My Outside the Box Ideas to Help Bring Redemption

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Tell people others aren’t feeling well. Sick people bring out the best in us.

Tisha B’Av is approaching, the day when Jews around the world mourn the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Second Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred between people and the rabbis teach us that we can bring back the Temple with baseless acts of kindness. Getting along, shalom, is what can bring the redemption. This starts with us. How do we act kinder? Here are a few outside of the box ideas.

Tell People Others Aren’t Feeling Well

Some people are only nice to you when you’re sick. Otherwise, they are nasty. When you’re sick, they bring you food, chicken soup, say nice things about you. Healthy? People are cursing you, sharing their complaints with you, making you do carpool. Somebody can be fighting with you in full road rage over a parking spot, but if you tell them you have a cough they’ll take a step back, trying to find the oxygen tank.

Lesson: Always think of other people as being ill and you will be a nicer person.

Use Emojis with Everything

They may not say anything, but they do look cute and get other people thinking you care about them. Throw in that greeting prayer one with the two hands together. People seem to do that for everything nowadays. “Have a good day (prayer sign).” “The kids are good (prayer sign).” “Shopping for shoes (prayer sign).”

If you don’t express yourself in words, you will come off as a much nicer person. Better yet, next time you’re in a deep conversation, draw your thoughts. How can someone get angry at an artist?

No More Politics

Politics is making us hate each other and there’s absolutely no good reason for it. Half of the people think everything is terrible and the other half think everything is wonderful. And then we spend all of our time fighting about who is right. I have an idea: why don’t we all meet half way and agree that everything is mediocre and we promise not to talk politics ever again.

Let Somebody on the Bus First

There is an angry chain that starts every morning in Israel. It begins when the bus driver has to deal with somebody who just misses the bus and bangs on the back of it. Then somebody misses their stop and screams at the driver. Then he’s angry and he shares that with each person who gets on the bus by giving them change in small denominations. The anger of small change jingling everywhere spreads to a person who thinks she is more important than you, so she cuts off everybody else in traffic, and doesn’t wait on the offramp car line like a proper normal kind and giving person who deserves a place in Heaven, and then you end up yelling at the person who is making your coffee and they’re now pouring angry vanilla lattes.

Each day, the world starts happy and ends mad. It starts with you sleeping and then you get up. If you let somebody on the bus first, they might remember your kind deed when they get screamed at by the driver. They might even end up giving a tip to the barista and then we have world peace.

Cut Off Legs That Touch the Back of My Seat Day

They know my back is right there, so why do they jab their knees into the seat behind me? Is there anything that makes you hate people more?

Everybody wants to know how the baseless hatred started. There was a chariot on the way to the Temple and somebody wanted to relax. He stretched out and stuck his foot on the bench in front of him. The guy on the front bench gave a head turn back and the guy stretching did nothing. The head turn was clearly one of disturbance, a demand that the leg be moved. Next thing you know, nobody wanted this guy Bat Kamtza coming to the parties anymore; Jerusalem is destroyed.

Noise Proof Sleep Rooms

Getting woken up causes more hatred than feet on buses. Rooms will be built where you can get sleep without being disturbed. This is a room in the house to make you a happier and more giving person. This room cannot be found by your children. As all family fights stem from the fact that you were woken up by snoring, your spouse will not be allowed to sleep there either. This will help renew the love in the house.

Watch Videos with Headphones

Nothing bothers people more than having to listen to a YouTube clip that they don’t want to watch blasting. Add that to somebody falling in the video and us hearing you laughing and suddenly you have hatred.

Try noise canceling headphones. They cancel noise as well as hatred.

Schleppers

There are people who go around hugging others they don’t know. This will be people going around schlepping things for you. A hug is great, but does a hug carry your suitcase?

Amusement Parks in Backyards

People are nice to you when they want to use your pool. Imagine if you had an amusement park in your backyard; everybody would be kind to you. They would love you. If you had a merry-go-round, you would have friends. Even better, a horse water gun game. If you were racing horses to water pistols in your backyard redemption would be hastened.

Board Meetings Where they Don’t Try to Solve Anything

I’m sorry but no Jewish board has ever solved anything or made a decent decision. They have sat and talked, but they haven’t solved anything. That won’t change with the Third Temple if we don’t put a stop to these lay leaders now. If we allow these people to be part of the decision-making progress of the Temple, the entrance will never be finished. It will be an unfinished Jerusalem stone holding up memorial plaques. They might even try to get rid of the traditional half shekel donation in place of a fundraising dinner. And don’t forget the journal.

Many Jewish issues actually stem from board meeting. Bar Kamtza was not supposed to be invited to the party because of a board meeting. People walk into board meetings angry, without headphones, and don’t say “Hello.” Building an amusement park in the shul lobby was shot down at a board meeting.

With or without groups meeting, it’s time we all learn to love each other, keep our legs off the chairs in front of us, stop talking politics and tell everyone that we are sick, so that we can all help bring the redemption.

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