Thursday, June 11, 2015

Going To Zion - Getting The Boot - Is It The Correct Thing To Do? - Sub-wormness

This Shabbos I will be going away to Yerushalyim imy"H. Sometimes when I go away, I find myself in a shul where I normally don't daven and when I find a sit and sit down - I get the boot. "My spot buddy". OK. I get up and choose a new seat. Then I get booted from there too. This can happen to people 4-5 times until they decide that it is better to stand....

A number of reasons not to kick someone out of "your" seat.

1] One is considered as davening in his מקום קבוע as long as he is within 4 amos so there is no need to kick anyone out of that particular seat.

2] גדולה הכנסת אורחים יותר מהקבלת פני השכינה - Davening in a makom kavua is הקבלת פני השכינה. Letting a person sit in "your" seat is הכנסת אורחים. The latter is greater. [Rav Zweig]

3] The gemara calls one who davens in a makom kavua an עניו a חסיד and from the students of Avraham Avinu. An עניו and חסיד and student of Avraham Avinu would NEVER kick another Jew out of the seat in which he is sitting in order to insure his own personal comfort at someone elses expense.

4] Is it MY seat?? Do I OWN anything in this world. When people write in their sfarim לה' הארץ ומלואה they should mean it.... Who am I? What am I?

My Rebbe is Dovid Hamelech. He says אנכי תולעת ולא איש - I am a worm and not a man. If my Rebbe is a worm - what does that make me??!

And yet in all of my sub-wormness I have the gall to kick a stranger out of his seat. ואהבתם את הגר כי גרים הייתם בארץ מצרים. A bit of sensitivity is required.

Am I wrong? PLEASE show me that I am.