Why Josh Can't Be Left Alone

I took a rare trip into the frum neighborhood in the area. It's no Boro Park, but coming from my neigborhood, it might as well be. I visited their Lakewood Kollel, which needless to say, is a little more Lakewood than the one closer to me. There were these two guys who didn't quite fit in. Not only was there an absence of black hats and jackets, but they were wearing tshirts. Nothing uncommon for me. But this yeshivish kid of about 10 couldn't get over them. No stone throwing, enmity stuff. Just pure awe. One of the guys was saying Kaddish, and this kid was staring at him open mouthed, like he couldn't figure out how this guy could possibly know the words. It was quite humorous, considering that I didn't know people were that sheltered out here.

But I'm glad that kid did learn something. He'll be better off knowing how other Jews, and other people live. Hopefully, his parents will educate him well enough about why he lives the way he does, so that he can respect others from a distance while still remaining strong in his own practice.