“RABBI’S MUSINGS (&
AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh
Parshas Va’era
Shabbos Rosh Chodesh
Shevat
1 Shevat 5777/ January 27,
2017
This past
Friday, Chani was heading to the library with our children. Being on vacation
from my rebbe position at Ashar, I tagged along. (“So Rabbi, what did you do
during midwinter break?” “Umm, I went to the library.” “That’s it?” “No, of
course not. I also went shopping with my wife, and did carpool each day for
whichever child missed their bus that morning.”)
I can’t even remember
the last time I went to the library! One thing is certain; it’s definitely been
quite a few years. I had to apply for a new library card, since I have no idea
where my old one is (probably inside a couch or toy chest somewhere).
I have often
told Chani that when I was a child libraries were free. But in the last few
years, especially as our children took out more books, we constantly receive
bills from the library. Chani told me that it’s a general membership fee, and I
shouldn’t worry about it.
The most
exciting thing about going to the library this week and getting a new card, was
that the library was celebrating a hundred years (I think the librarian who
helped me has been there since they opened…). In honor of the centennial
celebration they were having ‘amnesty week’, which meant that all outstanding fees
were waived. Although I haven’t taken any books out of the library in the
recent past, certain family members have, and also left me with some fines. With
the amnesty, I saved $1.50. (The fact that the new card cost me two dollars was
inconsequential. The main thing was that I felt like I made some money on the
deal.)
I should mention
that when my mother used to take us to the library, there was only one thing I
cared about – Tintin! (Blistering Barnacles, you never heard of Tintin?)
It was only when I entered High School, that I found out there were other books
in the library besides the Adventures of Tintin.
The truth is
that the Jewish people have always possessed great admiration and love for the
written word.
When my Bubby
and Zaydei arrived at the shores of New York in the late 40s, after leaving the
smoldering ruins of war-ravaged Europe, they brought with them only two
suitcases. One of them contained clothing and whatever valuables they could
salvage. The other was packed with seforim.
When we used to
visit Bubby and Zaydei in their apartment on the Lower East Side, I was always
amazed that much of the wall space in the apartment, had shelves lined with
endless seforim. In fact, there was one room which literally was surrounded by
two layers of seforim per shelf, covering all four walls.
I seem to have
inherited my Zaydei’s love of seforim. Chani relates that soon after we moved
into a new apartment during our first years of marriage, she was looking for a
kitchen appliance. She climbed up to look in the cabinet above the fridge, only
to find it stacked with seforim. She looked in a second out-of-reach cabinet, and
found more seforim.
The Medrash
(Devorim Rabbah 4:2) states: “Rabbi Elazar said – the sword and the scroll
descended from the heaven intertwined. G-d said to Israel ‘If you will do what
is written in this scroll, you will be saved from this sword, but if not, you
will be killed by this sword’.”
On a simplistic
level, the Medrash is teaching us about the incredible value of books. As long
as we seek to increase our knowledge-base, we will be saved from the sword of
ignorance and naiveté. But when we begin to feel confident that we know enough,
and become complacent with past knowledge, we are in danger of falling prey to
the piercing sword of ignorance.
The Jewish
People have long been hailed as “the People of the Book”. That does not only
refer to our love of books, but of our longing to learn from them and grow in
our perspective, understanding, and knowledge.
More important
than the libraries that adorn our shelves, are the books we open and drink
thirstily from.
Shabbat Shalom
& Good Shabbos
Chodesh Tov
& Good Chodesh,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum