ChinuchAtHome

This week alone, I've witnessed three different incidents of what I call "Chutzpah" with a capital C.  And I live in Israel now....

Chutzpah #1:

At the matnas (community center) where we get free homework help, there were a few of us waiting our turn to be served by the two volunteer Bat Sherut (national service girls) who come every week as homework helpers to olim (new immigrants).

There was a young girl in second grade already ahead of us and is being helped with her homework.  Since we have waited a while, the Bat Sherut girl decided to start helping us as well as the young girl.  When another lady arrived who is a coordinator of the learning center, she agreed to put her sole attention to the young girl, so that the Bat Sherut could then service us 100%.

The young girl started saying to the coordinator, "Why don't you help the other girl and Penina can help me?"

It sounded innocently cute in writing, but not so when conveyed verbally.  The coordinator said, "Chutzpanit!" toward the girl.

Chutzpah #2:

Construction workers were working along the pavement surrounding our rented cottage.  It was a regular hot day in Israel.  I offered them water to drink.  I thought I was doing a mitzvah.  They workers were appreciative.

The construction work took several days.  The next time they saw me, one of them asked for 2 cups of coffee with 2 teaspoons of sugar, in Hebrew.  "Chutzpanik!", I thought.  I came out with what he "ordered", and then he responded, "Where's the milk? Milk! Milk!" Now this is worse than Chutzpah.  This is unappreciative.  So, I brought in the 2 cups of coffee and added milk in them.  Before I rushed back in, the worker decided to talk to me some more, in Hebrew.  But I told him I didn't understand Hebrew so well, which is true.  My conversational Hebrew wasn't so great.

I asked him if he speaks English. He responded, "My English is not so well."  That's good English to me.  He then proceeded to say in Hebrew to communicate that his scores in Arabic was very good and so was his scores in Hebrew, but when it came to English, it was very bad. Otherwise he would have become a doctor.  This guy is Arab, and so is his colleague.  I have heard him speaking in Arabic to his friend.

Now, I understood the phrase, "If you give him an inch, he'll demand a foot" applying to these Ishmalite cousins of ours.

Chutzpah #3:

In a shiur that I attended this evening, which coincides with the weekly Torah portion of 'Shlach Lecha',  the lecturer was saying that the meraglim and the generation that they influenced were behaving in a way that is chutzpadik towards Hashem.  

Even after all the miracles and wonders that Hashem has done for the Jews in Egypt and in the desert, the spies and the people they influenced rejected Eretz Yisrael.  They have lack of faith in G-d and wanted to remain in the desert because all their needs are met, by none other than HaKadosh Baruch Hu.  They didn't have enough faith and trust in Hashem that He too will war against the Cannanim for the Jews, so that the Jews can inherit the good land of Israel.   The reshaim among the Jews complained needlessly about the mann, about the water, about the leaders, about the meat, and so on and so forth.  

In summary, clearly this week, I learned a lesson or two about chutzpah, and how being kind towards the wrong people will end up harming myself.  In addition, people lack gratitude today.  People continue to take things for granted.  People forget about the Source of everything.    People seeking comfort from material possessions and other people instead of from Hashem, the only True Giver without a motive.

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