There’s nothing worse that getting too big for your boots, thought Esther when her husband qualified as a rabbi.
He was young and full of himself, despite what he had learned or was supposed to have learned about humility.
“Please take out the garbage,” she had asked him.
“I can’t take out the garbage any more now that I am a rabbi,” he had answered.
“What, she said, “You expect me to take it out? I’m a rabbi’s wife.”
It was stalemate and the garbage was sitting there – a big black question mark in the kitchen.
It went on for two days with no let up on either side.
The young rabbi decided he needed help and so he called on the head rabbi of the area, an old man, slow to decide matters, but very fair minded.
He invited the old rabbi to dinner and over the pudding he explained the problem.
“Should I take the garbage out now I am a rabbi?” asked the young rabbi a little bit indignantly.
“No, of course you are right – you shouldn’t have to do it,” replied the old rabbi.
“What, and should I have to do it?” asked the young rabbi’s wife, also a little indignantly.
“No, of course you are right – you shouldn’t have to do it,” replied the old rabbi.
The couple looked at each other. The old rabbi was simply appeasing them. It was obvious he was no use at all in helping them to a solution to the problem.
That night the couple talked some more, but neither saw a reason to give ground.
Neither would concede: both were too important now to be expected to take out the garbage.
The next morning, there was a knock at the door.
It was the old rabbi.
The couple wondered whether he had made a ruling, or whether he had forgotten some article of clothing the night before and was calling to collect it.
“Good morning, rabbi,” they said “How can we help you?”
“I’ve come to put out the garbage,” the old rabbi said.
Attribution
Heard from Rabbi Tatz, in Jerusalem