Timeless Torah

Recently, after koshering a congregant’s home, she asked, “What do I do if…” Without letting her finish the sentence I replied, “Call me and ask.”
“Can’t you just give me some general pointers?” she persisted. “I don’t want to keep on bothering you.”
Well believe it or not, that’s a Rabbi’s job. I don’t mean being bothered. Answering shailos, which is the Hebrew word for legal questions in Jewish life. In fact, not too long ago in the shtetls of Europe, that’s what most community Rabbis spent their day doing. And the questioning congregant was always made to feel like a welcome customer. After all, if it weren’t for people with shailos, the Rabbi wouldn’t be in business.
There’s a well known story about the lady who brought her cat to the Rabbi. It seems she had left something non-kosher on her counter and before she had had a chance to throw it out, her cat ate it. The question she then posed in all seriousness was, “Is my cat traife?”
Well the Rabbi didn’t even blink an eye. He looked in a very thick book, turned some pages, pulled on his beard and took out more books from the shelf. After what seemed like endless consultation with the legal tomes, he turned to her and said, “Yes, your cat is traife and you must try not to let that ever happen again.”
The lady promised she would be more careful and left happy and enlightened. The Rabbi’s students couldn’t contain themselves any longer and burst out in laughter. The Rabbi gave them all a stern look and explained, "You must never laugh! If you make fun of a foolish shailah, people will hesitate to come to you with the necessary ones.”
So even if you think your questions are so embarrassing your pet parakeet would not repeat them - call a Rabbi. A good first rule of thumb is: If you don’t have the answer, it’s good enough to ask.
Nothing is too trivial or ridiculous. I remember the person who decided it wasn’t important enough to find out if her pots could become non-kosher from dog food. Don’t ask how she felt two months later, after she had to re-kosher her entire kitchen. So please call. It’s your spiritual health and welfare we’re concerned with. And like our Sages say, it is better to be a fool for a lifetime in the eyes of people than a fool for even one second in the eyes of G-d.