Old man on bus in Israel wearing sunglasses

wiping collar...


and forehead...

It's summer and the weather is unbearable. At least in my neck of the woods, it is. I always wondered how Jews - and non-Jews - managed in the old days, with no cooling and clothing as uncomfortable as can possibly be. They speak of the Union soldiers and their blue wool uniforms dying of heat in the Southern summers during the Civil War or the War between the States. This Chasidishe Yiddel on the bus tried to ease the discomfort by wearing light-colored clothing, as is evidenced by the gray rekkel he wore, and by shading his eyes from the unrelenting sun with a pair of sunglasses. Those of you that know will know to remember the pictures of Yossel Ashkenazi in the Beis HaChaim in Tzfas wearing those shades from the '50s. Far be it from me to not judge Jews favorably, but it seems to this objective observer that we've been trying to make things harder for ourselves. That a Jew like on the bus, despite his obvious mesirus nefesh to maintain his Yiddishe Tzureh, would be ridiculed by the young for his "modern look..." I myself have a very low tolerance for heat, but I manage somehow, especially on Shabbos. You begin to learn how to manage when the electric bill comes in the summer. Money takes care of lots of hangups you had as a kid. You no longer need a new Borsalino every six months and shoes and pants don't matter as much to you either. You learn to make due.On Shabbos my neshomeh yeseireh allows me to wear my hat and kapote in the 100 degree heat, even when others in Monsey find it unbearable. I thank G-d for that. איי, the gy looks at me and thinks that Ich bin gefallen of'en kup? This is my Kaporas Aveynes. But when I see the alte yidden mit di G&G wool suits walking on the street I feel for them. A young guy can handle it, but why does the 80+ Yiddel with the heart condition need to kill himself? That I'll never know.