And Av begins...

While studying in Shavuot, the Rabbi, who's a very very funny man, was asked why the shull wasn't full in Shavuot like it is on the so-called high holidays. How important is Shavuot? We received the Torah for crying out loud!!! What could be more important??? He answered, half joking and half true, well, Shavuot has a marketing problem.

Let's be realistic, nowadays a lot of our people are High Holiday Jews... you know who I'm talking about...the people who will never step foot in a synagogue but will surely be there on Yom Kippur... Those who work on Saturdays but will ask for days off from work on Rosh Hashannah... and to these people, holidays like Shavuot and fasts like Tisha B'Av have not been marketed properly. Both, I belileve are of the most important of holidays. Recieving Torah!!!! Mourning the Bait Hamikdash?!?!

I just find intriguing that a fast that is absolutely personal like Yom Kippur has become more important than the fasts of the 3 weeks, where we are fasting for others, for the world, for peace, for Moshiach!!! Is this an ego thing? Is it lack of education? Lack of marketing like the Rabbi said?

And I find myself in a debate... a serious debate. I work for a family business... with my uncle and cousins... you know how in orthodox homes your family expects you to be as orthodox as they are? G-d forbid you dress less modestly or do anything inappropriate... well, in Conservative homes, I have realized the opposite happens. On 17 Tammuz, I left the office 15 minutes earlier, as I was feeling tired... I wanted to go home and finish my fast in peace and quiet, and daven a bit... my uncle caught me in the middle of my escapade and though he wasn't rude, he did ask if I was crazy for fasting... and he said literally "Oh! (deep sigh)...our little rebbetzin." I thought it was cute, yet, I knew it was ununderstandable (is that a word?) for him... So here I am, knowing it will be business as usual on 9 Av and knowing they will mock me and think I'm just lazy for not wanting to come to work... Deep sigh.

Now, my next debate. I am a vegetarian. I don't eat desert during these days, but then again, unless it's Shabbat, I never eat desert, so that makes no big deal. Should I stop eating potatoes? I loooove potatoes...french fries, mashed potatoes, latkes, boiled potatoes, grilled potatoes, potato salad... love it! Maybe I should not eat potatoes...what else can I do to make this special? To make this important? To make this a bit of a sacrifice? Quit coffee??? Naaaaaaaah, that would be hazardous to my health... I don't know, opinions welcome here.

So here it is. We need to start a marketing campaign for non-famous holidays. I will start posting adds and articles before the counting of the next Omer, and will campaign on the importance of community fasting for the world... hope somebody is there with me.

We need peace. We need Moshiach. We need to stop eating potatoes.