The yeshiva students at the Chabad Yeshiva of Vienna completed their summer yeshiva program with a moving moment: nearly twenty completed tractates of Talmud in memory of the Mossad agent – M. who drowned in the “Intelligence Agents’ boating tragedy” about two months prior.
The summer program took place in Milan, Italy, where for nearly three weeks the students invested day and night holding a grand review on the entire tractate Avoda Zara, which they learned during the year. As a closing trip of the summer program, the students and the administration enjoyed a day at Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore), with the purpose of refreshing the mind and body.
After a short boat ride, the students arrived at their destination: the island, Isola Bella, right near the location where the intelligence agents’ ship docked for lunch shortly before it sank. On the banks of the lake, with a background of breathtaking scenery, the entire Yeshiva stood for the completion of the tractates.
“We know almost nothing about Agent – M., apart from the first letter of his first name and fragments of descriptions shared by his colleagues. However, we do know this: here is a person who devoted himself to saving lives, literally, in Eretz Israel and in the world, in his life and in his death. While he was here in body, most likely the opportunity would never have arisen for us to thank him, but his soul is still here, and this is our humble opportunity to finish twenty tractates in his memory and thus simply say two words: thank you!”, concluded the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Chaim Fieldsteel with tears.
adapted from COLlive
