The community that neglected a mitzva

The Lead Tidbit in this week's Torah Tidbits was really a knockout. A TKO perhaps. if you did not have a chance to read it, if your shul does not get the TT or you just did not read that piece, here it is:

The community that neglected a mitzva

There is a Jewish community - a fine Jewish community, really - with shuls and schools and mikve, with an eiruv, a glatt slaughterhouse, kosher supermarkets and restaurants, Daf Yomi available in three languages at different times of the day, a great chesed infrastructure and community support of individuals with a variety of "situations". It isn't just the community as a whole that is so exemplary, its members are outstanding models of intelligent, learned, observant, sensitive and caring Jews. We could say that this community is perfect... except for one thing: There is one mitzva they don't follow, when they shecht (ritual slaughter) chickens, they neglect to cover the blood of the sh'chita as is required by the Torah and as is detailed in Halacha. KISUI DAM BE'AFAR. Their sh'chita is meticulous. All other aspects of bringing the chickens to the table are cared for beyond reproach, but they don't do KISUI DAM.

Strange community, wouldn't you say? Hard to figure them out. It seems that way back when they started, they didn't know about KISUI DAM, or they didn't think it was so important. Or was it that they found it too difficult to do. And when they found out that the kashrut of the meat was not affected at all by their not doing it, they just didn't make the effort.

Wonder how many TTreaders to this point still think that this Lead Tidbit is talking about a Jewish community that neglects the mitzva of KISUI DAM. The fact is, KISUI DAM is only a place holder for a different neglected mitzva. One that actually finds one of its sources in this week's sedra - KISUI DAM does not.

But the real issue is "similar". We are talking about not one strange Jewish community, but about many, many not strange at all Jewish communities in many places around the world. Communities that have the shuls and restaurants and all the other things mentioned at the beginning of this piece, but somehow they seem to neglect one particular mitzva. We're not even going to claim that the neglected mitzva is more important than KISUI DAM (although it might be so claimed.) We are talking about communities and the individual Jews that make up those communities, who are very conscientious about Shabbat and Kashrut, about Taharat HaMishpacha and learning Torah and davening... but seem to sadly neglect - not everyone equally - the mitzva of YISHUV ERETZ YISRAEL, living in Israel. It should not be neglected.

There is nothing more to add. They hit right to the point this week.