Special hametz pickups

Once again we in Brooklyn will benefit from special garbage pickups by the Sanitation Dep't arranged through our local elected officials so we can have the hametz out of our sight before the zman ha-bi'ur (see my previous post). Remember, the sanitationmen are doing us a favor, above and beyond their normal duties. Hakarat Ha-tov is a desideratum in the Jewish scheme of things. True, they are being paid overtime out of our taxes, but that does not absolve us of our obligation to treat people who work for us, Jewish or not, like human beings. Everybody likes to feel appreciated, and sanitationmen are still too often the targets of undeserved derision and abuse. So let's follow the guidelines set out in the leaflets we received. And if we see the sanitationmen going about their duties, a "Hello" or "Good morning" will brighten up their day at no cost to us. This applies all the time, but especially Friday morning when they will be doing the extra pick-ups as a favor to us.