THE BIG BANG
I have amazing midos, right?
I mean, it is well-known that I am a model Yid with tremendous derech eretz, meaning there is very little I need to work on before Rosh Hashanah.
In short, I am a big mensch!
The other morning, I was davening at my favorite place in the world. It was the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul. The davening was beautiful and I was uplifted. I put away my tallis and tefillin, placed my reading glasses in their case and closed it – with a nice loud click – and got ready to leave.
Suddenly, the Rosh Yeshiva was standing in front of me. In his beautiful gentle way, he took the glasses from me, opened the case and then closed it again, softly.
“This is probably a better way of closing them,” he said.
I was in shock!
I, the paragon of menschlichkeit, who always thinks of the other person and is careful with all matters of derech eretz, felt like a cheder boy who has been caught stealing his rebbe’s apple. I was crushed! OY! This hurt.
Suddenly it hit me! I mamash have no derech eretz! I really don’t know what it’s all about! I am nowhere! I am such a deficient Yid!
My friends, we think we know who we are, but we know nothing!
I needed the Rosh Ha Yeshiva Shlita”h to wake me up, to bring me to my senses. The Rosh Ha Yeshiva saw I was upset and apologized several times. Then he told me, “It’s only because I love you.”
I know he loves me! This was an act of love from a Gadol.
My friends, we have to go so deep to understand derech eretz, how we are supposed to act. We have to analyze every breath and every gesture.
Every morning, after Shacharis, I say a tefillah, “Hashem, guide me in Your righteousness …. Make Your way straight before me….” Everything we do has to be in accordance with Hashem’s ratzon; a tiny slip can lead to catastrophe, G-d forbid.
I am not exaggerating. If I make a Big Bang with my glasses case and I disturb others, then what else am I capable of doing? Don’t think it’s such a long way from banging your glasses case … to doing some terrible aveira, G-d forbid, which cannot be overlooked on Yom ha Din. We need shomrim to watch over us and correct us with love. This is what we need to work on during Chodesh Elul, so we can become “am echad b’lev echad.”
Excuse me, but – when you yawn – do you cover your mouth with your hand?
My mother taught me to do that when I was a little boy. I cannot yawn without covering my mouth. But every day I see glorious views of people’s tonsils all around me.
I am not taking credit for this midah; my mother taught me, but the idea is that we all have to be microscopically careful about how our actions affect those around us. Even the slightest disturbance of another person’s life detracts from the achdus we desperately need in order to see the passionately-yearned-for Day of Redemption.
It’s not that banging my eyeglass case is going to kill someone. The point is that it means I am not caring enough about other people! I have to care about other people so much that I can heal the pain in this world. I have to cover my mouth when I yawn and close the glasses case softly.
When you daven, I know that you are passionate. But are you disturbing your neighbor with your passion? You should know that the same Rosh Ha Yeshiva also mentioned to me one day in the past that I was “kvetching” so much in davening that the guy next to me was staring at me!
That was another potch!
I want to bless the Rosh Ha Yeshiva for loving me so much. I know that this is Hashem’s answer when I ask Him to “make Your way straight before me!”
Hashem sends malachim to help us! May we pay attention when they speak to us!
May He soon send the Malach ha Goail to unveil the Bais Hamikdosh in its full glory in Yerushalayim Ir ha Kodesh!
Yeshiva with people praying
GLOSSARY
Achdus: unity
Aveira: sin
Cheder: elementary level yeshiva
Chodesh Elul: the Jewish month which comes before Rosh Hashanah
Davening: Praying
Derech eretz: proper behavior
Gadol: great person
Hashem’s ratzon: G-d’s will
Malach ha Goail: the angel who saves us
Mamash: Really, in fact
Mensch: a well-behaved person
Midah: character trait
Potch: mild slap, to instill proper behavior
Rosh ha Yeshiva: the Rabbi who heads the yeshiva
Shacharis: morning prayers
Shlita”h: May he have a long life
Shomrim: those who watch over us
Tefillah: prayer
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