I got a late night call from an elderly woman. She told me her name and asked if I remembered her, letting me know that she was the woman who was very hard of hearing. I let her know that I did indeed remember her and not to worry as many of the people I care for are hard of hearing. She let me know that she had been very sick and I immediately told her that I was very sorry to hear that she had been ill. She went on to inform me that she was okay now, and I told her how delighted I was that she was feeling better and that we should say a prayer of thanks to G-d for her recovery.

But before I could even begin, she let me know that she might be in need of my services soon. I asked what for and she let me know that she suspects she might soon be very ill again. I started to tell her that she shouldn’t worry about that, but should instead be sure to follow the doctor and the therapist’s instructions so that she could maintain her rebuilt health.

But, she insisted that she needed to talk. She told me that she wanted to know if I would officiate at her funeral. I told her that, when the time came, if my schedule permitted, I would be honored to preside. I asked her where she was going to be buried and she couldn’t remember the name of the cemetery so I gave her the names of a couple of the local Jewish Cemeteries and one rang a bell.

I asked her about her current condition and about her family and, then, as the hour was late, I asked her just why she had called so late in the evening and she responded, “Well, Rabbi, I just called because I wanted to ask you how much you charge for a funeral.”

So I told her and she immediately shouted through the other end of the phone line, “What was that … I can’t hear you … I’m very hard of hearing you know!” This woman, who most certainly had difficulty with her hearing, had no problem hearing every other word of our conversation. But when something was said that she didn’t want to hear … suddenly she was deaf.

Passover is soon upon us. In preparation, we are supposed to clean the chumatz out of our houses. Perhaps, we should also use this time to clean out our ears so that we can hear things more clearly. Then again, there is a time where it is not such a bad thing to close our ears so that we cannot and do not hear. I am referring to when someone is speaking Lashon Hora … when someone is saying something bad or wicked about someone else… Usually when someone is saying something that puts someone else in a bad light, they somehow feel that they are raising themselves up. But on Pesach, on Passover, we are supposed to get rid of the Leaven, of those things that rise. And remember, sometimes when you lift yourself up too high, you are setting yourself up for a big fall. Pesach is coming, may you rise to the occasion.

Shalom My Friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a Hospice Chaplain and Member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains. He also provides Professional Pastoral Care Services to a number of health centers in Broward County.