Rabbi Yisrael Salanter was expected at shul one Kol Nidrei
eve. However he was late in coming. His students began to worry and went out to
search for him. They finally found him
at one of the congregant’s homes rocking a baby to sleep. Rabbi Yisrael explained that while walking to
synagogue he heard a baby crying. He
realized the parents must have put the baby to sleep ad then left for synagogue
assuming he would sleep through the night.
However, the baby woke and Rabbi Yisrael, hearing the cries, decided
that comforting the child took precedence over being present in shul on the
holiest night of the year. - Retold by Eliezer Diamond
“Between 1305 and the early 1800’s. the House of Taxis ran a form of pony express service all over Europe…. Its couriers clad in blue and silver uniforms, crisscrossed the continent carrying messages between princes and generals, merchants and money lenders.” –Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave We may think we are the first generation consumed by rapid communication but we are not. Throughout our history it has been a priority. Of course, now in the 21 st century we must ask: are we better or worse for it?
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