Remembering The Borei Everywhere

Today I had to get to Williamsburg and I started on the B train. It is no coincidence that I took that train because I ended up covering the entire alphabet. From train to train I went wandering aimlessly wondering if I would ever arrive at my destination. Thank G-d, I didn't take all the numbers also. Just the letters. I had to leave something for my next excursion. If you are ever bored and are looking for an adventure - follow me around for a day:-).

Back to the B train. I am sitting amongst Goyim, many of whom have mutilated their skin with ugly pictures of whatever and they are just sitting there, ostensibly not pondering their existential emptiness. Another train ride, another day of day of work... They stared aimlessly into space or read stories of evil or dishonest people perpetrating acts of crime or play with hand held toys. I am blessed to have Torah - so I was pondering the question of the nature of tfila after four hours in the morning. Is it considered davening late or does it have the status of tashlumin. That OF COURSE is a machlokes rishonim [maybe for another post]. Then she caught my eye. She. I would rather not see but it is hard to keep ones eyes closed everywhere so one is bound to notice even the "shes" of society. The New York subway system is far removed from the standards of the 402 mehadrin bus line that goes between Bnei Brak and Yerushalayim. I wanted to announce that all women should move to a different car to allow for separate seating but didn't think that it would go over so well...

She was in her early twenties had long black hair and was wearing tight jeans, black nail polish and numerous bracelets. She mixed in well with the very unholy atmosphere in which I found myself. I had no choice though. I had to get to Williamsburg for a very chashuve wedding [MAZEL TOV MUTTI AND ALIZA!!!!] and I had to take 26 trains to get there [the A to the Z - not in that order]. She was reading from a small book that looked quite familiar. I had definitely seen it before. A tehilllim!! She was reading pirkei tehillim. Everyone else was staring into space or reading their filthy newspapers and this girl was reading the timeless prayers of Dovid Hamelech.


Mi ki-amcha yisrael goy echad ba-aretz. I almost cried. Do we judge people by their external appearance? I certainly do! How wrong I am. The ikker, the essence of a person is the neshama and not the klippos of darkness that surround us. Her neshma wants to be close with Hashem. That is a Jew.

I was trying to focus on my sugya with the shmone esrei and the tashlumin but I kept looking at her sefer tehillim. I wanted to say something like - "Good for you!!" but I didn't.

So now I say - "Good for you!!"  We at Mevakesh are not fans of girls wearing pants but this girl reaffirmed that despite the chitzoniyus, a yiddeshe neshma wants to be close to Hashem. There are few things in life that engender closeness like reading pirkei tehillim.

The B train. "B" is obviously a remez to the Borei Olam. A Jew always remembers the Borei Olam. Even on the filthy subway....