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The Kohen Gadol and Boro Park

A letter in this week's Jewish Press from a Yaacov Silver of Brooklyn offers a novel explanation as to why few Boro Park residents say "good shabbos" to those whom they pass by on the street:

The writer starts off making sense: "It is difficult to say 'Good Shabbos' to hundreds of people passing you (compared to living in a remote area where there are relatively few Yidden). Moreover, you would never make it home for the chulent if you stopped to greet each passerby."

Then, however, he goes completely off the wall: "But there is another reason why in frummer areas people don`t say 'Good Shabbos.' Simply stated, in frummer crowds people are more focused on the holiness of Shabbos. I see many frum people (unlike many of the Modern Orthodox ilk) who are almost in a state of awe. When you are so focused
on the holiness of Shabbos, you tend not to notice many things around you in the mundane physical world. In short, it`s not that they don`t want to be friendly to a fellow Yid. Rather, it`s that they are in an intense, uplifted state.

"If one would see the kohen gadol doing the avoda in Yerushalayim, it would be easily understood why he couldn’t be distracted with greeting everyone. The same is true of the lofty spiritual people of Boro Park. They are no different than the kohen gadol in the bais hamikdash."

I'll resist the urge to comment on Silver's thoughts, lest it mitigate his absurdity.
posted on 7/16/2003