Direct Transfer

AS the plane landed at Ben-Gurion Airport, Mendel was already texting his wife. Exiting the airport, he met up with his cousin Baruch, who would be taking him straight to Har Hamenuchos. Baruch attempted to offer words of nechamah but Mendel remained singularly focused on his phone.

As they arrived at the beis olam, Baruch heard Mendel say, “Remember to transfer the money.”

Baruch, born and raised in Bnei Brak, understood there were differences in the lifestyles of Americans and Israelis. Mendel, however, had just taken a 14-hour flight from Los Angeles to bury his mother, and all that interested him was his phone. Baruch was shocked by his cousin’s obsession with his phone and his financial dealings.

Was this how Americans showed kavod hameis?

Even after the levayah, as the pair entered the car to return to the airport, Mendel remained glued to his phone.