Chanukah is coming there's a lot to do. Events to plan, things to buy, candles to give out and much more. Going through the inventory I noticed we were missing some lightbulbs for one of the public Menorahs. We had ordered them a few weeks ago so I called customer service. After taking care of the issue (they're on the way), I was surprised when the the customer service rep said "Rabbi can I ask you a question?"
Now I usually don't introduce myself as a Rabbi on the phone and I didn't this time. But apparently when I ordered the lightbulbs, the autofill on my computer entered my courtesy title as Rabbi.
Allen the customer service rep lives in rural Illinois and doesn't have a Rabbi nearby. I was happy to discuss his questions and connected him to a Chabad Rabbi in his area. I gave him my contact info and hope to hear from him soon!
Earlier in the day I got text message from my colleague Rabbi Yonah Grossman in North Dakota. It was a picture of him putting on Tefillin with someone at a rest stop in North Dakota over 100 miles away from his home.
We meet people all the time. People who we planned on meeting and people who we had no intention of interacting with. Some people think it's not our job to to mix in. It's rude. Just keep your head down. We can choose to try to keep to ourselves and and avoid social interactions. However the truth is we are all connected. G-d guides our steps for a purpose. To help another do a mitzvah, to do an act of kindness or just to wish someone a good morning. As we retreat into a more digital age and the ability to isolate ourselves becomes easier and easier, lets try to connect to others in a real way. Every good deed matters and it may be the one to change the world.