Back in the Chapel Again--On Rabbinic Reorganization

Some reflections on moving back into my Smith Chapel office:

Those who know me will find this quote that I have displayed in my office ironic:
"When I get a little money, I buy BOOKS; if any is left I buy food and clothes." (Desiderius Erasmus, 1466-1536)

I certainly don't lack for books, food, or clothes, but I buy books more frequently than the other two. Anytime these books are unavailable (and remember that our family probably has 800-1000 books at home and I keep hundreds more at Amherst), their absence weighs on me. It is hard for me to talk with students without pointing them to a book or author. . .
--

It is hard for a rabbi (especially me) to have one's library packet away. Since some of the book shelves (not to mention the books) were already in my office when I arrived, it is fun to set them up from scratch.

My files (also packed away for the last few weeks) are getting a once-over as well. At the same time, Smith asked us to examine files on the server's hard drive to save space. So they are being reorganized as well. (As I have been doing that, I realized that the web page I created for my writings is not yet up-to-date, so I have been adding things as I find them. Check it out.

Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce

PS. Those who did not get to attend Smith's Rally Day today (where I substituted with an invocation already posted on-line), missed 5 inspirational alumnae.
Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce

I Never Saw It Read

In the dark corner of the basement

I find it.

“Whose books are these?” I ask.

Blank faces stare back at me.

Maybe it was Pop Platt’s, maybe it was from Poppy’s family.

Why did they keep it? I thought to myself.

I never saw it read.

The maroon cover had a few scratches and some discoloration

But the pages inside were crisp and clean.

“Do you read Yiddish?” I ask Uggy and Aunt Freda.

“Not really.” They replied.

I wonder why they kept it. What story does the book tell?

I don’t read Yiddish but can figure out that it is from 1918 and printed in New York.

Before I notice the author and title in English letters on a different page, I spell it out.

Karl

Marx

D

A

S

K

A

P

I

T

A

L

I never saw it read.

Written by Rabbi Bruce Bromberg Seltzer as part of Remembering Flamingo Park Installation at Helen Hills Hills Chapel

Fall 2005. A program of the Office of Jewish Chaplain supported by a grant from the Jacob Burns Endowment for Ethics of Hillel: Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.