We’ve learned to expect it: whenever we plan an event we inevitably have people calling at the very last minute (long past the reservation date) wanting to join. Our recent Belev Echad Friday night dinner was no exception. We’d sent emails, mailings and facebook invitations months in advance. We’d made announcements in shul and at other events. And while many people did make advance reservations, we still had calls coming in all through the last week. On Wednesday we calculated that we could not fit more than 500 people into the hall and we confirmed that number with the caterer. Five hundred reservations, five hundred seats and five hundred meals. We were good to go.
But the phone did not stop ringing. Even on Friday – the day of the event – people were still calling to reserve! I walked through the office at 4pm and answered the phone.
The man asked, “Hi, Can I reserve a spot at the dinner tonight?”
“Unfortunately there is no space,” I told him.
“Not even for one person?”
“Not even for a quarter of a person!”
At that, the man snarled, “Thank you for your rudeness” and slammed down the phone.
I was quite shocked. I thought I had been polite enough, in fact I thought he had been quite rude. I had felt like saying, “Where were you the last few months? Why did you wait till late Friday afternoon?” but I refrained.
Two minutes later another call came in, and realizing I may have been too curt with the previous caller, I was much more gentle with this one. I apologized profusely and explained that I wished he could join but we are completely out of room. I said “sorry” multiple times, explained in detail why we had no room, only to hear the caller say, “Next time just say ‘no’”, and slam down the phone.
I sighed to myself and thought, “Jews! We can never satisfy each other! We always find something to complain about.”
We are currently in the annual period of time known as the Three Weeks, a time of mourning and introspection. We mourn the destruction of the second temple which was the catalyst for the 2000 year exile we find ourselves in. According to our sages, the temple was destroyed because of "sinat chinam" – baseless hatred. The Jewish people at the time lacked unity, brotherly love and respect for one another. In order to hasten the redemption and bring about the building of the third holy temple, we need to engage in baseless love.
I was recently on the receiving end of an act of “love for no reason.” We were at Bowlmore Lanes with 350 people for an event. Everyone was having a grand time. There was plenty of food, open bar, entertainment and, of course, bowling. But we forgot one important thing: We had no microphone! We had forgotten to book one at the Lanes and we now wanted to share some words of inspiration, but with 350 people in a noisy room we couldn’t get everyone’s attention without a speaker system of some sort!
In a flash of sudden inspiration, our program director, Itty Prus, thought of Rabbi Chaim Boruch Alevsky, a Chabad rabbi on the Upper West Side who has his own microphone and speaker system. Initially, I was doubtful. I know how busy rabbis can get, and asking him to shlep across Manhattan with a speaker system at a moment’s notice was a big ask! But I was wrong. Rabbi Alevsky hopped on the subway, speaker system on tow, to help us out at a moment’s notice. Because of his kindness, 350 people were able to hear words of Torah that night.
And I thought to myself, this is the true meaning of Ahavat Yisrael – a mitzvah with nothing in return. This is how we bring Moshiach, with acts of goodness and kindness with no expectations, pomp or fanfare. Doing something just to help another.
Elizlabeth wrote...