Holy Times, Social Times

In my last post I claimed that Orthodox Jews spend more than half a year involved in mitzvoth and the associated lifestyle. It might not be obvious to non-Orthodox Jews, so I will spell it out. I’ll do it in terms of a running total, counting a day as 20 hours. Passover, Sukkoth, Shavuoth, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur (21days), plus 2 days erev all these holidays (23 days). Fifty-two shabbusim (75) plus 13 (52x.25) days of ErevSabbus (Friday afternoon) (88). Four fast days plus Purim, I’ll count as two (90 days). Daily prayers, assuming 45 minutes total with no travel time, comes to 10 days (100). I have not counted travel time to and from the synagogue plus the time between mincha and maariv (afternoon and evening prayers). Many Orthodox Jews attend, at least, one service daily in a synagogue, so I think it’s fair to add another 45 minutes (110). I have not counted the special shopping, cleaning, and cooking, the time for blessings and grace, the washing of hands, and most importantly, the time allocated to the study of Torah. I think 10 days (200 hours/year) is a fair number (120).

On to lifestyle. Let’s start with weddings. In a well-defined community, and assuming a reasonable social world and family, (siblings, mechutanim with children, cousins, fellow congregants, friends and acquaintances) it is impossible to go to less than twenty weddings and twenty bar mitzvahs a year. And then there are lechaims/ vorts/sheva beruchos, (engagement and wedding parties) and an occasional upsherin’. Oh, and I forgot about all the circumcisions. So, adding it all up, we’re talking about sixty social events a year minimum, where not to attend is totally out of the question. Assuming, with travel time, five hours per affair, we get 15 days (135). I say five hours an affair because people travel around the country for these events, which can take three days total. People also travel to Israel which is a five day turnaround. So assigning 15 days a year to simchas, is seriously underestimating the total. But I want to be conservative.

Speaking of traveling, I haven’t counted spending time with the many grandchildren, a natural result of large families. I also can’t forget the almost mandatory trip to Israel, Florida, or Switzerland, depending on one’s social group and income. Count it all as 5 days (140). Oops I forgot Chanukah and presents and dreideling and what not. Not to worry. Since its so much fun, it’s a freebie. Besides many assimilated Jews have Chanukah- bush parties. On the down side of life, there is sitting shiva and shiva visits and time spent helping the bereaved and other acts of personal benevolence, 2 days (142). Add in six more days for parlor meetings, fund raisers, banquets, memorials, special lectures, yarchei kalah, tischen, kvitlech, mikveh and everything I left out and we are up to 148 days.

So I exaggerated. I said a half a year, and I’m off by 34 days.

It’s not easy to live in a face to face community, and the world of Orthodoxy is no exception.

The large amount of time spent serving God might also be a factor in the relative difficulties of earning a living. I have not stressed this point because I believe most participants feel they are enriched by all this religious and social activity, and as a result are more efficient and successful in their work. I believe the claim is essentially correct, and that something magical occurs which enables many religious Jews to be financially successful in the capitalist world, even though they are devoting so much time to God and community. It is a mysterious phenomenon, and a topic worthy of further discussion. The puzzle is: How can one give a naturalistic, non theological account, how Orthodox Jews who devote 148 days a year to religion and a special life style earn incomes that are not below average? Working on Sunday is only part of the answer.

The most expensive aspect of the Orthodox life is not the schools or the kosher food or the synagogue dues. It is the opportunity cost of the time spent living la vida Orthodox.