This morning, I found myself shoveling the surprisingly heavy snow that fell here yesterday until late at night.
That's how it is—every property owner must clear the sidewalk in front of their building to allow pedestrians to pass. The more possessions, the more responsibility. And since Chabad House has a property, I was the one required to do this today. So, I found myself on this short Friday morning, in boots, gloves, and a Borsalino, clearing the snow.
It’s no trivial task; it’s quite physically demanding. And the area is fairly large, thank God. All along the street, people were outside shoveling snow. Not everyone, of course, was wearing a Borsalino, but the scraping sound of snow shovels echoed from every direction.
The snow arrived too early this year, without any prior preparation. I didn’t even have the special salt that you spread on the sidewalk after shoveling to prevent slipping. Then, quite unexpectedly, the man shoveling next door came over with a bucket of salt and began sprinkling it over all the areas I had already cleared. He didn’t say a word, just smiled. I said to him, “Thank you so much,” and he replied, “Don’t mention it, it’s nothing. My pleasure.”
And then it hit me—I didn’t have a post for today.
But now, I realized, I had one. Because if I hadn’t gone out to shovel the snow, my neighbor wouldn’t have sprinkled salt on the sidewalk in front of the Chabad House. He didn’t sprinkle salt in front of houses where the snow hadn’t been cleared, and why would he? There’s no point in spreading salt on 20 or 30 centimeters of snow. But when you see someone working hard and making an effort, it’s easier to lend a hand compared to someone who shows no interest or effort.
That’s exactly what I thought about this morning. I tried to delay shoveling the snow, reasoning that since I didn’t have salt anyway, I might as well first go buy some and then start. But life doesn’t seem to work that way. First, you have to start, take the first steps, and things will work out. Someone will come along and lend you a hand. If you stay at home, nothing will happen. But if you head out, there’s a good chance that a neighbor from the right will sprinkle some salt for you. And it won’t be on the wounds.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zalman Wishedski