This past Thursday I was speaking with a friend in another town. He mentioned that other "Orthodox" people there had arranged with the local JCC to be able to use the facilities on Shabbos without needed to use their bar codes and therefore violate the Shabbos.
That made me think about the scene here in Baltimore every Shabbos in Wellwood. There are countless families there enjoying Shabbos in a manner that certainly shows the proper respect for the day. But there are others, no longer dressed in Shabbos clothes, who spend their afternoon playing all manner of sporing activities. Can you imagine the reaction of non-Orthodox people who would see this? "The Orthodox want us to keep the JCC closed, yet they themselves are playing ball on Shabbos!"
After sharing this concern with a few people, one friend told me that a non-Orthodox friend of his, to whom he had sent an invitation to the Shabbos rally, was so incensed by what she saw on Shabbos at Wellwood, that she told him that she wanted no part of Orthodoxy anymore.
We need to clean our own house first. And that goes for every one of us, even those not playing ball. Are we honoring Shabbos to the extent it should be honored based on our individual level of understanding and education? Until we can answer "yes" to that question, perhaps we need to stop suggesting to others how to live their Shabbos.
That made me think about the scene here in Baltimore every Shabbos in Wellwood. There are countless families there enjoying Shabbos in a manner that certainly shows the proper respect for the day. But there are others, no longer dressed in Shabbos clothes, who spend their afternoon playing all manner of sporing activities. Can you imagine the reaction of non-Orthodox people who would see this? "The Orthodox want us to keep the JCC closed, yet they themselves are playing ball on Shabbos!"
After sharing this concern with a few people, one friend told me that a non-Orthodox friend of his, to whom he had sent an invitation to the Shabbos rally, was so incensed by what she saw on Shabbos at Wellwood, that she told him that she wanted no part of Orthodoxy anymore.
We need to clean our own house first. And that goes for every one of us, even those not playing ball. Are we honoring Shabbos to the extent it should be honored based on our individual level of understanding and education? Until we can answer "yes" to that question, perhaps we need to stop suggesting to others how to live their Shabbos.
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