In It Together

It’s the season of teshuvah, and ringing in my ears are the words of a well-meaning co-mispallel at the Woodbourne shul who told me that I’m not using the podium afforded by this column to raise awareness.

He didn’t tell me what I should be raising awareness for, just that a column isn’t only a place to make jokes and that this forum comes with achrayus. That was distressing to me, because until I shared elbow space with this anonymous Yid a few weeks ago, I always thought of the column as a place where we do talk about real stuff.

I was the first to express support for sweaty-palm sufferers, an unpleasant condition in any society, but all the more so in one where male dancing involves hand-holding. Not long ago I let the return-card procrastinators know that they’re not alone, giving much-needed chizuk to a demographic that gets its share of abuse.

Also, if I get preachy, I lose my zechus to make fun of other writers when they sound preachy, so it’s a sacrifice. But a Yid says something, you hear it, there’s a reason — so we’ll try.