Wednesday, March 5, 2014

On Taking The Lord's Name In Vain

With respect to the last comment, a true story (not a joke). A Rabbi I knew (I actually knew the synagogue's secretary) served a prominent New York synagogue. He had just built and designed a country house in Connecticut, totally made to order on his specification--his dream house he had bought with all the savings from his years of serving the synagogue. He  was preparing to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner in his house, with a specially bought turkey, his wife's wonderful stuffing, and all the works. Suddenly, Thanksgiving morning, the secretary calls. The President of the Synagogue, who had raised money and guided the congregation for years, had suddenly and unexpectedly died. Under Jewish burial customs, the burial had to be that day. The Rabbi would have to come all the way down from Connecticut to perform the service

The Rabbi's response, in loud tones of despair: "Jee-sus CHRIST!"