Where did I go?
I've been SO busy, between work and what not that I haven't had a minute or rather the strength to sit down and write but there is so much I want to say!! Anyway, for now it will have to wait but I'll post some food for thought.
As far as jobs are concerned, I have many friends working in various different fields with different bosses and different standards. I'm lucky. I work in a Jewish organization, so most of the issues that others encounter don't come up at all. My question is: When do you tell your boss, no my religon comes first? or when do you suck it up and say, I don't have a choice. Either one is hard. Especially in the secular world in which we live, it's like shooting an arrow in the dark. Who knows if your supervisor/boss/colleague is going to take what you do and say as you just being different or as a rebel to society and therefore unworthy for you to be working with them.
looking forward to hearing other people and their oppinions and situations they found themselves in.
posted by Inmymind @ 8:17 AM
6 Comments:
An example please? Obviously you'll never compromise kashrut, shabbos or yom tov, so what are you talking about?
Not that I can think of anything to compromise on, but I never would.
If you mean working close to shabbos, not even that. I once left for Boston on a 3.5 hour bus ride 5.5 hours before yom tov and arrived 15 minutes before yom tov due to traffic...and some would say 2 hours is a wide berth!
Some examples: Happy hours, working on Tisha B'av,Buying non-kosher food for your boss who happens to be Jewish, leaving early on fridays in the winter, taking off long periods of time for holidays etc....
Obviously there are ways around most of these, I feel that it is uncomfortable at times etc... to have to discuss these issues etc...How do we get around that uncomfortable stage?
Well, you know me, I'm a talker. I don't think these situations are all that uncomfortable, it's just the way we expect the worse reactions in our minds.
Happy hours I don't have much of a problem with, but it's easy to say you're uncomfortable in bars as they're not places your frequent. People won't think less of you for it, some will even respect you, but even if it makes you less a part of the team, that's the reason we're supposed to stay away.
It's easy to not buy treif food for the boss, just say you can't buy non kosher food, even for others to consume, Jewish or otherwise. You can always offer to order it for him.
Shabbos is early, so you leave early, you need time to get where you're going although perhaps a 3.5 hour trip is ill advised on a Friday if you're supposed to be working until 5, take off at 3, and are asking to leave at noon. At that point it's not a religious thing, it's social, and boohoo if you can't see your friend in Boston.
And taking off long periods of time for holidays? I count no more than 11 days you must take off (16, tops if you're travelling for each) in a year that you have to take off. You can't reasonably expect to take off chol hamoed where you're permitted to work if not working will result in a loss of parnassah, such as being fired.
And you're allowed to work tisha be'av, I even encourage it as it makes the fast that much more unpleasant.
If anybody has any issues with their bosses I'd be glad to place a phone call, without revealing your identity, to make things less uncomfortable.
Sorry, I dont have time to to answer your quandry properly.....as I'm leaving ot the airport in several hours.
BUT-before I went I wanted to say (yet another) goodbye....though its not like we're not going to be keeping in touch!
May we only share good news with each other!!
D-
You should consult a rav in terms of the non-kosher food situation. The general issue of lifnei iveir vis-a-vis b'rachos obviously applies, but it is definitely dwarfed by violating lifnei iveir on the d'oraisa level by feeding him non-Kosher food (obviously this will depend on why it's not kosher). The requirement of trei avrei d'nahara, the leniency of which will translate in this case to saying that he can get it himself anyway so your input really is irrelevant, would have to be assessed by that selfsame rav.
I'm happy to see your sensitivity to these issues.
DYS -- true, I believe that there are ways around most issues. It's whatever is more important to you and your life. But then again, I think consulting a Rabbi would be the most appropriate thing to do, for every case. I think we will often be surprised about what is mutar and what is not.
Finallygoingtomyland -- AHHHH!!! I'm going to miss you SOSOSOSOSO much! I'll always be thinking of you. Enjoy the holy land and I hope to see you there SOO soon!
InAnOctopus'sGardenInTheShade -- Yes, I believe a Rav should be consulted in all these cases. When this issue came up for me a number of years ago, I was told to not buy it under any circumstance because chances are the guy would be too lazy to get it himself, so he would just give up on it.
Post a Comment
<< Home