An Israeli Taxi Driver Creates a Moment of Sanctity
| Author: Rabbi Chaim Levine | May 2006 |
 "I mean really, what is the purpose of it all rabbi?" He asked as he looked at me through the rearview mirror. "Why all the laws, why this mess with the Palestinians, what's the point of it really?" It's funny the kind of conversations one can get into with an Israeli taxi driver. I was cabbing it from the Jerusalem bus station to the Western wall on my most recent trip to Israel, and since we had already agreed on a price of the fare, we moved onto the next topic - the Meaning of Israel, Judaism, and the scope of Jewish history. So much for talking about the weather or even arguing about politics, he had just fired a shot across my rabbinic bow and was waiting for an answer.
I answered him with the two words that are mentioned in this week's Torah portion, two words that truly say it all when it comes to summing up the point of all of Judaism and Jewish history.
Kiddush Hashem.
Kiddush Hashem translates literally as "Sanctifying the Name of G-d", and while dying for G-d has been hijacked in the most perverse way by suicide bombers, living a life that inspires others is the deeper meaning of living a life of Jewish sanctity.
Kiddush Hashem is when we as Jews inspire others to live a more spiritual and moral life simply by who we are and how we act. This is considered to be on of the greatest Mitzvot in the entire Torah and the direction in which the other 612 Mitzvot are pointing.
The Torah says, Want to do something greater than inventing the wheel or the printing press? Be an incredible mensch and you will not only end up impacting thousands, but you will bring honor to no one less than G-d Himself. Sound incredulous? Let me give you a case in point:
Remember when Aaron Feuerstein, the CEO of Malden Mills in New England, when his factory burned down in late 1996 Aaron decided to keep paying thousands of his idled workers who were dependent on the factory through the months that is took to rebuild it at a tremendous cost to his company?
He caught the nations attention for his action, and when he was asked what motivated him he answered them simply that he was an religious Jew and what he did was based on Jewish ideals. He said he chose this action because anything else would not be true to his Jewish values. This is the point of it all. This is the kind of act that inspired thousands to live their lives and operate their business differently.
But there is an entirely more subtle yet equally powerful way that each of us can make a Kiddush Hashem everyday. Whether it is right or wrong, people often cast judgment on the entire Jewish people based on the actions of the one or two Jewish people they know. Sometimes WE are those one or two people. We have to know that we are that we are often ambassadors of the Jewish people and yes even Israel in every way we act and talk with other people. You are Jewish and you have a reputation for being incredibly honest and having the highest level of integrity in business, then you have made a great Kiddush Hashem. You are Jewish and you are the first to open the door, the last to get out of the elevator, the last to take credit for yourself and the first to praise the work of others, then you are making a daily Kiddush Hashem.
I talked on and on to the driver as he navigated the narrow street of Jerusalem's Old City on the way down to the Western Wall. I wasn't sure if he was still listening as my two word answer turned into a monologue.
As we pulled up to Jewish quarter, I reached for my wallet to pay the fare but he turned back and stopped me. "I want to make a Kiddush Hashem too," he said with a twinkle in his eye as he opened the door for me and changed the meter to $0.00. "Go back and tell your friends in America that an Israeli taxi driver wouldn't take your money." As I got out of the cab he reached into his tip jar and poured it into my hand to give to the needy at the Western Wall.
I knew that must have been difficult for him given the how terrible business had been, but he wasn't concerned about his business, he was concerned with giving me a living example of what I had been trying to explain.
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