The ghosts in the barber shop

The Story

David's barber shop was full of people waiting for their turn. David worked non-stop, cutting the hair of one customer after another. Simon, one of those waiting, looked up from the book in his hand and glanced at the clock. "It's getting really late," he thought to himself, "I didn't think it would take so long... I've been waiting here for half an hour already. But at least David is about to finish with that guy, and then finally it will be my turn."

Just then the street door burst open and a young man rushed in. He stopped, looked around and said: "Great, I arrived just in time. I'm after the guy who's getting his hair cut now."

"Excuse me!" Simon protested. "When I got here, you were nowhere to be seen! You weren't ahead of me in line!"

"Of course I was," the newcomer insisted. "Just ask David, and also the guy getting his hair cut now. I was here, and I told him I was next after him. Meanwhile, I went to run a few errands."

Simon was infuriated. "That's really not fair! Wait in line like everyone else. Everyone else here has lots to do as well, but everyone except for you waits in line. There's no such thing as holding a place!"

"Why not?" the young man retorted. "Where does it say you need to stand in line the whole time? The line is meant to maintain order, and I arrived before everyone sitting here. What good would it do you if I waste my time standing here the whole time? You can do the same as me if you want. No one's stopping you..."

All the while, David continued quietly cutting the hair of his client, listening to the exchange but not intervening. If only his customers knew how many times he had heard this argument...

As for us, we can all think of times when this argument applied to us. Maybe it was someone's shopping cart placed on line while they "just went to get another jar of coffee." Maybe it was you who forgot something at the last minute and ran off, leaving the cart behind. What's the right way to act?

A Torah Response

Let's analyze this discussion from an ethical perspective. On one hand, it seems unfair to hold a place in line while going off to do other things. This certainly applies in a case where people physically waiting on line don't know that there are five "ghosts" in front of them who suddenly show up just when they thought it was finally their turn. Had they known in advance, they might have decided to come back another time when the line was (genuinely) shorter.

However, if everyone knows that everyone acts this way, it doesn't need to be a problem, as long as someone who arrives to stand on line is aware that there are really four people in front of him, even though no one's in sight. In such a case, no one is actually losing out, so why not let someone run an errand in the meantime?

That said, in most cases, one should follow the accepted social norms, as acting differently, even if no one is actually harmed, could result in a desecration of Hashem's name. Unfortunately, people are not always calm or reasonable, and the Torah encourages us to always seek the path of peace.

From the book Man's Duty in His World - Moral and Character Issues for the Whole Family.