Along the way, a member of the
research team was seated on the ground in disguise, groaning in pain, and
crying out for help. Sadly, most of the
students failed to stop to offer assistance.
The irony, of course, was that they were in too much of a hurry to
deliver their sermon about helping others to even notice this man crying out
for their help!
אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר
שֵׁילָא אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: לְבֵינָה זְקוּפָה בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים וְזָרַק
וְטָח בְּפָנֶיהָ — חַיָּיב. עַל גַּבָּהּ — פָּטוּר. אַבָּיֵי וְרָבָא דְּאָמְרִי
תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: וְהוּא שֶׁגְּבוֹהָה שְׁלֹשָׁה, דְּלָא דָּרְסִי לַהּ רַבִּים.
אֲבָל הִיזְמֵי וְהִיגֵי, אַף עַל גַּב דְּלָא גְּבִיהֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה. וְחִיָּיא
בַּר רַב אָמַר: אֲפִילּוּ הִיזְמֵי וְהִיגֵי, אֲבָל צוֹאָה לָא. וְרַב אָשֵׁי
אָמַר: אֲפִילּוּ צוֹאָה.
Rabba bar Sheila said that Rav Chisda said: If an upright brick was placed
in the public domain and one threw an object and it stuck to its side, he is
liable. But if the object landed atop the brick, he is not liable. Abaye and
Rava both said: And that is specifically when that brick is at least three tefachim
(handbreadths) high, as then the multitudes do not tread on it. However,
thorns and shrubs, even though they are not three handbreadths high, are not
considered part of the public domain, since people do not walk on thorns. And Chiya
bar Rav said: Even thorns and shrubs are considered part of the public domain.
However, excrement is not. And Rav Ashi said: Even excrement.
In the public thoroughfare, in order for an item to be noticeable, it must
be at least three tefachim (approximately ten centimeters) high. Anything lower than that height, people
generally don’t pay much attention to, unless we’re talking about sharp objects
or animal mess. And when they don’t pay
attention to it, Abaye and Rava note that people will tread right on it.
Most people are oblivious to their surroundings as they walk down the
street. We see that even in ancient
times, unless the object was ten centimeters off the ground, people would walk
right over it. Even in the 1970s, amongst
people who were presumably ‘observant’, very few stopped to respond to the
needy individual who was begging for assistance. And if that was the case in centuries gone
by, today we’ve taken obliviousness to a whole new level.
We have pedestrians who are walking and texting. We have cyclists who are listening to their
music via Bluetooth earphones, and we even have drivers who are on video calls
while cruising down the road. Nobody’s
paying any attention to what’s right in front of their eyes anymore. Just wait for driverless cars, when we’ll be
completely engrossed in ourselves with zero regard for our surroundings as we
move from point A to B!
Sometimes it feels like the further away a cause is, the more passionate
some people are about it. They will feed
the hungry in another continent, they will participate in political campaigns
to find solutions for major world crises.
All of these causes are absolutely important. But no less important, are the problems at
our doorstep.
We have needy families in our communities, whether that means financially
or emotionally. We have tens of
thousands of homeless people in every major city, most of whom are invisible
because they manage to ‘couch surf’ between various friends and relatives. But homelessness – having no fixed address –
makes finding a job near impossible, and they end up in a vicious cycle. No job means no home. And no home means no job. And no job means no social support. And not to mention the spiritual crisis
happening to our young generation, which is a whole book for itself.
These are real problems right in front of our eyes that we must never
overlook. The big problems are indeed
big problems. But, as caring
individuals, we need to think about those who are suffering right before our
very own eyes. If Hashem has placed
those individuals in our immediate physical space, He has done so because He
believes that we can help them.
It might be a neighbour’s child who needs a little attention, such as help
with their homework or just kicking around a football, because their parents
are shift workers and unable to give them the necessary attention. It might be the aged lady across the road who
needs help shoveling her driveway or shopping during a cold spell. Or sometimes it might even be your own
children that you’re not giving adequate attention to, because you’re off
solving the world’s problems.
It’s time to put down the phone and open our eyes to our immediate
surroundings. Life is made up of big
challenges and smaller, closer challenges.
May you be equally aware and passionate about the problems right before
your eyes as you are about the exotic causes!
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