Flabbergasted

Now that Pesach is behind us and everyone away is back, I found myself thinking about the wonderful Yom Tov it was. So many people went away and many stayed home and regardless of
where you were the reality is we spend so much money on this great opportunity to become closer
with the Almighty. It’s a pleasure to do everything and anything for a Yom Tov.
However, how much is too much?
I’m not a great guesser, and I used a calculator for my math, but here is my hunch. Of course, I
realize my numbers are far from perfect so I chose to go with lower numbers and assumptions just for
the sake of bringing out a point.
Let’s just say there were 20 Pesach Hotel programs, and let’s say they each averaged 1,000 people at a rate of $1,800 per person for Pesach means 20 x 1,000 = 20,000 people x $1,800 per person = 36 Million dollars spent on Programs.

WOW!


The officials in Orlando estimated
80,000 people came to Florida for Pesach.
Here’s my math on that.
Let’s say the average family is 8 people. If 80,000 people were in Florida that
means there were 10,000 families. Let’s say
each of those families spent on average
$12,000 for their home rental, travel, car
rental etc. This means 10,000 (families) x
$12,000 (expenses) = 120 Million dollars
spent on Orlando.
If my calculations are correct - and I
am pretty sure I underestimated the averages in most areas of my assumptions
- this means collectively, the portion
of Klal Yisroel that left their homes for
Pesach are together all responsible for
over $156,000,000 (that’s 156 MILLION
DOLLARS) spent to not be home for
Pesach. I would go out on a limb and
say that with all the upgrades, VIPs, first
class etc expenses the number in real-
ity is probably closer to 200 MILLION
DOLLARS.
B”H as a nation we are in a position to
afford and spend 200 million dollars for 1
week of Pesach just not to be home in our
own home for 8 days of such a beautiful
Yom Tov.
If this makes sense to you and you feel
200 Million for one Pesach is nothing to
fret over then I guess good for you. If you,
like me, feel there is something that just
doesn’t seem right with spending 200 million dollars just to not be home for a Yom
Tov, then perhaps something is wrong
with the system.


Flabbergasted in Flatbush

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Dear Flabbergasted:

It looks like your accounting
skills helped you calculate that collectively we
spent about 200 million dollars on our trips fPesach. I don’t know if you are correct, nor
do I care.
I believe that people spent their hard
earned money any way they wished. Good
for them. Why not? Did any one of those
10,000 families that you enumerated ask
you for any contribution for their trip? If
they did, you could have refused.
Why is it your business how people
spend their money, how much they spend,
where they spend Yom Tov, etc. Why is it
anybody’s business? Why are you looking
at what your neighbors and friends are
doing? Are you jealous? Are you perhaps
too cheap to spend any money? Or maybe
you just don’t have enough to go to
Orlando. If that is the case, I apologize,
because I didn’t mean to rub it in.
I myself can afford to go away for 8 days
of Pesach, but I choose not to for several
reasons. First, I think it is far too expensive,
and I can spend my money more wisely.
Second, there are too many days when you
can’t do anything because it is Yom Tov,
and when I am on vacation, I like to do
things that I can’t do at home. Eating non-
stop I can do at home also, although it isn’t
very healthy either at home or away from
home. And besides, most programs will
not serve Matzah Balls, and I like Matzah
Balls. But all of this is my choice, and I
really don’t owe anyone an explanation. As
long as my wife is happy, and we agree, we
do what we want. I just explained all this to
make a point.
So, in conclusion, let’s agree, that we
can all do what we think is best for us, and
let’s stay out of each other’s business. Try
it. Your life will be much better.

-----------------


In Response to Pesach Spending, the last
line is troubling. What’s “the system”? There
is no system, everyone does what works for
them. I’m not saying everyone is right to
go to vacations for Pesach, but everyone in
their own social circle does what they want.
How much has Klal Yisroel spent on
frozen broccoli? My calculation tells me
200,000 families in Tri state area each buy
1 bag a month for $5. That’s $60 a year.
That’s $12,000,000 on frozen broccoli!!
And many families have upgraded to
include cauliflower. And some buy 2 bags
a month.
That means that Klal Yisroel only in
NY area spends close to $15 million in
frozen veggies!!
Something is wrong with the system!!!
A Simple Guy who is not Jealous

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To Flabbergasted in Flatbush: Look
at the headlines at these Pricey Pesach
Programs... very highly respected
Rabbanim/ entertainers/ lecturers.... So,
I have some advice for you: just let my
people go!!!

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WOW!
I opened my weekly FJJ and went
straight to the letters and was surprised to
see that the 3 responses to my letter about
Pesach program spending were all the
same tone - putting me into my place for
mingling into other people’s business and
being jealous. No letters in support and
3 letters against is a clear indication that
even if the FJJ publisher received other
letters on the topic, his choice of choos-
ing these 3 rebuttal letters was sending a
message to his hundreds of thousands of
his readers that it seems the larger sentiment in Klal Yisroel is of the opinion that
I was wrong for wondering if spending a
collective 200 million on 1 week of Pesach
was normal.
I could just leave it at that and not
respond and let it be what it is and who
really cares. But, that wouldn’t be any fun
and certainly the Broccoli letter writer
thinks his/her hilarious letter should get
responses so why disappoint a fellow Yid.
Therefore, I am choosing to continue the
conversation. Hope you don’t mind.
99.999% of Rabbonim of Shuls remain
with their Tzibbur and do not go to programs. Most of them prefer their congregants remain home as well (just ask them).
Those very few Rabbonim and “speakers”
and “entertainers” who are at the programs are there for parnosa (just ask them
too). So, let’s not try to bring a proof from
them about anything. Then again, no need
to say this because my letter was only
about the money spent not the programming, atmosphere or anything else.
Jealous? Looking into other people’s
houses? Nope! You got that wrong.
All I was suggesting is that spending
$200,000,000 on one week seems (to me
only I guess) as a bit outrageous. I have
a hunch I am not alone on this thought,
but then again, 3 letters opposing my sen-
timent, 0 letters in support seems to indi-
cate I am on my own island here so who
really knows. I just get the feeling that
200M for 1 week of Pesach is not the same
as 12M for broccoli. Just my opinion but
hey, I am okay if you don’t agree. (By the
way, just saying, I wish we had 200K frum
families in the tri state area. Imagine if we
did, the power we would have. Instead, we
are hoping to just get even 100K people
- not families - people - to write a letter
against the new educational mandates be-
ing proposed. I wonder if we even have
100K families in the tri state area. 200K??
no way).
Let people spend their money however
they want is for sure true. Absolutely. I
am not G-D and it is only G-D who will
make that decision if what people choose
to spend on is proper or not. I am sure
if those dropping thousands for their VIP
Pesach getaways have given full maaser, have paid their tuitions in full and
do with the money what Hashem wants
them to do with it, then they can spend
the rest however they want. I just feel
bad for those yeshiva administrators and
shul treasurers and organizations CEO’s
desperate for funding who are competing
with the guy who has no money for them
but has plenty for his Pesach getaway. Just
a personal concern of mine, of course you
don’t have to agree.
Funny to me how things come around
because just a few months ago we were
inundated with weekly letters from Mr.
Finkelstein who was demanding from us
to NOT allow people to do what they want
when it came to masks in shuls. He needed
to Daven only in his shul and wanted everyone else to be forced to wear masks (of
course lshem shomayim claiming sakonas
nefoshos). Sorry sir but either you allow
people to make their own choices and live
how they wish or you don’t. Can’t have it
both ways based on where you decide to
draw your lines in the sand.
Bottom line is simple. If it makes sense
to you, or you could care less, or you feel it
is none of your business that 200M is spent
on Pesach getaways to programs, Orlando
or wherever - just not to be home, then
that’s your choice and fine. If something
about spending $200M bothers you then
that’s your choice and fine as well.
We are living in unprecedented times
when there is an amazing abundance of
shefa and parnasa among many in our
machane. Like everything else, it is a nisayon. Are we going to have 7 “fat” years
followed by 7 “famine” years or will we
continue to keep having more? In the end
our actions will dictate, and as always, the
Almighty will do what he knows is best
for us.
(Still) Flabbergasted in Flatbush