(#1997) The Rabbi’s fan (© David Minkoff)
As he’s been doing now for some months, Rabbi Bloom gives his weekly drasha to some inmates at a nearby prison. His aim, as always, is to encourage as many of them as possible to give up their life of crime. But as Rabbi Bloom is getting ready to leave, one of the warders goes over to him and says, "Rabbi, one of our inmates has asked whether he can have a few minutes with you privately in his cell. There’s no need to worry, he’s not dangerous, but I'll be outside the cell door just in case. Will you see him, Rabbi?"
"Of course I will," replies Rabbi Bloom.
As soon as Rabbi Bloom enters the cell, the prisoner says to him, "First of all, Rabbi, I’d like to thank you for the sermon - I thought it was good. And thank you also for seeing me on my own. I didn’t want the other prisoners to hear me say to you that I’m becoming a great fan of yours and that I really admire your work."
"You do?" asks Rabbi Bloom.
"Yes Rabbi, I do," replies the prisoner. "In fact I have all your books, all your tapes, all your silver, all of …...."
drasha: rabbinical sermon; scholarly interpretation of religious texts, using linguistic, historical, and other methods.
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