Wednesday, January 25, 2017

The Shaila

It is most unfortunate that in all the noise-making around Ivanka's inauguration activities a most important lesson has been forgotten.
She asked a שאלה (Shaila).
She had a question what to do about a point of Halacha (Jewish ritual law) and, rather than making a decision on her own, turned to her rabbi to ask him what the proper thing to was.
Imagine the Kiddush Hashem that could have been created if this was the point upon which the frum community had focused. Imagine if the focus had been on the lesson and precedent she had set by turning to her rabbi to ask what the proper conduct was. As a community we have failed by taking what could have been a chance to learn something wonderful and show it proudly to the rest of the world, and turning into the worst sort of negativity. Many heads should be hanging in shame and Ivanka's and her rabbi's are not among them. People chose to become too focused on the minutiae of אמירה לעכו"ם (laws of asking a gentile to work for you on Shabbos) and the depth of her cleavage, and were too blind to see the real lesson.
Frankly it comes from jealousy. Jealousy of her fame, her wealth, her beauty and sadly the fact that there are those in our community who, while they would never admit it, are jealous and resentful of the fact that she can "get away" with doing things and still be considered Orthodox, and they can't.
Next time you are faced with a dilemma in life, turn to your rabbi and ask him what to do. Don't make decisions on your own, ask yourself, "What would Ivanka do?"

1 comment:

Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer said...

1. No one has confirmed that she actually asked a shailah.

2. The picture you posted of her undermines any limmud zechus, v'duk.