“RABBI’S
MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh
Parshas Ki Sisa
17 Adar I 5776/
February 26, 2016
For four years of High School I was a
talmid of Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Monsey. During those years the Rosh Yeshiva
was one of my lifelong rabbeim, Rabbi Berel Wein shlita. Throughout my High
School years Rabbi Wein had ‘one foot out the door’ in the sense that he had
been attempting to make aliyah to Eretz Yisroel. He and his family finally
departed for good during the summer of 1997.
The real truth is that I graduated High
School in June 1997 and once I left I think Rabbi Wein felt there was not much for
him to stay for. [He had no way of knowing at that time that I would return to
Shaarei Torah a year and a half later, and remain there for another 8 years…]
The following Elul I was learning in
yeshiva in Yerushalayim. Along with my (former) classmate Yaakov Lieder we were
invited to join Rabbi Wein for a seudah in his succah on Succos on the mirpeset
(porch) of his apartment in Rechaviah.
It was a special seudah in many ways. Just
before kiddush Rabbi Wein commented that “this succah is a dream of ours for
thirty years”. What a beautiful thing to hear – the fulfillment of a
decades-long dream.
He then pointed out to us that there
were trinkets hanging around the succah from different countries throughout the
world. [It is fairly known that Rabbi Wein is a world traveler and he collected
those items during his vast travels.] It was fascinating to see items from,
literally, the four corners of the earth.
It struck me recently that our tables,
particularly our Shabbos tables, contain a similar aggregate of things from
around the world.
With only a small modicum of research I
realized the following: The tea lights for our Shabbos candles are from Europe,
our Shabbos china is from the Philippines (everything in America is made in
China, except the china is from the Philippines – go figure), the napkins
were from Atlanta, GA, plastic tablecloth from Wilmington, DE (we only use a
plastic on Friday night, so please don’t discount a shidduch for our daughters
because of that), wine from California, soup croutons from Eretz Yisroel,
pickles from India (!), salad from Canada, eggs from Pennsylvania, lemon juice
for the avocado salad from Argentina(!), meat from somewhere in the Midwest.
And all that is merely the tip of the iceberg (or Romaine).
I called my friend Yishai Malul, of Monsey
Florist, and asked him where his store gets their flowers from. He replied that
they are primarily from Ecuador
and Columbia in South
America . They are flown to Miami
and then trucked to New York
At the beginning of bentching we thank
Hashem “who sustains the entire world with goodness, grace, kindness and
mercy.” It’s something to think about. On our Shabbos tables in our humble
homes, our tables are graced with things we enjoy that span hundreds if not
thousands of miles in order for them to get there.
And to think that they all gathered
together just so you and your family can enjoy on Shabbos Kodesh.
Shabbat Shalom &
Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani
Staum