Seidemann: Lessons from Beverly the mail carrier

From the other side of the bench

by David Seidemann

Issue of July 9, 2010/ 27 Tammuz, 5770

This week’s cast of characters includes Shimon Hatzadik, the former head of the Sanhedrin, the High Court; Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel, the former prince of the Sanhedrin; my parents and other members of our synagogue in Columbus, Ohio, and Beverly, our mail carrier.

In the olden days, great people were known not for what they said and what they did. Instead, they were judged by whether their actions correlated with what they said. The body of work known as Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, quotes lessons of life from our sages. The reason why these particular quotes were compiled is because those particular sages lived by the very words that emanated from their mouths.

Shimon Hatzadik lived during the era when the Persians and Greeks attempted to impose their will over the Jews living in Israel. Prophecy had ceased and temple worship had been compromised. Shimon was the leader of what was known as the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah, the Men of the Great Assembly, a body of leaders that guided the Jews after the building of the second Beis Hamikdosh, the Temple.

His clarion cry, as recorded in Pirkei Avot, was that the world stands on three matters: the study of Torah, sacrifices (or in modern times prayer), and the performance of good deeds. Serving for 40 years as the High Priest, the leader of the Sanhedrin, and as one of the members of the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah, Shimon Hatzadik died in the year 3488.

Hundreds of years later after the Bar Kochba revolt and after witnessing the destruction of the second Temple at the hands of the Romans, Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel was appointed as the prince of the Sanhedrin. No longer was the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah in existence, the holy Temple had been destroyed, and the Sanhedrin had to move from place to place and sometimes was not able to convene at all.

Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel had a different take on which three things served as the basis of the world’s existence. He codified them as justice, truth and peace.

One could explain that the two sages are indeed arguing as to the underlying principles by which this world exists. One could also posit that their statements reflect the times in which they lived and there was no disagreement. Each sage was speaking the truth of his time. When Shimon Hatzadik was alive, the Second Temple was still in existence. The Sanhedrin, though weakened, was still functioning. The Anshei Knesset Hagedolah was still active to guide the Jewish people. The study of Torah, observance of Torah, sacrifices, prayer and acts of kindness abounded.

Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel, however, had witnessed the disappearance in great measure of all of the above. It would be too much to ask the Jewish people to live by pure Torah and therefore Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel had to appeal to a much more universal set of standards, i.e. justice, truth and peace

I believe another interpretation is viable. Shimon Hatzadik speaks to the ultimate goal while Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel addresses the implementation of that goal. More often than not, the way to have others see the beauty of our way of life is to approach them out of a sense of justice, truth and peace.

Beverly was our mail carrier back in Columbus, Ohio in the 60’s and 70’s and it seemed as if she never missed a day. As the saying goes, neither rain nor snow.... In winters my parents taught us to inquire whether she was warm enough and to ask her if she would like a hot drink. In the summers we offered her iced tea and lemonade. She was the postal employee that was assigned to our neighborhood, which included our synagogue. We would greet her with a cool drink and she would greet us with warm salutations. During the weekdays she would say, “have a good day,” and on Shabbos she would say, “have a blessed Shabbos.”

Her delivery time would bring her to our synagogue about the time of the conclusion of services every Shabbos. She became a staple of the Kiddush along with the herring, kichel, and schnapps .

She disappeared for a few months and we all assumed she had transferred or retired. How surprised we were to find her months later, standing in the women’s section of our synagogue participating in the services. She had converted. Instead of delivering other people’s messages to our synagogue via the U.S. Postal Service she was delivering her own messages: her own prayers to her new “boss” through a siddur. And in her words, her trek began with the care and concern shown by a few people whose goal was not only one of peace, but whose way of life towards that goal was one of peace.

Shimon Hatzadik tells us what G-d wants from the Jewish people. Hundreds of years later Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel instructed us how to achieve it. Truths, justice and peace must be the vehicle we employ to bring others and ourselves to a life of Torah observance, worship and good deeds.

It’s amazing what a cool drink on a hot day can accomplish.

David Seidemann is a partner with the law firm of Seidemann & Mermelstein. He can be reached at (718) 692-1013 and at ds@lawofficesm.com