shabbat goy

[gusl]

I was just arriving at home, a couple of minutes past midnight, when a man in front of the Kollel waves to me on my bike:

M- are you Jewish by any chance?
G- nope.
M- A light went out in there. Can you turn it on for us?

I immediately understood what was going on, after having served as a shabbat goy for my housemate Andrew 3 years ago, and having read Feynman's rant about orthodox Jews not being able to make "fire" on the Sabbath. So I proceeded to do them this favor with an amused smile.

I saw about 20 males in the building, with the older ones wearing black hats. He pointed me to the light switch, I pushed it, and the light went on.

"Thank you very much". He shook me hand and I left.

--

I just realized that, oddly, this was not a Friday night. This event screwed up the calendar in my head for most of today.

Comments

[flamingnerd.livejournal.com]

that's really cute.

I remember a couple years ago going to shabbat prayers with my spouse. He and I are both atheists, but his cousin is a fresh new Rabbi and we were being supportive/ visiting.

And it was a novel thing. I was self-concious in a whole new way :P You see I got to introduce myself to everyone, "hi, my name is Mary".

I'd never felt like a Gentile before!

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

About a week before Passover this year, when my boyfriend and I were walking down the street to get to his place, we passed a Jewish community center (or perhaps just a house with a lot of Jewish residents) that I had used to live across the street from, and a guy in Orthodox outfit asked us if we were Jewish. I couldn't figure it out at the time, but later on someone confirmed that for certain Shabbat ceremonies there's a certain number of Jewish males that need to be present, and I guess they were short a couple. Though in retrospect, I'm not sure why they might have thought Matt was Jewish, given his very blond and midwestern looks.

[triple-entendre.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking this is a market that the taxicab, emergency locksmith, and pizza delivery businesses should consider expanding into!

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, phone calls are going to be tough...

[triple-entendre.livejournal.com]

good point. it would need to be a subscription-service model.

[triple-entendre.livejournal.com]

perhaps with a catchy name that makes a pun in Yiddish.

[dachte.livejournal.com]

Sounds like they were looking to complete a Minyan for prayer.

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

That's right - that's what someone said. But I could only remember the "fact" that 13 witches are needed for a coven, nothing about how many Jewish men are needed for anything.

[dachte.livejournal.com]

For a minyan, you need ten males who have finished their Bar Mitzvot (typically done at age 13). Some Conservatives allow females as well in the name of gender equality, while Reform Judaism, as I understand it, doesn't typically bother with the concept.

Percepcao de Risco

[(Anonymous)]

Guga,
Eu nao teria entrado na casa cheio de estranhos, ainda mais a noite.
Representa um risco nao desprezivel de ser assaltado.Mesmo em Pittsburgh.

Re: Percepcao de Risco

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Quem fala?

Re: Percepcao de Risco

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Ate' parece que os judeus ortodoxos vao assaltar um gentio que eles convidaram pra acender a luz, dentro da "missao" deles.

Re: Percepcao de Risco

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

sem falar que nos somos vizinhos.