Saturday, August 16, 2008

to greet or not to greet

where i grew up , outside of new york, people were so friendly. one would walk to shul on shabbos and people would be gardening and they would say good morning even if they didnt know you.
when i first moved to new york and i would great random frummies "good shabbos" as i walked down the block they would look around to make sure that i had really meant to be greeting them, since i didnt know them. b"h , things have changed. about five years ago my single friends and i were walking down the street and some teenage girls we did not know wished us a "good shabbos" . none of us were related t0 them. i think that perhaps there has been a project to encourage ahavas yisroel and actually greet one's coreligionists on the street on shabbos. or perhaps its a happy coincidence, but somehow i dont think so. over the past several years ive noticed that people have said "good shabbos" to me before i have said "good shabbos " to them.

4 comments:

Ookamikun said...

One of my friends moved out of Boro Park, partially because when he would say good shabbos to people on the street, they would give him the "who the hell are you and what do you want" look.

Leora said...

I am glad to hear that more people are randomly saying 'good shabbes'. Always better to "err" on the side of being friendly.

I love saying "good shabbes", "Shabbat Shalom", Good Morning, to anyone! Most of the time I get the proper matching phrase.

frumskeptic said...

I actually say good shabbos once in a while, but in all honesty it creeps me out when people are too friendly.

I like the city just because I don't have to remember to say good shabbos. It wouldn't make me nasty or rude or whatever if I just ignore the other frummy who I do not know anyway.

But then again, in my neighborhood there aren't to many frummies, so I end up having to say good shabbos most of the time anyway, because I know most of them

Lion of Zion said...

moshe:

i've never received that response in boro park