Rabbi David N. Young
One thing we need a lot of lately is levity. This pandemic has been difficult for a great many of us, so to lighten the mood a little, I would like to share a story I learned from my friend and colleague Rabbi Fred Guttman.
There were three rabbis on a boat during the month of Elul.
The discussion quickly turned to what the greatest sin that each had committed and what each individual rabbi wanted to work on during this month.
One rabbi said “You know I love to go out occasionally and have a lobster. I do it in a town far away from my congregation where no one in the congregation will see me. That is my biggest sin.”
The second rabbi said “My biggest sin that I'm a cheater. No, I do not cheat on my spouse but I do cheat on my taxes.”
They look at the third rabbi who absolutely refused to talk. They begged him, "Tell us what is your biggest sin?"
The rabbi refused to tell them.
Eventually, with a little more coercing, the rabbi finally said the following. “My biggest sin is a sin of gossiping and I really must admit I can hardly wait to get off of this boat!"
May we continue to laugh with each other, and at the same time remember to always watch what we say.
No comments:
Post a Comment