The Parking Lot Mussar Lesson

Friends, when you look at this picture, you see a relatively clean parking lot.

But a few hours earlier, when I arrived at shul, it looked very different.

There were probably 10–15 dirty plates, with leftover food, scattered around the parking lot.

I saw the mess and thought to myself: I’m here to learn. I’m not cleaning this up.

In fact, it barely even occurred to me that I should clean it. I figured I would call the office and someone else would take care of it.

And then I went inside to learn.

A little while later, one of my friends arrived at shul. He’s about 80 years old. I said good morning, as I usually do, and then noticed that he disappeared for a while.

Eventually, he came back inside.

He asked me, “Was all that stuff in the parking lot there when you got here?”

“Yeah.”

“You cleaned it up?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

That hit me.

Here was a man considerably older than me who saw the exact same mess I had seen. My reaction was, Someone should take care of that.

His reaction was, I’ll take care of that.

I felt very foolish.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized this wasn't just about picking up some

dirty plates. It was a tremendous mussar lesson.

I had been thinking about my learning. My schedule. What I wanted to accomplish.

But what about the next person arriving at shul? Instead of walking into a clean and dignified place to daven or learn, the first thing he would see would be garbage and leftover food.

What about cars driving over the plates and spreading the mess even further?

And maybe, if I’m being truthful with myself, there was even a little ego involved. Was cleaning someone else’s garbage somehow “below me”?

Apparently, it wasn't below my 80-year-old friend.

Sometimes Avodas HaShem isn't only about the learning you're rushing inside to do.

Sometimes Avodas HaShem is noticing the dirty plate in the parking lot—and bending down to pick it up.

This experience had a real impact on me. I hope the next time I'm faced with something similar, I won't immediately think, Who can I call to take care of this?

I hope I'll think:

Why not me?