הקבצן

I am a collector. When I was young I collected postage stamps. Now that I have become frum I collect tzitzit strings. When I see detached strings on the ground I collect them and bring them to geniza so that they do not become trampled over, as it is bizui mitzvah.

An artist is a collector. He collects thoughts from here and there and arranges them into a picture. For him the thoughts are meaningful and their relation one to another is even more meaningful and they are worth recording.

For a collector is one who values that there are special moments or special items that are worth saving. It is also special that similar events or items occur repeatedly; thus he arranges his collection. For it is not just the importance of each item, rather the collection as a whole has importance.

In essence, the collector is seeing Special Providence. There is pattern in life that has meaning. Therefore he sees fit to set aside a reminder of this pattern that he sees. The pattern is Divine Design. The items that the collector finds are remazim of a divine message to him.

The Master of the Universe, blessed is He is also a collector. He collects the scattered souls of Benai Yisrael. This is what is important to Him.

מקבץ נדחי עמו ישראל