“RABBI’S MUSINGS (&
AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas
Shemos
18 Teves 5778/January
5, 2018
On Wednesday, March 2008 our family moved to our current home
at 3 Landau Lane. That Shabbos two of our close friends – the Kraus and
Schulgasser families, came to visit us and welcome us to our new home.
Until then we had been living in apartments. For the first
few months of our marriage we lived in an apartment in Flatbush. [The year we
married, Chani was in a one-year post-Israel seminary program. The day she took
her last final, was the day we moved to Monsey.] When we moved to Monsey we had
lived in two different apartments.
It was exciting for us to be able to host our friends with
their children in our first home, if even for a few hours. Sometime during the
afternoon, one of the children used the downstairs bathroom and the toilet
overflowed. I immediately went to fix the problem, but the water did not
recede. One of our guests, who had been living in a house longer than three
days, showed me how to shut off the water behind the toilet. Problem solved, or
so we thought.
When someone used one of the upstairs bathrooms a few minutes
later, the toilet downstairs again overflowed. Then, when someone washed their
hands in the kitchen sink, that same toilet again overflowed. Luckily the
downstairs bathroom is a top the garage, because very quickly, the overflowed
waters soaked the towels we laid down, and was trickling into the garage below.
We came to the realization that water draining from anywhere in the house, was
overflowing from that toilet.
On Motzei Shabbos we called an emergency number for a plumber
who responded to a late-night weekend call. Luckily for us, our realtor had
gifted us with a one-year warranty on all home appliances, and we were able to
find a plumber who accepted that insurance.
The plumber arrived at midnight and began assessing the
problem. That night I received an education about how our sewage line works.
When the plumber snaked out to the street there was no interference, so the
problem was clearly not outside the home. However, when he tried to snake from
the pipe in the garage back into the house, it could not get through. There was
something significant blocking the pipe, causing all draining water to come up
from the downstairs toilet, instead of continuing down the pipes and into the
outside sewer.
The plumber tried a few times to break through, but was
unsuccessful. He informed me that he was going to try one more time, and if
that didn’t work he would be forced to remove the downstairs toilet, which
would cause an even bigger mess. He told me to bring over all our garbage cans,
remove their contents, and place them beneath the stubborn pipe.
After doing so, I recited a silent prayer, as he began to
send his snake back up. With a mighty push, the snake broke through. I will
spare you the details of what came out, but it was not pleasant. After the
backed-up sewage drained, he began drawing out pieces of plaster and whole
bathroom tiles.
The former owner of our home had moved out a few months
prior, leaving the house in possession of a relocation company. The company had
hired workers to paint and redo some of the tiling. Being that no one was
living there anyway, the workers took the liberty of dumping the waste down the
toilet. When we had moved in on Wednesday, the blocked pipes began to fill. By
the time Shabbos afternoon came around, the only place the water could escape
was from the downstairs toilet. It made our first Shabbos in our new home that
much more memorable.
Throughout Chumash Bereishis there is considerable discussion
of berachos (blessings) – receiving and, in some cases, usurping berachos.
Every one of us, by virtue of being endowed with a holy
neshama, are a source and conduit to bring blessing into this world. The
problem is that we often ‘stuff up’ the spiritual pipelines which carry those
blessings, with all sorts of impeding debris, which doesn’t allow the blessings
to reach their destination.
We seek the blessings of the holy and righteous in the belief
that, due to their spiritual efforts and focus, they have a clearer pipeline,
and their souls are more connected to the source of blessing. When they confer
their blessing upon us, it can open channels we inherently possess, but have
blocked up.
Although blessings from great individuals are always
wonderful and are also encouraging, we should remember that every one of us is
a source of blessing. The more we keep our spiritual channels clear the more
connected we are. However, a blessing from any Jew - no matter what level he or
she is on - carries weight and helps. This is especially true when a beracha is
conferred with emotion and love. That feeling of connection is itself a
tremendous boon, and at time can accomplish more than an unemotional blessing
from a greater person. The blessings we wish each other are far more powerful
than we realize.
Those who have the custom to bless their children on Friday
night, should recognize the great power they wield in giving that blessing.
Realistically, as the Shabbos seudah is set to begin, children can be unruly
and restless, and it can be hard to give a blessing with full concentration.
When giving our younger children those blessings, I try to get all the words
out before they throw my hands off and try to slink away. Yet, it is such a beautiful custom, and the
blessing of a parent should never be undervalued, even if given in a somewhat
harried manner.
May Hashem bless every one of us with only health, goodness,
and happiness, and the wisdom to appreciate all our blessings.
Shabbat
Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum