Be Holy, Don’t Go To Shul
Be Holy, Don’t Go To Shul
This Dvar Torah was originally published in Torah && Tech, the weekly newsletter I publish together with my good friend Ben Greenberg. To get the weekly issue delivered straight to your inbox click here.
It’s a painful irony that in the week where we learn the Torah portion of Vayakhel (“and [Moshe] gathered [the Jewish People]”), most Jews are confining themselves to their homes. Of course, they are doing it to protect themselves and their loved ones from the spread of the coronavirus that’s currently putting the world on lock-down.
With many Shuls, temples, mosques, churches, etc. suspending services, I’m sure many people who rely on that spiritual connection are feeling pretty down.
It’s time to reflect on one of my favorite Chassidic stories:
Reb Zushe and Reb Elimelech (who’s Yahrtzeit was this past Tuesday, the 21st of Adar) were two brothers who lived in Ukraine in the 1700s and were among the earliest leaders of the Chassidic movement.
They would often dress like peasants and travel from town to town without anyone knowing their real identity (this was in the pre-Instagram days when it was still possible).
One time they arrived at a village and stayed at the local inn.
Overnight, some expensive cutlery went missing, and suspicion naturally fell on the two unknown “peasants.”
The distraught innkeeper called the police. The brothers tried to explain their innocence, but the police naturally took the word of the innkeeper over the word of the two “unknowns.” To make a long story short, the two brothers soon found themselves in a cell surrounded by the lowest elements of Ukrainian society.
In the morning, Reb Elimelech was getting ready to say the morning prayers, but Reb Zushe pointed out to him that there was a problem. The “problem” took the form of a bucket in the corner of the cell that was there for the inmates to relieve themselves. Jewish law forbids praying in a room with human excrement, so as long as the bucket was there, praying would not be possible.
Reb Elimelech was extremely disappointed! In his entire life, he never missed a day’s prayers! It was inconceivable to him not to pray even for one day! He started crying.
“Why are you crying?” asked his brother, “in the same way that Halachah tells us to pray every day, Halachah also tells us not to pray in a situation like ours!”
“Every day, we get the opportunity to serve G-d by praying, today we will have the opportunity to serve G-d by not praying!”
Reb Elimelech heard what his brother had to say, realized the truth in his words, and thanked him for his comforting thoughts.
“Furthermore,” said Reb Zusha, “there is a Mitzvah to serve G-d with joy. Every day we fulfill it by praying joyfully; today, we will fulfill it by not praying with equal joy!”
The two brothers set out to serve God in this novel way, and they started singing a joyful melody. Before long, they forgot about their troubles and their surroundings and started dancing right there in the cell surrounded by their non-Jewish cellmates.
The cellmates, initially thought the Jews had gone mad, but they welcomed the break in the monotony and soon joined in the dancing. Before long, the entire cell was one big dance party!
When the guard heard the commotion from outside, he came running in. He grabbed the nearest prisoner and asked what all the dancing was about? “This is a jail, not a nightclub!” he yelled.
The poor prisoner couldn’t say much; he didn’t really know himself! All he knew was that those two crazy Jews were pointing at the toilet bucket, started crying, then they pointed at it some more, and then they started singing and dancing!
“Aha!” exclaimed the sadistic guard, “so the bucket is what’s making them so happy? I can take care of that!”
He ran to the corner, grabbed the bucket, and with a sneering look at the two brothers, he took it out of the cell.
Reb Zushe turned to his brother, “Elimelech, my brother! Now we can pray!”
So as you sit at home this Shabbat and pray in whichever way you find meaningful, rememeber, you are staying home to keep yourself and your community safe! There is no greater Mitzvah than the Mitzvah to protect another life!
Sure, missing out on that human interaction is hard, but the Jewish people have been through worse! At least this time, it’s our love for our fellow community members that is keeping us from going to Shul, and not the hatred of our enemies.
Shabbat Shalom and stay safe and healthy!
Yechiel