Kiddush Hashem at Various Venues

The recent nasty news from the Orthodox world has caused me to battle a bout of chalishas ha'daas. In fact, MHW had to gently remind me yesterday not to be so negative and snarky (my term; not hers).

Three thoughts on this as well.

First, my next door neighbor's father passed away on Friday. Baruch Dayan Ha'emes. He was a survivor who, together with his wife, also a survivor, built a new life with four wonderful sons. The family is a walking Kiddush Hashem. Just thinking about them made me feel better.

Second, seeing how the chevrah kadisha and the women of the kehilah sprung into action to make sure that everything was taken care of at the bais avel also made me feel good.

Finally, my experience at the grand jury, which finally ended on Friday, brought home how easy (and important) it is to engage in Kiddush Hashem. I was one of four Jews on the 23 person panel; the only observant one. As such, I was always mindful that I was representing more than just myself. I made sure to always be on time, to treat people with respect (even when disagreeing with them), and to be cordial (without getting pulled in to the prust, inappropriate conversations that often went on over the course of four weeks; my blackberry and computer where helpful tools in avoiding those situations). I brought rugelach and tomatoes from my garden a few times. At the end of the last session, a group of five of the jurors came over to me to thank me for the role that I played on the grand jury. They said I helped clarify thorny issues and was always fair.

All one has to do to create a Kiddush Hashem is be a mentch.