Rebbetzin Neustadt told a story of a town Rabbi who was walking down the street when he was apprehended by the town’s anti-Semitic mayor. “Where are you going, Jew?” he demanded to know.
“I don’t know,” was the Rabbi’s reply.
“Don’t lie to me. How can you not know where you are going? Tell me now or I’ll have you arrested.”
“It is the truth,” repeated the Rabbi, “I have no idea where I’m going.”
Within the hour, the Rabbi was sitting in jail awaiting his fate. When news got out, the local Jews came to their Rabbi and asked why the Rabbi didn’t tell the mayor where he was heading.
“I answered honestly,” replied the Rabbi, “if he would have asked me where am I planning on going, I would have told him; but to ask me where I am going — that, I have no idea. That’s Hashem’s business! As you can see, I thought I was going to shul, but look, I’m sitting right here in jail.”
“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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