When a Jew Boards a Plane | Rabbi Shlomo Landau

There was a wealthy American businessman who traveled internationally all the time for his business. And he traveled First Class. He needed to arrive at his destination refreshed and in comfort. One day, he's traveling, he comes to the airport, and he's waiting to board the plane, and he sees a Yeshiva Bochur. It seems like they’re the only two frum people on this transatlantic flight. He chaps a shmooz. He says Shalom Aleichem to the Bochur. Where are you from? Where are you learning? I'm going to make some small conversation and then it's time to board. He boards and he goes to First Class, he makes a left turn when he gets onto the plane. The Yeshiva Bochur isn't even flying Economy Plus, he's flying Economy Steerage all the way in the back of the plane, and he goes to his seat. About an hour into the flight, the First Class was relatively empty, a Goyishe businessman sitting across the aisle turns to him and make some small talk. The Goyishe businessman says to him, You're a Jew, right? He goes: I sure am. He goes: You're like the really observant type. And he says: I think so. He goes: So then your life has a lot of restrictions and laws. He goes: 613 plus. The guy goes: Wow, that's a lot. He goes: But be honest with me. Right when you travel for business or vacation, you cut corners, you don’t keep them all. Maybe the food you eat isn't... the things you look at... And this frum businessman says: No. We're very consistent. Wherever we travel, God travels with us. And we keep wherever we are the same way that we're in when we’re in our community. This Goyishe businessman says: Who are you fooling? You're just talking the talk. You guys certainly don't walk the walk. On a whim, The wealthy frum businessman says to the Goyishe guy, he goes, You know what? I'm willing to make you a bet. He reaches into his pocket and he pulls out a crisp $100 bill, and he puts it on the small little table that's jutting out of his First Class seat. And he says to the fellow: You have $100 bill? And he goes: Put it down, we're going to make a bet. He goes: Well, what are we betting about? He says: When I was coming onto the plane, I saw a Yeshiva student, a parochial student, a religious student, a Jewish kid, and he's probably sitting all the way in the back of the plane. I want to make you a bet. He says: I want you to walk all the way to the back of the plane and as you do so, look around and see how many people are watching movies and TV shows and all kinds of things on their screens. Probably everybody. I want to bet you that this kid is not watching. He says: Of course he's watching. It's an easy hundred dollars. I'm willing to take the bet. He says: Go. This arrogant businessman walks back and he's looking around, and every guy is glued to the screen. And he comes all the way to the back, the second to last row, and he sees a kid with a yarmulka sitting there, and his light is on, and he has this book, and he's got his head in his book, and his screen is off. He looks at the kid, he doesn't say anything to him, and he stomps back off to First Class. He gives the frum fellow the $100 and he goes, I guess you're right. You people are consistent. You know something fascinating? That Yeshiva Bochur has absolutely no idea what transpired on that flight. He has no idea that he made a tremendous Kiddush Hashem by just being himself, by being consistent and by keeping his Madrega of Shmiras HaEinayim. And we have to understand something. That maybe every time we close our eyes, maybe every time that we don't look or we don't go where we're not supposed to go, no one knows about it. And maybe there isn't some guy watching to make, quote unquote, that major Kiddush Hashem. But every time that we work on Shmiras HaEinayim, and every time that we're עומד בניסיון, we are being Mekadesh Shem Shomayim in the most incredible way possible.