On March 27th, the Times ran a front-page story under a four-column headline:
37 WHO SAW MURDER DIDN’T CALL THE POLICE: Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector
“For more than half an hour 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens. . . . Not one person telephoned the police during the assault; one witness called after the woman was dead.”
Why do you think no one decided to call the police or try and stop the attacker?
Why do you think people don't take action in general?
מה ראו חנניה מישאל ועזריה שמסרו [עצמן] על קדושת השם לכבשן האש נשאו קל וחומר בעצמן מצפרדעים ומה צפרדעים שאין מצווין על קדושת השם כתיב בהו (שמות ז, כח) ובאו [ועלו] בביתך [וגו'] ובתנוריך ובמשארותיך
What did Chananiah, Mishal, and Azaria see that they gave up their lives for the holiness of G-d through the oven of fire? They learned a kal v'chomer from the frogs. Even though the frogs weren't commanded on sanctifying the name of G-d, it is written that they went into the homes, into the ovens, and into the kneading-troughs.
Now there is a problem in understanding
this Gemara. And this problem was raised by the Shaagas Aryeh, one
of the great Torah giants of the 18th century. Because the Gemara
implies that the frogs were not commanded to jump into the Egyptian
ovens. But that's not true, said the Shaagas Aryeh! After all, Moshe
Rabeinu, relating the word of Hashem, had told Pharaoh explicitly:
"Vialu Ubau Biveisecha Ubichadar Mishkavcha Vial Mitascha Ubiveis
Avadecha Ubiamcha Ubitanurecha Ubimisharasecha." "Band they will
go up into your home and your bedroom and upon your bed and the
into the homes of your servants and people, and into your ovens and
dough". So it seems that G-d had required the frogs to go into the
ovens! How can the Gemara, then, say that the frogs were not
commanded?
Among those present when the Shaagas Aryeh asked the question
was the seven-year-old prodigy Eliyahu, the future Gaon of Vilna. And
without hesitation he spoke up and answered the question, as follows:
True, he said, the frogs were commanded to enter, among other
places, the ovens of the Egyptians. But each individual frog was not
given a specific mission. The frogs as a whole were commanded to go
into Pharaoh's home, into his bedroom, into his bed, into the houses of
his slaves and of his people, and into the ovens and into the dough.
But there was nothing to stop any particular frog from choosing to go
into Pharaoh's bedroom or bed, and letting some other frog go jump in
an oven
And therefore those frogs that jumped into the hot ovens - if we can
say such a thing about frogs - did so voluntarily. And it is from them
that Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah took their cue.
How often in our lives do we see something that needs to be done, but instead of doing something we complain!
"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Mahatmah Ghandi
(ה) הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אֵין בּוֹר יְרֵא חֵטְא, וְלֹא עַם הָאָרֶץ חָסִיד, וְלֹא הַבַּיְשָׁן לָמֵד, וְלֹא הַקַּפְּדָן מְלַמֵּד, וְלֹא כָל הַמַּרְבֶּה בִסְחוֹרָה מַחְכִּים. ובִמְקוֹם שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ:
(5) A boor cannot fear sin. An ignorant person cannot be pious. A person prone to being ashamed cannot learn. An impatient person cannot teach. Not all who engage in a lot of business become wise. In a place where there is no man, strive to be a man.
On Tuesday, the Reynolds boys saw News 10's report about Gerry Suttle, the 75-year-old Riesel woman who has a warrant out for her arrest because her grass was too high.
Even though they didn't know Suttle, they decided to load up their mowers and come mow her lot.
"We haven't met her yet but she's 75 years old and she needs some help mowing," said Blaine Reynolds. "That's the least we could do."
Once the brothers got started, others in the community joined. Together, they were able to mow the entire lot in about two hours.
"I cannot believe this," Suttle said.
Suttle said she's not often speechless, but today she was.
"I am very seldom without words. This is one time. You might want to mark it down in history that I didn't have something to say," Suttle said.
But the Reynolds brothers said they didn't think anything of helping Suttle out.
"I really wouldn't want her coming out here and doing it or paying someone else to when we could have just done if for free," Brandon Reynolds said.
Now that the grass is cut, Suttle will have to talk to the judge about getting her warrant for failure to appear about the lawn dropped.
Taking it L'Maaseh!!!!!!!!
Let's discuss ways we could take initiative here on JOLT. Do you see someone being left out? Is there a problem you see with how JOLT is running? It won't change unless you do something!