If you’ve learned how to type properly (I never did), you would know that when you have the fingers of your left hand in “basic position” and press the keys one at a time starting with your pinky, you’ll end up with asdf. Do it again and you get asdfasdf.
Why is this significant, you ask?
As a regular consumer of Chabad.org goodness, you may know that I have been writing a weekly quiz for the past several years. I am blessed to have a job (and colleagues) that I love, and writing quizzes (and other Jewish articles) is fun 99.9% of the time.
But I cannot deny that coming up with an idea for a new quiz each week requires a good deal of daydreaming, combined with a pinch of creativity—as does composing incorrect answers to each question.
Sometimes I wonder if anyone really cares if I do my job to the best of my ability or if I take a shortcut or two.
And that’s where asdfasdf comes into play. Every week, I enjoy seeing the variety of comments that come in on the quiz. People share their scores, encourage and congratulate each other, and sometimes quibble about the answers. Those of you who comment regularly have become a sort of community, each one using the quiz to bolster his or her Jewish knowledge and appreciation.
But one thing I can rely on is that someone who identifies simply as “asdfasdf” will comment. His/her comment has just four words: “Thank you, rabbi Posner!” (Yes, the “rabbi” is always lowercase.)
I do not know his/her real name, or what else he/she is interested in. He/she appreciates the quiz and I appreciate him/her.
And so I want to use this forum to thank him/her for the encouragement. Thank you, “asdfasdf,” and all the other kind commenters who express their appreciation for the work I do.
I love you too!
Wishing you a shanah tovah,
Menachem
