The Bright Yellow Camaro
Sep 2nd, 2010 by Rabbi Simcha Weinberg in Holidays
A Rabbinic Car?
A stranger stopped me in front of my house, and said, “I understand that you are the most unusual Rabbi. May I ask you some questions?”
“You may ask away. I’m not sure that I am all that unusual.”
“Well, one of your neighbors told me, ‘You must meet my rabbi; he’s the only rabbi I know who drives a bright yellow Camaro!’ So, here I am.”
I spent the next thirty minutes answering a series of profound questions, and made a new friend in the process, all because of Alan’s Camaro.
It’s amazing how simple occurrences can have significant consequences. I realized that I am so wrapped up in evaluating the past year that I have focused only on the big things, and have forgotten the many smaller moments, many of which were as important, if not more, than the big events.
I have decided to take three days to focus on the Camaro events of the past year, so as to remember the significance of even the small, seemingly less important moments. I want to begin treating them with the same respect and attention as I do to the big events. Who knows which will end up being the more important?
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A friend of mine and I were shmoozing.
He said “Oh! That’s for great Rabbis. But,for simple yidn, it’s different.”
I said “There are NO simple yidn”.
A yid came to the Sar-Shalom, R’Shalom Belzer, the founding Rebbe of Belz Chassidut,for a blessing.
“Rebbe, bless me to become a rebbe!”
The Sar-Shalom looked at him and said”It’s 80 years now that everyday I beg G-d I should be a simple yid”.
In M’gillat Esther we find many events of great import that build to the satisfying climax (at least from our point of view!)
But what is the turning point?How do you determine which fateful event turned the tide?
I have heard suggested 2 different occurrences that seem somewhat marginal yet had significant import.
1.Mordechai alerts Esther of Haman’s dastardly plot and suggests she intercede with Akhashverosh.She responds(4;11) that everybody knows entering the king’s presence without being summoned carries the death penalty unless the king shows favor by raising the scepter.AND SHE HASN’T BEEN SUMMONED TO HIS PRESENCE IN 30 DAYS!Mordechai impresses upon her this is the reason she ended up in the king’s palace and she agrees but demands he bring all the yidn together and they’ll all fast and do t’shuvah and under those conditions she’ll approach the king, taking her (and Ahm Yisroel’s)life in her hands.
So, the fact she hadn’t been summoned to the king’s presence for 30 days is suggested as the turning point,according to this explanation.
2. A different suggestion for the turning point in M’gillat Esther is (6;1)”Ba’Lai’lah HaHoo nud’dah sh’net HaMelech..”ON THAT FATEFUL NIGHT, THE KING COULD NOT SLEEP…”
Up to that point Haman seemed still ascendant and was coming to present Akhashverosh with the plan to give Mordechai a headlift.After that night it was all downhill for Haman.
And all because of some kingly insomnia…
When we contemplate the awesome task of T’shuva, Reyurning to our pristine pre-kheit state, we may feel this is too great a task to undertake. However,ChaZ”L give us encouragement that G-d is saying if we take the initial small steps, even of opening a needle sized opening-He will carry the ball and enlarge the opening to the size of the cosmos.