Monday, May 13, 2013

SHAVUOS 5773



“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Z’man Matan Toraseinu
5 Sivan 5773/May14, 2013
49th day of the Omer

“My grandfather told me that when he was in Russia in the 1800s if he was walking the streets outside his shtetl he could get beaten up.”
 “When I was your age in Poland during the early 20s, I used to walk six miles to school, in the snow, and we didn’t have boots…”
“When I was your age on the Lower East Side in the 30s, I had to catch the 6:45 trolley up Delancey street. It would take over an hour to get to school. But if I missed that trolley, oh boy!...”
“When I was your age in the Bronx in the 50s, we didn’t have remote controls. If we wanted to change the channel to our black and white TV, we had to get out of our seat and physically do it.”
“When I was your age back in the 80s if we wanted to make a phone call we had little booths, and we had to insert money into the phone in order to use it. Otherwise we had no way of making the phone call.”
“When I was your age in the 90s we would sign onto the World Wide Web and had to wait five minutes while listening to the annoying connection sounds until AOL opened up. Instant Messaging was the best way to contact my friends.”
“When I was your age we didn’t have Facebook, IPods, IPads, and Smartphones…. Life was so primitive and yet we survived…”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
“My grandfather told me that when he was in Russia in the 1800s, he would wake up early, put on tefillin, and daven shachris. He only ate kosher, and observed Shabbos.”
 “When I was your age in Poland during the early 20s, I would wake up early, put on my tefillin, and daven shachris. We only ate kosher, and we observed Shabbos.
“When I was your age on the Lower East Side in the 30s, I would wake up early, put on my tefillin, and daven shachris. We only ate kosher, and we observed Shabbos.
“When I was your age in the Bronx in the 50s, I would wake up early, put on my tefillin, and daven shachris. We only ate kosher, and we observed Shabbos.
“When I was your age back in the 80s, I would wake up early, put on my tefillin, and daven shachris. We only ate kosher, and we observed Shabbos.
“When I was your age in the 90s, I would wake up early, put on my tefillin, and daven shachris. We only ate kosher, and we observed Shabbos.
“When I was your age, despite all of the distractions and temptations of society, we still woke up early, put on tefillin, and davened shachris. We ate only kosher, and observed Shabbos.”
Join us as we reaccept the Torah again this Shavuos for the 3325th consecutive year.
Be a part of something eternal!

Chag Sameach & Freilichen Yom Tov,
    R’ Dani and Chani Staum

720 Union Road • New Hempstead, NY 10977 • (845) 362-2425