog and offering them to random Jews as if shaking some greenery and a fruit is a meaningful religious/spiritual experience when it is totally disconnected from its appropriate context.
That being said, I don't think they were "checking up on you." They weren't looking for Jews who regularly attend Shacharit prayer services. They were looking for Jews that don't belong to a shul at all. It's sort of like those fishing nets people use to catch tuna. They're trying to catch tuna, but their net doesn't discriminate, so they also catch dolphins.
Fern I realize the "Checking in" part is my hang up. The part that bothered me the most was the lack of joy in the whole thing.
When I was growing up, Religion was brutally dry---do this--dont do that. It was only when I grew up and became more observant that I realized how much "flavor" there is in our Holiday's, how much Joy there is in a Shabbos Dinner with my wife and kids, what a lift I get every weekday when I put t'fillin on.
To me, those two boys. as well intentioned as they were, represent the dry tastless Judiasm of my youth. And not the joyful celebration of my recent adult life.
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