"You absolutely must switch over your weekly shopping trip
to the new Cheap-O-Super that's recently opened. You won't
believe the bargains. Why, I must have saved one hundred
shekels already this month." So says Leah to her dear
friend Sara. Sara lowers her eyes and says, "We'll see."
Why did she lower her eyes?
Leah lives in the center of Jerusalem, which may mean
Geula, Ezras Torah, the so-called `black belt' from Hamem
Gimmel to Shikun Chabad, or anywhere around those parts.
She can walk or hop a bus to Cheap-O or go with her husband
at night in the car.
Sara is a suburban (read: Ramot, Givat Zev, Har Nof or
similar) single mother. Getting to the discount
supermarkets involves a long ride on two buses, probably a
babysitter, a problem of carrying home those items needed
that day before the store delivery might come, and most
embarrassing of all: laying out a sum of money that doesn't
exist at any one time in her purse or bank account.
There are poor people among us who fall between the cracks.
They are not eligible for government aid and do not receive
charity food `baskets.' They are trying to work part-time
and tighten their belt full-time.
Take the case of Shifra. Her family is growing. Her husband
learns and receives a stipend and he tries to write
mezuzos at night. She used to work outside the home
and is at present a full-time mother. On a recent Friday
morning, she offered me some home made vegetable
kishke to pop into my cholent. She took out a
thin plastic bag suited for a medium sized garbage pail and
proceeded to fill one corner with about a cup of mixture.
Puzzled, I asked why she was wasting such a big bag. (I was
also going to advise buying a heavier plastic to avoid rips
and spills, but fortunately kept my foot out of my mouth on
that one.)
She explained, somewhat redfaced, that these were the only
bags left in the house and she couldn't go into the grocery
because the bill was too high and the grocer would not let
her charge any more. So she was using whatever she had on
hand, no matter how inappropriate, until such time as some
money would come in and she could reduce the debt a bit.
Lessons on thrift, quality and quantity are clearly out of
order in this situation.
So next time you're tempted to tell Shprintza that she
overpaid on that can of peas to the tune of half a shekel,
remember that she may not be in a position to buy four cans
and get one free. She has the means at this time to buy
only one.
Chazal teach us not to judge our fellow man until we have
been in his position. I am working on being more sensitive
to the day-by-day struggle of those around me and praying
that soon there will be a geula sheleima and an end
to all suffering.
