{"id":37990,"date":"2017-08-18T16:59:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-18T22:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=37990"},"modified":"2017-08-18T17:03:39","modified_gmt":"2017-08-18T23:03:39","slug":"off-the-pulpit-needs-wheels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/off-the-pulpit-needs-wheels\/","title":{"rendered":"Off the Pulpit: Needs wheels"},"content":{"rendered":"

By RABBI DAVID WOLPE<\/p>\n

From George Prochnik’s award winning biography of Stefan Zweig, “The Impossible Exile”:<\/p>\n

\"Wolpe_edt\"

“Can you tell me,” he abruptly asked, “which of these chests belonged to Jews?” Zarek stared uncertainly — they all looked of equally high quality and bore no apparent marks of ownership.<\/p>\n

“Zweig smiled. “Do you see these two here? They are mounted on wheels. They belonged to Jews. In those days — as indeed always! — the Jewish people were never sure when the whistle would blow, when the rattled of the pogrom would creak. They had to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice….Yes, these chests on wheels are striking symbols of the Jewish fate.”<\/p>\n

We are blessed to live in a generation when we do not fear fleeing at any moment. May we never again live in a world where all of our possessions need wheels.<\/p>\n

(Rabbi David Wolpe is the spiritual leader of Sinai Temple of Los Angeles.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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