Tickets, Tickets, You Got Tickets?
My phone rang the other day and I decided to pick it up. This is unusual because I did not recognize the number and this is an automatic reason for me not to answer. I really dislike talking on the phone and I very much prefer email, whats-app or blogging. I certainly dislike it when I don't know what to expect on the other side. This has only gotten worse since I moved to Israel , as it invariably leads to someone talking to me in waytofastHebrew, which I then have to ask them to repeat slower, which culminates in me still having no idea what was said.
Anyway I answer the phone and the person says hi, Aron ( my name in Israel) , it is me, Moshe Pipuk ( a pseudonym) from shul. You know the guy you told talks to much in shul, do you remember me?
Some background.
I have a really hard time with people who talk in shul. I understand that there is a social aspect to it, but there are lots of places people can go to socialize and hang out. If you need to give your wife a break by getting the kids out of her hair for a few hours, do it somewhere else. Shul is not a playground or a Rotary Club, it is where you go when you want to attempt meaningful prayer with a minyan.
However, I am nothing if not a realist and I know that it is not feasible to ask people not to talk for the whole davening, although that would be great. What I find it most annoying is when I am praying the Amida, which is the focal point of the prayer, and some dummy near me needs to tell someone something that is so earth shattering that they cant wait the 3 minutes it would take for me to finish.
Now Moshe was (is) a real talker, and not just a regular talker.
He was honored by the synagogue two years ago with Chatan Berishiet, which is the first person to be called to the Torah at the beginning of the yearly Torah reading cycle. As is customary in Israel of those getting this honor, he made a lavish kiddush the following week. It was there that he took an opportunity to give a speech where he thanked the community for the big honor.
At the end of the speech, Moshe said something to the effect of ' I know that some people think that I talk to much in shul, but you should know that my father talked a lot in shul and my grandfather talked a lot in shul, so I will continue to talk a lot in shul.
I was livid.
Not only by the fact that he had no problems saying this but that most of the congregation thought this was very funny.
I had a problem with Moshe. He sits near me and likes to talk while I am still saying the Amida, as I mentioned, something I really dislike.
It got very bad and although I am known as the shusher, that unique ability I posses had no effect on him.
I decided to take a different approach. I did not go to the people who Moshe talks to because my sense of it was that they really don't care about anyone but themselves. Moshe on the other hand seemed to me to be a good guy, just one with a big mouth.
So I went to him one day and I said, Moshe, I know it would be unrealistic for me to ask you not to talk in shul but could you please not do so while I am saying the Amida. I find myself racing to finish before you and I would like to be able to take my time.
Surprisingly, he agreed and for the most part, going on a year, he has kept to it.
So I get this call and I tell him I know who he is and he doesn't have to introduce himself as the guy who talks too much.
What can I do for you.
Aron I have two extra tickets to the Yom Hashoah ceremony at Yad Vashem and I am told this would be of interest to you.
I said ' thank you very much but you have been misinformed. I do not participate in Yom Hashoah events. In my family, holocaust remembrance day is everyday.'
This has been my standard answer all my life. This is how I truly feel. I don't think I have been to more than one Yom Hashoah commemoration in my whole life.
He was a bit surprised.
Believe it or not this is a very hot ticket in Israel, something any sane person would jump at.
I thanked him very much and apologized for my indifference.
Yesterday, I found out that my mom , whose age I will not divulge but it is a very lucky number in China, will be lighting a candle at her local Yom Hashoah service. It made me feel a little guilty because she actually went through the Holocaust and yet she still felt it was very important for her to be there and participate.
I am very proud of my mother, but the feeling of guilt subsided quickly. I will be staying home tonight
To be continued...