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Home
and Family
Just Ask
by Rosally Saltsman
When in 120 years we really start to live (at least
metaphysically),
Hashem will ask us various questions about what we did and
didn't
do in life. One of these questions will be why we hadn't
eaten certain
fruits that were available to us, why we never even tasted
them once.
Undoubtedly, some people will answer, "I didn't know where to
buy them." To which the answer might be, "Well, why didn't
you ask?" Many things are there just for the asking; but you
have
to ask. How many opportunities are lost to us because we
don't know
when, what and whom to ask? Because we don't exert an extra
ounce
of effort.
Recently, as part of boosting morale in my office, the
[secular]
company I work for got a coffee machine. It was very
exciting! The
most delicious exotic coffees at the push of a button. The
machine
had much information written on it, all of it in Italian. I
asked
the person responsible for the machine if the coffee etc. was
kosher.
He didn't know and we got into a debate about whether there
should
be a kosher coffee machine in the office in the first place.
I guess
there is nothing unusual in Israel about having a political
argument
over coffee.
I decided that the most practical thing to do was to write
down
the phone number of the company that supplied the machine,
which was
not in Italian, and call them to ascertain the product's
religious
credentials. When I called the company later in the day, I
was informed
that the products were from Italy and didn't have any
hechsher.
I was glad to learn that the person who had disagreed with me
earlier
had already ordered a kosher coffee machine for the office.
Whether I had gotten through to my co-worker or whether it is
because our general manager is religious, I'll never know.
But only
a few days later, before I even sat down at my desk, I had a
frothy,
hot, sweet cup of French vanilla coffee, not only with a
hechsher,
but with genuine cholov Yisroel.
Now what would have happened had I not asked? I probably
would
have resented the religious bias in the office; the coffee
machine
company would have been minus one daily customer, fewer
people would
be drinking kosher coffee and the worker responsible for the
coffee
machine would have been deprived of a mitzva. Not all
stories
end as happily, but the exercise certainly made me wiser and
hopefully
landed me an E for Effort on my Permanent Report Card.
Hashem has given us a world of opportunities in every area of
our lives. The world is our oyster [forgive the unkosher
expression].
The pearls are ours for the taking. All we have to do is know
how
to ask.
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