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Nov. 20, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: How to make every second of your life come first
Caroline B. Glick: Whither American Jewry
Nov. 19, 2009
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Please Listen to this Godcast (5 minutes)
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : When borrowing is stealing
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity
Nov. 12, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet By Marialisa Calta : A sweet sweet potato treat
JWisdom.com Does God get tired? with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Jews and money: When anti-Semitism isn't
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review July 18, 2003 / 18 Tamuz, 5763

Sermon On The Light Rail

By Phil Jacobs

http://www.jewishworldreview.com | BALTIMORE Sometimes to get a lesson on spirituality, all you have to do is listen, and you'll find that "message" we're all looking for. Or, sometimes it will find you.


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Monday, for example. I had finished a late lunch with my daughter. She dropped me off at about 2 at the light rail stop. There aren't many people on the train at this time, because it's not rush hour. It's a hot, sunny day, and the train's air conditioning feels good. There are four other people in the train car.


I sat down, kippah and all, and started reading my Jewish Observer magazine. It's a back issue, so I'm reading about counting the Omer and the religious festival of Shavuos. By the time I settle into the article, I hear a very loud voice.


A lady, several rows behind me, was talking about G-d. The lady she was talking to was talking about G-d back to her. It was loud, it was full of purpose and full of passion. There was no pretending you didn't hear what they were talking about.


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Now, I've been on the light rail many times. I've heard people holding personal conversations on their cell phones with just a little too much information than the rest of us need to hear. I've watched parents verbally discipline their kids. And I even watched as a grandfather did nothing while his two young grandsons stood in the middle of the aisle enjoying the tumble they took when the train braked. I ended up warning the kids that they could get hurt.


Be that as it may, the two women in the corner of the train were talking G-d. It was a ferocious conversation. Here are some of their words:


"A person's mood during the day is determined by the mood he has when he leaves his house. If he's in a good mood, he'll have a great day. If he's in a bad mood, forget about his day."


And that was just for starters. "We can't be judging everyone. That's G-d's job. He puts us on this Earth with love, and all that He wants in return is to behave and help one another. We're in His image."


Before more discussions came from the women, a man seated about four rows in front of me turned around, stretched out his arm and pointed his finger at them while shaking his head in affirmation at the ladies. There was only one other person on the train, who bolted out of the door when we reached Woodberry, looking at me with an expression that said, "You're on your own, kid."


There are now four of us in this car. And the man now yells to the women, "People think of all kinds of ways not to go hear the word in church. They'll blame their grandchild for something so they won't go." The women shouted back: "Amen." The man shouts back, "Amen."


This is happening on a light rail train. I bury my head deeper in my magazine, but I'm not reading a word. The woman with the loudest voice is wearing what looks like a Wal-Mart smock. She's now giving a sermon about Adam and Eve and the serpent. She talked about evil, she talked about darkness.


The man in front of me said, "How can a man say he is a giver when he keeps his fist clenched so tightly. You've got to give back to the people from your riches. That's what G-d taught."


I was caught in a crossfire of amens and G-d-talk. When we reached Mount Royal, the man in front of me got off. He said to the ladies, "Thank you. You started this. Now let's live it." One of the women thanked him back, calling him "my brother."


At my stop I had to pass the ladies to exit. I wanted to say something. But I didn't know what it was. I heard the words coming from my mouth, "Thank you, I agreed with just about everything you said. You made my day."


One of the ladies answered, "G-d bless you. Thank you. Live a wonderful day." The other woman said, "See you again."


I wonder if they'll be on the train when I go home.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Phil Jacobs is the editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times. Comment by clicking here.

© 2003, Baltimore Jewish Times