Monday, November 20, 2006

"To Me, It All Comes Down To The Seforim."

posted by A Simple Jew @ 4:42 AM   1 comments

1 Comments:

At November 22, 2006 at 8:49:00 PM EST, Blogger der ewige Jude said...

A number of years ago the shul I was attending was hosting a summer yeshiva, after the third time a particular set of shelving collapsed, spilling siddurim about the floor, I was asked if I could fix the shelves (being able to use both hand and power tools). Now I should state that at this time I was employed by a very large independant bookstore and so was used to handling hundreds if not thousands of books every day. So I removed the siddurim from the bookcase and placed them in three neat stacks on the carpeting and started to repair the shelving. Well, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth and flapping of hands, because the books had been placed on the floor. Of course, nobody made any effort to move them themselves, they just complained loudly. My thoughts at the time were:
Hey, they're BOOKS not Torah Scrolls.
If it weren't for all the spitting on the floor, it wouldn't be an issue.
So pick them up and move them.
If these siddurim are so special why are they held together with duct tape?
About a week later I'm there in the afternoon to trim some trees on the grounds while the yeshiva students are gone on a two day field trip. Scattered around on benches and picnic tables are various Gemara that have been left out overnight, some of which have been left open and have had pages blown out by the wind. So I gather up the loose pages and close up and gather the Gemara and put them inside because in about 20 mins. a rainstorm is going to come through. I think back about the shelving and think... !!!!!!!
I have nothing but the greatest respect for these bocherim, they are all wonderful people and great scholars, but whereas they were quick to jump on me over my perceived disrespect for the siddurim they themselves did not take the effort to but away the Gemara they had taken outside almost resulting in their being ruined. This attitude carried over to throwing trash on the floor and the ground and leaving piles of wet towels on the wood floor of the mikvah.
Now I can understand that someone so immersed in the pursuit of spiritual matters might have a disconnect from the petty affairs and responsibilities of daily life, but I also recall reading (unfortunately I can't recall where) that the forces of the sitra achra were impowered by clutter.

 

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