You are royalty TB Shabbat 111

How do you feel about being Jewish? Are you proud or embarrassed? Do you have a good Jewish self-image or poor self-image one? I teach Jewish short stories in my adult education classes. Recently two of them have much to say on this topic. The first story is Sholom Aleichem’s “On Account of a Hat.” The second story is Aharon Megged’s “The Name.”

The hero of the “On Account of a Hat” is Sholem Shachnah. He is a typical Jew of the Pale of Settlement eking out a livelihood. He falls asleep next to some petty Russian official waiting for his train to take him home erev Passover. Awakened, he reaches underneath the bench for his hat that fell off only to pick up and put on the sleeping Russian official’s hat with the red band and visor. Because of that hat everybody treats him respectfully and calls him “Your Excellency.” Sholem can’t believe his ears and thinks everybody is mocking him. “He has no idea why all these honors have suddenly been heaped upon him-first class, salutes, Your Excellency. Can it be an account of the real estate deal he just closed? That’s it! But wait a minute. His own people, Jews, that is, honored him for this, it would be understandable. The Gentiles! The conductor! The ticket agent! What is it to them? Maybe he’s dreaming.” After the porter takes him to the first class carriage, he sees himself for the first time in the mirror wearing that hat with the red band and visor. He doesn’t see himself, but that Russian official. He concludes the porter who was supposed to wake him up to catch the train woke up the wrong person! Before the train moves out of the station Sholem disembarks. Since this is the last train home before Passover, he has to spend the seders with strangers. Sholom Aleichem is trying to tell his Jews that they have forgotten their own self-worth.

In the story “The Name” Grandfather Zisskind’s son’s family was murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. Grandfather Zisskind’s sabra granddaughter Raya is pregnant and absolutely refuses to name her future son after his grandson Mendele who was murdered by the Nazis. Speaking to her mother “What are you talking about, Mother”-Raya rebelled against the thought-“a Ghetto name, ugly, horrible! I wouldn’t even be capable of letting it cross my lips. Do you want me to hate my child?” The new parents hate the name Mendele because they were born in Israel. Grandfather Zisskind rails against this low self-image of their fellow Jews Israelis have. “You were born here. Very nice…” said Grandfather Zisskind with emotion. “So what of it? Was so remarkable about that? Are you clever than they? More cultured? Are you greater than they in Torah good deeds is your blood better than theirs?” Aharon Meged is trying to tell Israelis that they become orphans in history if they denigrate their ancestors’self-worth.

We have been studying the laws of healing on Shabbat in chapter 14 of massechet Shabbat. I believe that Rabbi Shimon on today’s daf TB Shabbat 111 provides the antidote for low self-esteem. “One who is concerned about pain in his loins may not smear wine and vinegar on them on Shabbat because that is a medical treatment. However, one may smear oil on them. However, one may not use rose oil, which is very expensive and used exclusively as a cure. However, princes may smear with rose oil on their wounds on Shabbat because it is their usual manner to smear rose oil on themselves during the week for pleasure. Rabbi Shimon says: All of the Jewish people are princes, and it is permitted for them to smear rose oil on themselves on Shabbat.” (Sefaria.org translation) We have a tremendous past to be proud of and a wonderful future to look forward to. So the next time you look at yourself in the mirror and don’t like what you see, remember you are descended from “royalty.”

By the way, with this daf we finish our chapter and begin the 15^th chapter of massechet Shabbat with deals with the prohibition of tying and untying knots.