Rabbanim Don't Have All the Answers

An update on bibnis...he has been following up on the job leads he has been given, but unfortunately, still nowhere to sleep at night. Cool yiddish papa and bibnis were on the phone with more local rabbanim who frankly told them that they had "no idea" what to do about the situation.

Aside from a strong job lead (person who can get him a job with his company, no questions asked, but manager won't be back in until Tuesday), no one has suggestions for where to turn for help except the same Federation funded social services agency that kept from being accepted into the local shelter home (by claiming that he turned down all other "options"). [The story behind that I will not get into here and now since I do not have bibnis' permission.]

It seems that this is a recurring theme. Someone in the community is desparate for some stability (a decent job, safe place to live) and so many turn their backs on the whole thing because it is not their problem. Where is the idea, "kol yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh"? I guess the way that it works is that "we" only care about you as long as you are rich enough to give us piles of money for tzedakah causes. If you are in actual need of said tzedakah (and you are not a kollel guy), then we have no answers for you.

I am finding it hard to remind myself why I chose to become frum. I had been entranced by the ideals of our religion, not the reality. Cool yiddish papa and I (as his m'kravim) have been taking inordinate amounts of time from our schedules to help bibnis and are only asking that these same rabbanim (who sat on his conversion beit din) take responsibility and help one of their own. Upon converting, he agreed to never violate Shabbat, keep kosher at all times, and daaven three times a day. He has kept his end of the bargain, despite almost starving and being forced to sleep in a car most nights. It seems that some people will have a heart when it comes to Shabbat and they let him stay "for one night." By motza'ei Shabbat, it's back to the car.