On Monday, instead of having a tiyul, we had a day to prepare for the shabbaton. Each person was either put in charge of a committee or put in one. I was in charge of a choir presentation, and so my commitee was just basically looking for pretty but not so well known songs the whole day.
Fun story... Thursday I called both of my chesed families to ask if either one of them needed me, and as it turned out, both had other things going on and I didn't have to come. This made me very happy because it gave me the much sought after time to read and do laundry. Unfortunately, trivial things loose their glamour in so short a time and after about 3 hours, I got really bored. So I decided to take a walk. I walked for near an hour when I came to rest on a bench opposite the central bus station. Close enough to observe the unsuspecting people running by, minding their own business, and far enough not to be seen. Somehow this form of entertainment seemed to only intensify the boredom.
When it seemed there was no hope for my mood, I remembered something one of my teachers said in class that week. His class was all about distinguishing fantasy from reality, and revealing society for what it is... He explained that just like hunger is a signal of the Neshama to eat (not a cheeseburger like on the commercials, but certain nutritious foods that we know we should eat) and thirst is a signal for water (not soda or gatorade) so too, boredom is not a state of being... its a signal. Boredom is a signal for purpose. When the Neshama is crying out to do something- to do good deeds, the person feels bored. As he so plainly put it "What happens when you eat when your bored? now your full and bored." It's not that we have nothing to do... its that we don't want to do anything. We are reaching out for PURPOSE.
Once I realized this, I felt happier. I understood that the reason for my boredom was missing chesed, and that I now needed to find a chesed to do. I quickly set off back for the seminary, assuming that I could probably find someone who needed help with something there. My opportunity came sooner than expected when I met an old woman stooped over and pulling a shopping basket behind her. I went over to her and asked if I could help her out. She asked me my name and told me she was on her way to the Center right next to the Tachana and that usually her grandchildren go shopping with her but everyone had been too busy that day. I knew right away that Hashem had sent me a unique opportunity to do chesed right then and I wasn't going to let it pass me by. On the way to the Center I learned alot about Geveret Tzipora and she about me. She even told me that we should only speak hebrew between us so that I will learn to speak it very quickly. She is a really smart and exceptional woman who takes care of her family and grandchildren even though it is hard for her. It was so clear to each of us that this was a shidduch Min HaShamayim. It also turned out that she lives only a few minutes walk from the seminary. When we got to her apartment we exchanged numbers and said goodbye with the promise to do it again in the future. Which we did on the following Monday.
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