{"id":10180,"date":"2006-08-24T03:51:00","date_gmt":"2006-08-24T03:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/production.ou.org\/life\/other\/love_your_neighbor\/"},"modified":"2015-10-22T04:48:36","modified_gmt":"2015-10-22T09:48:36","slug":"love_your_neighbor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/inspiration\/love_your_neighbor\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Your Neighbor"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image\"<\/div>\n

Every summer when the weather heats up and sane people take refuge inside their apartments, I breathe a sigh of relief when I switch on the air conditioner. Not only for the instant blast of cold air, but also for the sense of satisfaction I get when I hear the whir and hum of the motor coming off my living room porch. But, I\u2019m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning of my story.<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, in the city of Jerusalem, there lived a family. A normal, typical family that you might find living anywhere. There were a father, a mother, and eight children. There were fifteen other families living in their apartment building, and they had a good relationship with their neighbors. Some neighbors were of the \u201chi, can I borrow some milk?\u201d variety, while others were of the friendly nod and a smile genre. One day this family decided that the time had come to invest in central air conditioning. Careful thought, frugal budgeting, and thorough research into the various models resulted in a call to Avi, the cooling system expert.<\/p>\n

“Avi, this is Chavi Aarons. My sister, Esther Kahan, recommended you very highly. We\u2019re interested in putting in central air conditioning in our home. Yes, I know it\u2019s only February, but I wanted to beat the summer rush. Fine, I\u2019ll see you Monday.”<\/p>\n

Avi inspected the Aarons apartment. \u201cAll right, Mrs. Aarons. I can fit you in in about two weeks. In my opinion, the best place to install the unit would be off of your utility porch, next to the bathroom. That would make most efficient use of the space you have.\u201d He described how he would build a drop ceiling in the bathroom to hide the pipes, and would run tubes and construct air vents in the bedrooms and other living areas. His professional manner impressed the Aarons family, and they were soon negotiating the price.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust think- no gasping in front of antiquated fans to get a bit of relief from the heat this summer,\u201d the children gloated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re only the second family in our building to get air conditioning,\u201d pointed out one of the children. \u201cWe\u2019ll invite everyone here to cool off on hot days,\u201d generously predicted another.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Aarons laughed. \u201cI think you\u2019re getting a little carried away. It will be months before we have to consider sweltering temperatures. It\u2019s not even Purim yet,\u201d she pointed out.<\/p>\n

The months passed, and that summer of 2004 was a record breaker. Temperatures climbed regularly into the high 90\u2019s, and Chavi Aarons blessed her mother repeatedly for insisting that they install air conditioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cChavi, do yourself a favor. Why suffer so much in the heat? You\u2019ll see what a difference it makes in your quality of life,\u201d Chavi\u2019s mother would gently prod her.<\/p>\n

The torrid weather continued well into September. It was Succos, when Chavi got an unexpected knock on her door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to talk to you and your husband.\u201d Mrs. Klein, their downstairs neighbor, had a hard, unpleasant look on her face. Chavi felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Had one of the children had a fight with one of the Klein kids? Visions of broken windows and damaged property flitted rapidly through her mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, I\u2019ll go call my husband. I think he\u2019s outside in the succa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Klein stood belligerently in the living room, one hand on her hip.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get straight to the point. Your air conditioner has been driving us crazy. I\u2019ve suffered the entire summer from the awful noise the motor makes, but I haven\u2019t said a word. But, now, over succos, it has become unbearable. We can\u2019t enjoy a meal in our succa without the racket of that machine. You\u2019ve got to get rid of it!\u201d Chavi and her husband were dumbstruck. They had realized that the unit was positioned outside, over her garden, but it had never occurred to them that it might disturb her. The Aarons lived on the second floor, one floor above the Kleins. They had always enjoyed cordial relations with their neighbor, although they were by no means close friends. Chavi was pained that she had been disturbing her neighbor so disagreeably the entire summer. She ran to turn off the air conditioner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry. We\u2019ll certainly try to find a solution,\u201d promised Mr. Aarons. He retreated back to the succa, while Chavi uncomfortably showed Mrs. Klein out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we going to do?\u201d Yossi, the Aarons\u2019s fourteen-year-old son asked. He had witnessed the entire scene and was worried. \u201cDon\u2019t we have a right to use an air conditioner if we want to?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but not by causing others aggravation,\u201d his mother answered. \u201cWe\u2019ll find a way around this problem, don\u2019t worry.\u201d Her confident words belied the troubled look on her face.<\/p>\n

That evening Chavi struggled with her conflicting feelings. She recalled, with some asperity, the many times she had been forced to close her bedroom window throughout the long, hot, shabbos afternoons. The neighbor\u2019s children played riotous games of ball and tag in their garden, and the loud voices and shouts had disturbed her weekly shabbos nap. Repeated requests for quiet during the accepted rest hours of 2:00 till 4:00 fell on deaf ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, it\u2019s our private garden. The kids need somewhere to play,\u201d countered Mr. Klein. \u201cAll right, I\u2019ll tell them to keep the noise level down,\u201d he promised, somewhat abashed by her exasperated expression. But it never seemed to help much. The children would start off quietly enough, then gradually their voices would escalate to a low roar that never failed to infuriate Chavi. \u201cThis is so inconsiderate,\u201d she would fume. \u201cWhy can\u2019t they keep their kids indoors in the afternoon, like I do?\u201d Left with no choice, she would close her bedroom window, blocking out not only the noise, but also any stray wisps of air that might cool off the hot, stuffy room.<\/p>\n

Confusing thoughts chased each other like pesky flies, droning provocatively in her ear. By the following morning, her decision was made.<\/p>\n

\u201cAvi, we have a serious problem. Please come over,\u201d Chavi Aarons requested the week following Succos. Succinctly explaining the problem to the technician, she waited for his suggestion of an alternate location for the machine.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Aarons, I\u2019ve installed hundreds of air conditioning units, and this is the first time I\u2019ve ever heard of such a complaint. They have no legal standing at all to demand that you move the unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI realize that, but that isn\u2019t the issue. We must move it. I cannot possibly run the air conditioner when I know that it disturbs someone else.\u201d Her voice was soft, yet a thread of steel ran through her words. Avi shrugged. \u201cFine, it\u2019s your money.\u201d He examined the bedroom windows, and discarded each one as a possible alternative. \u201cNo, it\u2019s too far,\u201d he muttered. \u201cI would have to change all the piping, ridiculous.\u201d Measuring tape in hand, he checked the living room porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the only solution I see,\u201d he said briskly. \u201cIt\u2019s still not a perfect answer, but it\u2019s the best I can come up with for you. You\u2019ll lose about 5% efficiency, but you probably won\u2019t even feel the difference.\u201d Chavi was distressed. The unit would jut out from the wall, an offensive eyesore on her sunny porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, if that\u2019s how it has to be. Just go ahead and do it,\u201d she instructed. Two hours and 1500 shekel later\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so ugly,\u201d pronounced one teenaged daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to bump my head on it every time I play on the porch,\u201d moaned another child.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all a question of how you look at it,\u201d pondered Mr. Aarons. \u201cTo me, it\u2019s beautiful.\u201d The children gaped at their father, stunned by his words.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is beautiful,\u201c he repeated emphatically. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have to move the air conditioner. We weren\u2019t obligated to by halacha. It\u2019s behavior that is lifnim mi\u2019shurat ha\u2019din (beyond the letter of the law). Every time I see that unit on the porch, it won\u2019t upset me. On the contrary, it\u2019s an object of infinite value, since we elevated it to the status of a mitzvah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so,\u201d Chavi agreed hesitantly. \u201cUm, maybe it\u2019s not so ugly, after all,\u201d she conceded.<\/p>\n

It took a little longer for the rest of the family to adjust their point of view. As the days, then weeks passed, fewer complaints were heard about the inconvenience of having the unit on the porch. Gradually, it underwent a metamorphosis that transformed it into an object of pride and satisfaction.<\/p>\n

And that pretty much explains why pressing the remote switch that activates the air conditioner in my home gives me so much pleasure. It\u2019s not every home that can boast an appliance that connects them so readily to spiritual reward. I like to think of it as my modest contribution to enhancing that well-known commandment of Love Your Neighbor.<\/p>\n

Sheila Segal teaches in a women’s seminary in Israel, where she has been living for the past 23 years. She enjoys writing in her spare time.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every summer when the weather heats up and sane people take refuge inside their apartments, I breathe a sigh of relief when I switch on the air conditioner. Not only for the instant blast of cold air, but also for the sense of satisfaction I get when I hear the whir and hum of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":49098,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nLove Your Neighbor - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not every home can boast an appliance that connects them to spiritual reward. 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