We are so very lucky to have the Torah, and to be able to
live by its many laws. Their perfection is truly, well,
perfect.
And when it says that some laws aren't written because they
are so obvious and can logically be drawn from our own
intellect, well, that makes perfect sense, too, since
Hashem did breathe a part of Himself, as it were, into each
one of us and so, deep within each of us, real Truth does
reside. I guess it's often just a matter of getting that
latent Truth out of our subconscious and into our everyday
brain.
However, interestingly, did you ever notice that perhaps
because we have so many correct laws to live by, some of us
sometimes seem to feel that we don't have to worry about
`outside laws', i.e. if it hasn't been clearly pointed out
to me in the Shulchon Oruch, then it's not something
I have to do/ pay attention to/ worry about. [Ed. What is
sometimes called "the Fifth Shulchon Oruch".]
Some of these things relate to one's environmental
background. Like, for instance, matches. Since in Israel
most buildings are built out of stone or concrete, few
people have the concern about preventing fires that those
who were raised in America or England have.
I remember being horrified when, after the first ten years
of living in Israel I saw someone throw a lit cigarette
down onto a small path in a park. When I pointed out to him
that there were flowers, trees and grass all around which
could easily catch fire, he looked at me incredulously,
tapped his shoe on the path, and succinctly stated that the
footpath was paved.
To him, a native Sabra, there was absolutely no fear -- no,
not even the thought of the possibility of the fact that
the lit cigarette would possibly roll off the footpath and
ignite the nearby grass. To me, it was inconceivable that a
person would even take a hundredth of a hundredth of a
chance that maybe it could happen.
And then I noticed at the burning of the chometz and
on Lag B'Omer how many children and their fathers thought
that the best place for lighting their fires was next to
tree trunks and/or under the boughs of trees. For some
reason, the middle of paved parking lots never seems to
attract as many bonfires.
Perhaps it's because people are concerned that they might
need to clean up the dirty ashes that will be left behind
after the fire burns itself out -- and no one has time for
going back and doing that. So it is much easier and more
convenient to light a fire on the grass next to a tree.
There, no one would think of having to clean up, even if
the bark of the tree was damaged or if the grass and/or
leaves of the tree burned up. Perhaps, since it is one of
Hashem's creations, people figure that He can make a new
one with no problem.
The importance of speaking about this matter struck me when
a friend mentioned that she has often seen children playing
with matches with no signs of trepidation on the part of
their parents. We then realized how many lovely art
projects are brought home from kindergarten which are made
of or decorated with a border of match sticks, usually
burned ones. [Which is probably a good thing, but WHO
supervises the burning?]
I think that perhaps we need to reevaluate the prevalent
idea that "guard yourself very, very much" basically refers
only to running around recklessly or crossing the street
between cars.
Take for example balloons and plastic bags. I happen to
love the former and use a lot of the latter. But in my day,
both were considered something that should never be allowed
around a young child without adult supervision. Actually,
plastic bags were never ever allowed around children for
any reason: as soon as a toy or package was taken out of
the plastic bag, it was immediately knotted and thrown
away. Immediately.
Today, the majority of baby carriages and strollers seem to
come with thick transparent plastic coverings to keep out
the rain and the cold. Though I realize that these plastic
`bags' come complete with breathing holes punched into
them, I wonder if the fear of plastic bags and the dangers
of suffocation they can create has been mitigated somewhat,
among parents as well as children. I certainly see many
little plastic sandwich bags and small pieces of plastic
bags on the floors in homes that have young children
crawling around, and no one seems horrified when it is
pointed out to one of the parents.
In fact, the same is true with balloons. Though they are
wonderful and delightful for children of all ages, are we
properly fanatical about picking up each and every tiny
piece of a balloon after it breaks? Doesn't anyone imagine
anymore that a child can pick up a small piece of the
balloon and put it into his/her mouth and, G-d forbid,
choke to death? (In fact, this can probably also be
applicable to not-yet-blown-up balloons, too.)
We all know that medicines need to be kept out of the reach
of children, but have these wonderful `child-proof' cap
tops made us less wary of where we store our medicine
bottles and boxes? Do baby vitamins become less dangerous
if ingested in quantity just because they are flavored and
made for baby? And so, even if keeping them on the coffee-
and-tea shelf in the kitchen is convenient, is it wise?
What if...
Often, getting used to things lowers our guard in areas
that perhaps it is wisest to remain cautious.
Especially since there are NO statistics about people who
have been injured by not having balloons or plastic
bags or medicines within easy reach...
The truth of the matter is that even the trees deserve that
we think about them.
[Ed. After all, we still need them for matches...]
