GIVING KAVOD

 

Dear Everyone,

There is a gas station near my home where if you fill up you can get a carwash at a reduced price. I filled up, moved from the pump, and paid for the car wash.

As I was turning my car around to go to the car wash, a frum person sped ahead of me and pulled in to the car wash. He parked his car and went inside to pay for the car wash as I sat in my car waiting.

Had he apologized, I would have pointed out that time is the worst thing to steal because you can’t return it. But of course, he didn’t say a word to me.

After the carwash I went to the supermarket. As I was waiting in line a woman slipped ahead of me. “You don’t mind” she said. “I only have 3 items”. She was in fact using some creative accounting. She had 3 categories of items, but 5 items in total. I had 8.

There is a famous story with the Chofetz Chaim, where someone stole something from him. The Chofetz Chaim chased after him yelling “I give it to you as a matana” (gift), so the man wouldn’t violate the law against stealing.

When Rav Hillel Zacks, the Chofetz Chaim’s grandson heard the stor,y he smiled and corrected the story teller. What the Chofetz Chaim actually said was “come back you ganav!” The Rosh Yeshiva said “My grandfather was a tzaddik, not a fool”

These are the days of the Sefiras HaOmer, when the talmidim of Rebbe Akiva died for not showing kavod to each other. Asks Rav Dessler, since when is that punished by death? He answers that The days of Sefiras HaOmer is the time when we have to prepare ourselves to receive the Torah. Without kavod for others you are not worthy to be the people who will continue Torah in the Jewish people. Rebbe Akiva’s students were meant to fill that role. Without proper kavod for others that was impossible.

The month of Iyar is the only month that every day is Sefiras Haomer. Let us take these days to rededicate ourselves to giving kavod to others.

Sincerely,

Dovid Orlofsky

UPCOMING TALKS

May 14, 2012 UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Nessa Ed. Center

 Los Angeles, CA

May 16, 2012 UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Northshore Center 

 Skokie, IL

May 17, 2012 ACHEYNU Parlour Meeting Lawrence, NY

 

May 20, 2012 UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Town Hall

 NY, NY

May 21, 2012 UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Bais Yaakov Elem. School

 Toronto, ON

May 22, 2012 UNDER THE MOUNTAIN Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion

 Baltimore, MD

Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky was raised in Long Island New York, the quietest of six boys (no girls; it didn’t work out well with the rooms). He graduated Jewish Day school before studying in Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim and Yeshiva Heichal Hatorah. He received his smicha in 1983 by HaRav Avraham Kopshitz zt”l, former Rav of Neve Zvi.For nine years he was the Long Island director of NCSY (National Conference of Synagogue Youth) developing a region that had only one member to an organization of 1200 teens and pre-teens involved in Torah activities.He made aliyah with his family in 1988 and served as the mashgiach ruchani in Yeshiva Ohr David for five years. He has taught in the Discovery Seminar, Aish Hatorah Fellowships and Yeshiva Ohr Somayach,is currently on the staff of Darchei Binah Seminary and Neve Yerushalayim college for women as well as other yeshivos and seminaries. He has lectured for almost twenty years in the Ohr LaGolah Rabbinical training institute.Rabbi Orlofsky is a popular lecturer internationally where his combination of humor, novel insights and inspiration touch the lives of thousands. Even more listen to his recorded shiuim distributed by the Moshe Yehuda Institute.Rabbi Orlofsky has appeared regularly on radio programs in Israel and his articles have been published regularly, included several years as the chinuch columnist in the Hamodiah. His book “The Last Book you read before You Assimilate” described as “a book on Judaism for people who don’t want to read a book on Judaism” is awaiting publication.The Orlofskys live in Yerushalayim with their children and grandchildren.