Pat Be'Melech Tochal

"This a the way of Torah: You will eat bread with salt, and sleep on the floor..." This statement of The Rabbis baffles many who read it. I've come to understand it from life experience in an other venue. It's funny, not ha-ha, the way that if you go away from something and compare it to something different, when you go back to the first thing it is much clearer. Today I auditioned for a part in a play. I kind of hope I get it. I really enjoyed the time I acted for this audition. It was a reminder of the sweet taste of acting. And yet. Lets go to yet another unrelated/related point - mei'inyan le'inyan be'oto inyan. I really enjoy doing stand up. I'm proud at my caliber of comedic talent. I've a had several gigs lately that went great and there's nothing like it. One major difference (just one at a time please) (that comment was directed to my anxious brain) between me and other actors and comedians is that I'm part time. The vibe in the air at today's audition was one of sacrifice, I entered a sanctuary filled with people who are willing to risk it all for theater. Thousands of such people struggle to support themselves and their families, refusing to go a more conventional route. An acquaintance of mine likes to go on about how irresponsible some show biz people are for not letting go of their dream in order to more comfortably and conventionally support the family they created. I hear his side. I hear their side. To become a successful comedian or actor you have to gamble it all. Crazy in a big way. That's what the vast majority of celebrities did to get where they are. Leno and Letterman and Seinfeld slept on the floor. David Brenner used to treat friends to a fancy restaurant dinner now and then early in his career. He was able to do this only because most of the time, on his own, he ate tuna out of a can (this was the inspiration for the title of one of his memoirs). Speaking of restaurants, who would our waitress be, if not for the phenomenon of the aspiring actress? Let's go back to the braitah which says that the way of Torah is to go without proper food and lodging. If Torah is your greatest value in life then you're willing to give up everything for it. I exhaled that whole, and I'm leaving it as is.