Sherre Hirsch

Have you ever noticed how much people are quick to criticize and slow to compliment? The other day I was on stand by for a flight home to LAX. The flight is overbooked. So what’s new? I let the attendant know my circumstance and I sit down to wait.

A young bully comes to the desk. He is a premier flyer  - whatever that means - and not only does he want to be first on the standby list but he also wants first class. He lets the attendant know and then stands in front of the attendant and stares at him for the next half hour. Every 2-3 minutes he reminds the attendant of his status and his needs. He is like that kid in the back of the car who keeps asking  “Are we there yet?”   So annoying.

After about a half hour the guy at the desk motions me forward. I turned to the bully and let him know that really need to catch this flight - my mother is being honored at a dinner tonight. He responds, “like I care”. I was shocked. Who says that outloud?  I wanted to respond - your mother would be ashamed of you. Instead, I hold my tongue; I do not want to get in a verbal match with this brat.

Time for the flight, the attendant hands the bully a first class ticket and he humphs, “finally!”  As if?  I know I am not getting on. I wonder if I had been ruder and more agressive, I would  have gotten on the flight.  I start to walk away. The attendant shouts out, HIRSCH. I look back at him and he holds a ticket high into the air.

I approach the desk and he smiles and tells me that I had it the entire time, that good behavior should be rewarded. He is right. Good behavior should be rewarded. I write down his name and position and tell him that US Airways will hear from me very soon and I board the plane.

I blog. You read. Great. Except, I have been looking on other people’s blogs and I have noticed something. They blog, people read and then comment. So lately I have been going to check my site to see if there are any comments.

It got me wondering -  is there a problem? Are the blogs not worth commenting? Is no one reading them? Do you not want other people to see your comments? Does the reader know how to use the comment function on the site?

I remember when I was in high school a teacher of mine said if there were no comments or questions it was a bad sign - that he did not make anyone think. But I realized he is wrong.

A few weeks ago I gave a lecture in Las Vegas (a surprisingly wonderful community ) and at the end I asked for questions. Nothing, nada, zilch. I give it another moment. A woman raised her hand and said,  “I don’t have a question, just a comment.”  Oh great, I think to myself  - I am about to get a monologue. Instead she says, “Rabbi Hirsch you have given me a lot to think about. When I get home I may have a question, then can I contact you?”

Her question gave me pause. Not because I am uncomfortable with her contacting me but it made me realize that I may be looking at the this blog thing all wrong.

You may not yet have formulated the question or the comment the minute I post the blog. You may have to think about it for some time and formulate some thoughts or feelings.  So here is my suggestion. If you read the blog and it touches your heart, send your friend to the site and share it with her. If you read the blog and you disagree, tell me. If you read the blog and you have questions or comments, feel free to post them. I would love to hear from you anytime.