Once, back in the old Shabbos House, which was much smaller (it was a third the size) of our current big main room at Shabbos House, a new student came for Shabbat dinner. When I went over to introduce myself and speak a little with him, he boasted to me: “Rabbi, I have not stepped foot in a synagogue since my Bar-Mitzvah!” I responded that you are sitting in a synagogue right now! He almost jumped out of his seat in shock, “Where!?” I pointed to the small Ark in front of the room…
I remembered this story because of a recent #1ChapterRambam (that’s the hashtag I use for my daily Rambam tweets on twitter) law I learned in the daily 1 Chapter of Rambam study cycle. It’s in the law of “Shegagot” (sacrifices for inadvertent/mistaken sins) in the case of where someone entered the Jerusalem Temple while in an impure state, but had no idea he was in the Temple. That would be considered an inadvertent violation. But wait, can you imagine someone standing inside the Jerusalem Temple and not realizing that he was in the Temple!?
And this also reminds me of a story that my Zeide (grandfather) Reb Moshe Rubin would often share, my father would say it in the Sukkah of my childhood and I often share it in the Shabbos House Sukkah as well – and it is based on a verse in this week’s Parsha Mishpatim, so it is most fitting to share it now again: (see it here at this “Mendel’s Messages” post) “Come up to the Mountain – and BE THERE!”