I READING A Code of Jewish Ethics Vol. 1 by Jos. Telushkin. I’ve had the book for some time and I probably opened it once or twice before.
This time I am reading it.
One thing that caught my eye relates to two of my favorite Jewish personalities: Yohanon (bar Nappacha, brother-in-law to Shimon ben Lekish a/k/a Resh Lakish) and Shamai.
Yohanon made a point, according to the book, of being the first to greet everyone, even non-Jews.
Shamai said to greet everyone with a pleasant disposition.
Rambam (Moses Ben Maimon, a/k/a Maimonides) said that “A scholar should greet all men before they greet him so that the spirits of others derive pleasure from him.
While I would not presume to be a Yohanon of the famous Yohanon of the talmud, we do share two things: the name Yohanon, and the desire to be the first to greet others.
Similar to Shamai, I try to greet others with a pleasant demeanor.
(Anyone who “puts down” Bet Shamai really doesn’t know about Shamai. In many respects he was more liberal, especially when it came to rulings dealing with women, than Hillel the Elder. Hillel’s reputation largely is based on one incident when a man came to Shamai and Hillel demanding to be taught everything about Judaism while he stood on one foot. Shamai chased the man way; Hillel told him one thing and said “the rest is commentary, go study.” Did the man “go study”? There is no evidence either way.)
Greeters must consider the person they are greeting.
This morning, Shabat, on the way back from minyan, I met a non-observant Jewish neighbor working on his car.
Pesach is next Shabat.
I greeted the man with “Are you ready for the holiday?” I didn’t ask if he was done cleaning for Pesach or did he sell his hametz. He told me he is going to visit family in another state for Passover.
Even if his house is not “K4P,” he is aware of the holiday and intends to spend it with family. The point of the matza and hagadah is to remember the exodus from Egypt and what led up to it. The Torah tells us not to have anything leavened in our possession, but the rabbis allow us to pretend to sell hametz while keeping possession of it.
Strictly speaking . . .
On the way to the minyan I met the neighbor across the street from the Jewish guy. The neighbor is not Jewish. With him we discussed neighborly things and his upcoming knee replacement surgery.
A third neighbor, an observant Jew, passed by with a Shabat shalom greeting as he made his way to a different minyan. (Where I live there is no shortage of minyanim, all within easy walking distance for the able bodied and a few within walking distance for geezers such as this scrivener.) This neighbor “beat me to the punch” by sneaking up behind me; had I seen him first . . .
I do not try to greet everyone downtown or even in the supermarket, although I do speak to many. I nod to strangers who make eye contact. Unfortunately, the current state of affairs makes many people suspicious of strangers who greet them; they respond like the Tar Baby in an Uncle Remus Br’r Rabbit story. (I do not respond as Br’r Rabbit responded.)
By the way, I don’t see that Uncle Remus stories are racist. On the contrary, I think it acknowledges the positive role some blacks had in developing ethics in children, regardless of the amount of melanin in their skin.)
Still, in my neighborhood, I try to be the first with a greeting.
I tried to instill that attitude in my children. (My spouse thinks I’m nuts.)
I’m glad I decided to read Telushkin’s book (one of many), finding out my habit is endorsed by some Big Names (Shamai, Yohanon, Rambam), I’m definitely in good company.
PLAGIARISM is the act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind.
Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Defamation is a false statement of fact. If the statement was accurate, then by definition it wasn’t defamatory.
