The Man With The Mop #754
11/25/2022 04:30:00 PM
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
Author | |
Date Added | |
Automatically create summary | |
Summary |
Parashat Chayei Sarah: “Let her be the one whom you have decreed for your servant Isaac.” Genesis 24:14
The Man with the Mop
On Monday, at about 6:30 pm, my wife and I made our way to our seats at the Bell Center in Montreal.
Although I enjoy attending New York Islanders games, when it comes to sports, the blood that flows through me is Montreal Canadiens red.
We were in Montreal for a two-day getaway, one night at the hockey game, the next at the symphony. But it was an incident on that first night at the Bell Center that truly caught my eye.
As we watched the teams warm up, someone noticed a puddle of soda about five seats to our right, spilled by a child a row above us.
Within moments, a short, stocky fellow with a mop and a bucket appeared. He quickly dabbed up the large puddle, and attempted to quietly exit the row.
But then something quite remarkable happened. The handful of early-bird fans rose, and gave the custodian a standing ovation. One quietly looked the worker in the eye and said, “Merci patron,” which translates to “Thank you, boss.”
The worker smiled and with a light bounce climbed up the stairs, while we continued watching the warmup.
It was a seemingly insignificant moment, but extremely important in my eyes because within the working class area of Montreal, where the Bell Center is located, the value of work – all work—is not only recognized, but honored.
Indeed, how often do we say “thank you” or provide a standing ovation to someone behind the scenes who takes care of those seemingly small tasks that enable us to enjoy our comfortable—and often—antiseptic lives.
They include the trash collectors, the street sweepers, sewer inspectors, coal miners, oil rig workers, grave diggers and those who work in meat processing plants—to name a few.
Whenever we perform a funeral, the Cantor and I habitually thank the front-line cemetery workers for their effort.
“It’s important work,” one worker once shared with me as we waited at graveside for the funeral party to arrive. “Sometimes it’s very cold and sometimes it’s very hot—but without us, it would not be possible for the person to rest in peace.”
Too often, there is a misconception that manual work is intended for the lowest on the social scale or immigrants, but perhaps we, as a society, need to open our eyes more to the dedication and work ethic of so many who make our lives a lot more comfortable.
So many of our parents and grandparents practiced that ethic, teaching us one of our most important life lessons—the importance of hard work.
This past Tuesday afternoon, as we drove along Boulevard St. Laurent, known to some as Montreal’s “Leonard Cohen and Duddy Kravitz neighborhood,” I remembered my paternal grandfather, Duddie, who before saving enough money to buy a corner grocery store, made his living hauling blocks of ice up long flights of stairs.
And there was my material grandfather, Nissan, who in subzero temperatures, walked along country roads in northern Quebec selling socks, underwear, combs, and toiletries farmhouse to farmhouse.
Indeed, the greatest compliment I ever received came when I was 19. as I overheard Moshe, the supervisor of the small packing plant that sorted pears on my kibbutz in Israel, tell this assistant:
“Hu Oved Chazzak,” Translation: “That boy over there works hard.”
Indeed, in my eyes, the discussion about the value of work—all work— takes us to this week’s Torah portion, Toldot (Generations) as the text recounts the birth of twins to Judaism’s second couple, Isaac and Rebekah.
When he reached adulthood, Esau, the eldest, would venture into the forest and hunt for food. His father liked that. As the Torah recounts, “Isaac favored Esau because he had a taste for game.” (Genesis 25:27-28)
But according to our tradition, Rebekah favored Jacob, who our Sages say stayed close to home, studied Talmud, and raised livestock.
Later in our parashah, Rebekah, with Jacob’s support, tricks an aging Isaac into naming Jacob, rather than Esau, as his primary heir.
And from there, through the sons of Jacob—Judaism evolves. In general, Jewish tradition seems satisfied with this deception.
Although the biblical text is somewhat sympathetic to Esau, throughout history, our commentators have belittled him. Esau is presented as boorish, uneducated, impatient, and quite common.
And this bias has continued through history, as many Jewish parents have longed to realize the dream of raising “my son the doctor.”
God help the young person who aspires to becoming a taxi driver, artist, carpenter, electrician, sanitation worker or comedian.
Although many Sages note that perhaps it was better that Jacob—rather than Esau—took over the reins of the Jewish people, we need to stop ignoring or demeaning the Esaus who perform the messy jobs.
Rather than vilify Esau, as our tradition has for centuries, we need to thank those who work around us – as they slaughter our food, fix our potholes, remove our termites, change our oil, repair our wiring, or keep our restrooms clean.
And so, when we returned to LaGuardia yesterday, on Thanksgiving, as I exited the restroom after the flight, I pressed the green button on the wall to signify to some computer that I thought the restroom was well kept.
But I also took a moment to approach the fellow mopping the floor and said, “Thank you for keeping this restroom so clean for all of us.” He lightly smiled, nodded and continued working
Somehow it felt like the right thing to do on Thanksgiving—to not only express gratitude for those sitting with us, but also for those whose hard—and sometimes dirty work—made it possible for the turkey, the sweet potatoes, and the cranberries to arrive at our table.
Over the centuries, Jewish tradition has applauded the life of Jacob.
During this time of giving thanks, we need to appreciate the Esaus of this world much more. For they make this time of gratitude possible.
From Esau, to the custodian at the Bell Center, and everyone in between, on this, the week of gratitude, let us appreciate hard work wherever it is found.
Those two words in whatever language mean so much.
Shabbat Shalom, v'kol tuv.
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
Fri, September 29 2023
14 Tishrei 5784
Rabbi's Last 50 E-Sermons
Moses' Final Lesson: It's Like Rain #795
Friday, Sep 22 5:39amThe Essence of Judaism #794
Friday, Sep 8 3:29pmGod Is Not Santa Claus #793
Friday, Sep 1 6:03pmRemembering the Gift Card #792
Friday, Aug 25 4:59pmDoes God Pull the Strings? #791
Friday, Aug 18 3:44pmZaidie and the Two Dollar Bill #790
Friday, Aug 11 3:50pmVoices at the Western Wall #788
Friday, Jul 28 6:06pmYad Vashem: A Personal Memory #787
Friday, Jul 21 2:01pmConversations In A Jeruselum Cab #786
Friday, Jul 14 4:50pmDebates "In the Name of Heaven" #784
Friday, Jun 23 6:12pmThe Power of Believing in Yourself #783
Friday, Jun 16 6:07pmThe Power of Light #782
Friday, Jun 9 5:40pmThe Most Famous Blessing of All #781
Friday, Jun 2 2:03pmYour "Other" Marriage Contract #780
Tuesday, May 30 12:20pmEchoes of Michael Jackson #779
Friday, May 19 5:03pmThe Legacy of Lesley Sue Goldstein #778
Friday, May 12 5:12amEye for an Eye: Leaving Revenge Behind #777
Friday, May 5 5:09pmHogan's Heroes, Israel & the Holocaust #776
Friday, Apr 28 3:39pmThe Sound of silence #774
Friday, Apr 14 5:22pmPassover: Eating from the Kid's Menu #773
Friday, Apr 7 1:43pmPassover After the Plague #772
Friday, Mar 31 5:19pmLife: We are Never Done #771
Friday, Mar 24 5:17pmWhat is YOur Exocus Story #770
Friday, Mar 17 5:32pmLosing our patience #769
Friday, Mar 10 6:08pmWe Never Lose Hope #768
Friday, Mar 3 3:09pmWhere Does God Actually Live #767
Friday, Feb 24 4:11pmSlavery in the toraH #766
Friday, Feb 17 5:45pmTaking the lord's name in vain? #765
Friday, Feb 10 5:04amSerach- The Torah's Forgotten Leader #764
Friday, Feb 3 5:11pmAdding FUn to judaism #763
Friday, Jan 27 4:56pmFeeling Like an Imposter #762
Friday, Jan 20 4:55pmWomen Breaking The Rules #761
Friday, Jan 13 5:29pmHow And Why We Bless The Children #760
Friday, Jan 6 4:24pmThe Start of Anti-Semitism #759
Friday, Dec 30 5:09pmJoseph's FaceTime #758
Friday, Dec 23 4:30pmWho We Tell Our Dreams To #757
Friday, Dec 16 6:06pmMoney and Happiness #756
Friday, Dec 9 5:25pmGod on the High Seas #755
Friday, Dec 2 2:00pmThe Man With The Mop #754
Friday, Nov 25 4:30pmHospitality—and the Fort McMurray Miracle #753
Friday, Nov 18 6:06pmKindness—Acting Like God #752
Friday, Nov 11 6:00pmWhat is Your Family's Story? #751
Friday, Nov 4 6:21pmKanye West: Where are the Voices? #750
Friday, Oct 28 2:23pmEvil and Life's Cartoons #749
Friday, Oct 21 6:34pmWho Wrote The Torah? #748
Friday, Oct 14 5:42pmMoses Says Goodbye: Three Parting Messages #747
Friday, Oct 7 5:38pmReturning To Our Innocence #746
Friday, Sep 30 6:21pmJudaism: Not That Complicated #745
Friday, Sep 23 5:09pmWhere Is Your Promised Land? #744
Friday, Sep 16 5:16pmGrowing Up With The Queen #743
Friday, Sep 9 5:40pmUpdate this content.