The Chair Stacking Principle

Many years ago, Dec 2018 to be exact, The Babylonian Bee published an article about a study that found there was a “strong connection” between your personal level of holiness and the number of chairs you stack after church functions.  The Babylonian Bee, is, and let me be clear, not real news, but satire; the tagline is “fake news you can trust.”  In this case, I think it is an accurate description.  As far as I can tell, no such study was undertaken in a reputable manner.  However, as someone immersed in congregational life – chair stacking – or the equivalent – is one indicator of a dedicated Jew.

In fact, in a slightly more reliable account: There is a story of the Brisker Rav who was head of Yeshiva in Jerusalem.  One particular student approached him and the Rav’s home one morning, seeking guidance from his esteemed Rav on a personal manner.  It seemed the student and his beloved wife were at odds over the fact that she gave him a hard time about not taking the trash out.  The student, seeking support from his Rav, says, “Can you imagine, she wants me, a Torah scholar, to actually take out the garbage.”  Nodding his head, the Rav said he would take some time to consider the matter, and the student left.

Early the next morning the student heard a knock on his front door.  It was none other than the Brisker Rav.  Astonished, the student quickly greeted his teacher and invited him in, simultaneously wondering why the Rav came to his house.  Perhaps the Brisker Rav had an appropriate answer to his dilemma about the garbage and came to set his wife straight.  However, he noticed that the Rav had found his way to the kitchen and was carrying the garbage out.  The student stammered, asking what in the world the Rav was doing.  The reply: “It may be beneath your dignity to take out the garbage, but I wanted to show you that it isn’t beneath mine.”

The story ends there – we don’t know what the student responded or what the student’s wife said; but I’m guessing they didn’t have an issue with the garbage after that.

It’s a story I’ve heard many times and a great reminder of humility.  Had the Rav merely told the student to just take out the garbage, he may or may not have listened.  By showing, by acting, the message became more powerful. 

Which brings us back to the Chair Stacking Principle, an ableist name, but we’ll stick with it for the moment.  In trying to dredge up a citation for the Babylonian Bee article, I found another one from Port City Church in Canada, where the pastor used their actual need as a portable church for 220 chairs to be unstacked, arranged, restacked, and stored each week to derive a similar principle.  Pastor Jeremy gave a Venn Diagram of need, passion, and skill.  Some are able to help the congregation out because they have they have been endowed with the gift of a certain skill or talent (think Betzelel and the tabernacle construction).  Some help the congregation out because they have a passion that excites them (think social justice, worship, and more).  And some help out because the congregation has a need.  I doubt anyone has a particular skill or passion for chair-stacking, envelop licking, marker testing, or the like – but these “take out the garbage” type tasks, alongside their more glamourous and interesting counterparts, must get done for us to be the vibrant community that we wish to be.

This past week wrapped up our religious school year and puts us about a month before the Jewish Cultural Festival.  Between preparing for the Festival and for next religious school year, there are many tasks to be done.  Maybe out of skill or passion you have volunteered with a Festival committee, but I encourage you to also think about what needs there might be.  Pre-counting tokens, folding chairs (and stacking them!) at the end of the day, testing and sorting religious school supplies, inventorying books – and more aren’t the most glamorous tasks in the world, but ones that often get done early in the day, late in the evening, or otherwise when the crowds and nosh are put away.  On Wednesday May 14^th, I’ll be hanging out in the religious school wing sorting, testing, and organizing supplies.  I’d be happy to have a few more able-bodied schleppers and those who can sit and sort for company.  If that interests you, please feel free to reach out.  If you have some time leading up to, or on the day of the Jewish Cultural Festival, be sure to reach out to Alexandria King at garyUZZking@hotmail.com.