From dlauer@seka.nacs.net Mon Feb 17 19:45:10 1997 Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 12:16:00 -0500 (EST) From: Dave Lauery Reply-To: betar@jer1.co.il To: UnOfficial Betar Discussion List Subject: Divine Providence in the Workplace (I found this while cleaning out old E-mails at Work Enjoy....) Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 19:41:04 -0500 From: Sam Goldish <0005891269@mcimail.com> Subject: Divine Providence in the Workplace Two topics of discussion in M-J/Volume 10--Davening in the Workplace, and Divine Providence--taken together, evoked memories of a bizarre incident that took place the U.S. Government Office Building here in Tulsa, where I worked, and which I would like to share with our readers. For twenty years, prior to my retirement, I was an engineer with a branch of DoD known as "Defense Contracts Administration Services"--DCAS, for short. We dealt on a daily basis with defense contractors in our area who had been awarded Army, Navy, or Air Force contracts. Out of approximately 90 people in our Tulsa area office, I was the only Jewish employee, as well as the only engineer in the group. By way of explanation as to how such a weird event could have transpired in a Government workplace, let me preface my narrative by reminding our readers that Oklahoma is in the heart of the so- called "Bible Belt." For example, Tulsa is the home of Oral Roberts University, with its spectacular campus. (My nephew, now a musmach of Ner Israel Yeshiva, once commented, as I drove him past ORU on a sightseeing tour of Tulsa, "You know, Uncle Sam, this is a 'yeshiva' for the goyim!"). Circa 1975, a Tulsa defense contractor received a sizeable contract to design and produce U.S. Army tank driver trainers, for delivery to the Israeli Defense Forces. Because of U.S. State Department and congressional involvement, this contract had a lot of visibility in top DoD echelons, and special monthly meetings had to be scheduled in our office to review the contractor's progress and report on any problem areas. During one such meeting, about a dozen DCAS representatives and I were huddled around a conference table, reviewing a stack of modifications requested by the Israeli Army. As I leaned over the table, our office manager sidled over to me and whispered: "Sam, there's a long white thread hanging down from your belt. Let me remove it for you." Not realizing what it was, I replied, "O.K., thanks." As he tugged on the "thread," I soon realized he was pulling out the tzitzis of my arba-kanfos. "Sam, what in the world is THIS?" he exclaimed, in a puzzled tone. I quietly replied, "It's a religious garment. Let it go. I'll take care of it." By then, I could sense that the meeting had already been more than a little distracted by the exchange; I felt all eyes focussed on me as I tucked my tzitzis back in place. "O.K.," I said, "Let's get back to the design changes." But, obviously, it was already too late. An industrial specialist named Lorene immediately spoke up: "Sam, I heard you say those threads are part of a 'religious garment.' How does that fit into the Jewish religion?" I replied--as subdued as possible--"Lorene, it's a commandment in the Bible. We can discuss it after the meeting." No way! Drawing herself up to her full imposing stature, Lorene addressed the entire assemblage: "My father was a Baptist minister. I was raised in the church. I used to sleep on the church pews. I know the Bible forward and backward, and I don't recall ever seeing any commandment to wear that garment. Sam will have to cite book, chapter and verse to prove that to me." There really was no malice in Lorene's statement--she simply wanted "proof," and she wanted it now. Before I could divert attention back to the meeting, another specialist, Paul, chimed in: "I've got a bible in my desk. Let me get it, and maybe Sam can show us where that commandment is." In less than a minute, Paul returned with his bible--a huge KJV edition--and placed it before me on the conference table. I felt a rush of panic (as Ernest Hemingway once wrote, it was the "moment of truth"). All eyes now were fixed on me, awaiting the next move. I know the tzitzis mitzvah is in the Maftir "aliyah" of Parshat Shelach Lechah, but the KJV bible doesn't go by "parshas"--only by chapter and verse. I had visions of having to scan page after page of "The Book of Numbers," trying to pinpoint the exact location. There was no way that I could gracefully back out of the corner into which I had so unexpectedly been thrust. The room was hushed with anticipation. Standing before the bible, I placed my thumb firmly on the edge of the book and opened it. Instantly, before my eyes, appeared one word: "fringes." I felt a wave of exultation pass through my body. "Here it is," I said, trying to maintain a semblance of nonchalance, "Book of Numbers, Chapter 15, Verses 37 through 41." Lorene, visibly taken aback, walked over to the open bible. I pointed to the verses, and she read them aloud for all to hear. "Well, I guess that's one chapter I missed," she said. "But, Sam, how in the world were you able to open the bible to the exact page you wanted?" I replied: "You might call it 'Divine Providence.'" Sam Goldish ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brought to you by Virtual Jerusalem (www.virtual.co.il) the SuperSite with over 10 million monthly hits and 100+ email lists with 100,000+ subscribers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------