A Woman on the Roof of a Parking Garage

[This week's Haveil Havalim is here]

On Friday morning I flew to Ottawa, and from the Pearson Airport monorail I saw a single car occupying the top deck of a several-story parking garage. The car was in the far corner of the roof, and a woman stood beside it, right near the railing, writing something. It was a long way to the ground, the sun was shining, the car was alone on the rooftop, the woman was so intent on her writing… I wish I had been able to take a picture for you, but the moment was there and gone as the monorail moved along.

It was like a scene from a movie, either the beginning or the end.

Perhaps she was about to fly off to another country, and she was sending a Goodbye letter to her family, to a friend, to a boyfriend.

Maybe she was getting some last-minute work done before entering the hubbub of the airport.

Could be she just goes there because she likes the view, and she isn’t flying at all; the space is somewhat expensive, but it inspires her. Maybe she’s an artist, doing sketches for a painting.

Maybe she’s a poet or songwriter, and a thought just hit her, and she needed to catch the wave before it washed over her.

Possibly, she had just returned from a trip, and had a thought she wanted to jot down. Or maybe it was a harrowing flight, and she was writing a note to self: Make a Will!

Or, she could have been writing down her location so that she would remember where she had parked.

Or she was writing a note to drop off the edge of the building, to the ground below.
Or someone else was going to pick up the car, and she was leaving him/her a note.
Or she was planning to engage in some violent act in the airport, and she was leaving a message for investigators to find.

Many possibilities, of course, and my imagination is limited by my own experiences and identity. Could be something entirely different from my own dimension.

Funny. The exercise of pondering this was somewhat akin to one of the first steps in developing a dvar torah – looking at a source and contemplating what might lie behind it. Why did Bilam do that? Why did the Torah think it worthwhile to tell me about the dialogue between Balak and his messengers? What is that ox-tongue metaphor, anyway? And so on. [The difference between the dvar torah process and what happened Friday morning is in the steps toward answering those questions, but that's a topic for another time.]

And, of course, it reminded me of the novels I have not yet written…

A woman on the roof of a parking garage. Interesting.

Taking all of the trouble out of writing a dvar torah

People need to write divrei torah (brief Torah-based speeches) for various occasions - a family celebration, a funeral ר"ל, a board meeting, an introduction to the parshah at minyan, a Shabbos table, etc. Unfortunately, many people have difficulty with this task; their knowledge, their sense of homiletic structure, or their available time may not be up to the task. What can they do?

Many people surf the Internet and print out their favorite dvar torah - meaning, usually, the first item that comes to hand that is less than three pages long (if they are merciful).

A few years ago, I taught a "How to prepare a dvar torah" class, to try to help people use commonly available resources to develop their own divrei torah. Didn't get much interest, although I have certainly had many people come to me over the years for one-on-one help in this area.

I once fantasized about creating a "Build-a-Dvar" seminar with our new Toronto beit midrash, designed along the lines of "Build-a-Bear." We would have each avrech staff a piece of an assembly line. One would work on core texts, the next on questions about the text, the third on source material, the fourth on openers and the fifth on closers - and there you are, dvar torah complete. It would be fun, I think, but I'm not sure how many participants we would get for it...

...Especially since someone else has come up with a new way to help people build divrei torah. I discovered a resource which is new to me: TorahInspirations.com.

Their website promises:

On your special occasion your words will reflect your innermost thoughts and feelings and you will bring those you love into your world. We are experts in helping you define your own thoughts, and helping you find your own voice.

Are you having trouble gathering your thoughts?
We can help you express your thoughts and emotions in a clear, meaningful and powerful manner!

Have you run out of time?
Don't worry - we are quick, professional and provide an excellent service! You have enough to do - let us write your speech!

You will stand up before your friends and family with a fantastic speech – which people will remember for ages!

And the site even includes sample divrei torah, complete with the personalized pieces.

I wonder whether the siteowners get any business. I suspect that people who won't write their own are more apt to grab something off the Net, or solicit a relative/Rabbi for help, than to approach strangers on a website. But who knows?

Would you go to them for help?
Would you just grab the latest off of aish.com?
Would you decline the honor altogether?
In short: What is your approach, when solicited to deliver a dvar torah?