“RABBI’S MUSINGS (&
AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh
Parshas Beshalach
Shabbas Shirah – Tu
B’Shvat
14 Shevat 5777/ February
10, 2017
This past Friday
morning, after I made my morning coffee, I headed down to my basement office to
learn, as I do every morning. About ten minutes after I sat down at my desk, I
heard the unmistakable sound of rushing water from nearby. After getting over
my initial denial, I jumped up and ran over to the boiler room. As soon as I
opened the door, I was met with the dreaded sight of water flowing out of our
hot water heater.
My mind began
racing as I ran around the house looking for something big enough to hold the flowing
water. Truthfully, it wouldn’t help for long anyway, because the water was
flowing out so quickly. I posted a mayday text on our neighborhood WhatsApp
group and received immediate responses despite it being during the predawn
hours. They suggested that I immediately shut off the water. It was great
advice, except that I had no idea how to do it. Thankfully, within a few
minutes I found the lever and shut off the hot water from entering the tank.
The gushing slowed to a trickle, but it was still a steady and consistent
trickle. [I should add that one neighbor came over and spent forty-five minutes
trying to help me figure out my next move. It’s good to know good people!]
For the next two
hours, every few minutes I would empty the pan, which was the only thing that
fit directly under the leak, into a bigger container. Then I schlepped the
container outside to empty it. Finally, the plumber arrived and changed the
tank, ending my tense morning escapade.
During the over two
hours that I was emptying and schlepping, the basement looked like a semi-war
zone. Everything that had been in the boiler room was thrown around the room
hastily. Drenched towels lined the floor and the nearby carpet, with containers
of different sizes filled with varying amounts of water all around the defunct,
but still dripping, water heater.
Yet, when I went
upstairs to give Chani updates and to quickly take care of things before I had
to rush back down for the next emptying duties, it seemed like a regular
morning. Our children were eating breakfast and getting ready for school, music
was playing in the background, and everything was calm (relatively anyway).
At the time that
contrast struck me, but couldn’t think much about it. Now in reflection
however, I think my experience serves as a powerful metaphor. In regards to
interpersonal relationships, we are only privy to seeing other people’s “ground
floor”, as it were. Things often seem to be perfectly in order, serene,
tranquil, and full of blissful goodness. But that’s because we do not see
what’s happening in the “basement”, beneath the surface. How often in life, do
people suffer in silence and we have no idea what’s truly happening in their
lives.
On a deeper
level, this is true about our own lives as well. We live a finite and temporal existence.
We come in the middle of a long story, and we leave well before it’s over. We
can hardly know about the deeper meaning behind the workings of this world. We
only see the ground floor around us, but we are not privy to the depth beneath
all that transpires.
This Shabbos we
celebrate Tu B’Shvat, - the New Year for Trees. Aside for writing cards to the
trees in our yards (or, if you live in Brooklyn, mailing a birthday card to
your favorite tree in the Catskills…), it’s also a day to reflect upon the
symbolic connection between mankind and trees.
As we are all
aware, for a tree to be healthy, the most basic component is for it to have
strong and healthy roots that reach deep in the ground. A tree which seems
robust and vibrant to us, may actually be sickly and weak, if beneath the
ground its roots are feeble.
In addition, the
winter is yet raging around us, and yet we are beginning to celebrate the
imminence of spring. It’s not merely what we see and even feel that matters,
but what is going on beyond what the human eye can perceive.
So often what we
see in front of us belies the depth beneath. So often there is much more energy
there waiting to explode if we just stay the course and not give up, and not
allow ourselves to become complacent. It’s a great reminder not to judge a book
by its cover, a house by its siding, wine by its bottle, or a Falcon by its
Patriot.
Apparently, in
contrast to what happens at Bubby’s house, what happens in the basement does
not stay in the basement!
Happy Tu B’Shvat
and Shabbos Shirah!
Shabbat Shalom
& Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum