In the early afternoon, the sirens settled. When enough time had lapsed, we felt safe enough to walk around. We realized no one in our community had prepared lunch for that day - they all thought they’d be joining us in shul. We packed up all the food and brought it to a friend, who had a large bomb shelter. We also brought the Sifrei Torah along, so we could dance and celebrate with them. We spent the rest of the day there, farbrenging and encouraging each other.
It was only after Yom Tov, when we turned our phones and computers on again, that we learned the devastating truth.
My neighbor, Mr. Becher, was worried about his son Yehuda, who’d traveled south for the Nova festival. He spent hours searching for him, until we learned the tragic news that he’d been murdered. Yehuda’s final message, a prescient and heartrending rendition of Elokai Neshama, has been heard around the world.
We helped arrange the funeral and shiva. Many of Yehuda’s friends came, and it was amazing to see how their pintele yid shone forth. While they may have looked like typical secular Israelis, their souls yearned for meaning in the midst of tragedy; to tighten their grip on their Father’s Hand.
Mishkafayim is a sleepy little neighborhood in Ramat Beit Shemesh. There are no bustling avenues with large shops and hundreds of pedestrians roaming around. It makes mivtzah tefillin a bit harder, but, of course, there are always opportunities around!
There is one store with the distinction of being the only grocery open on late Friday afternoons. Because of this, there’s quite a bit of traffic then. My son suggested it as the perfect place to set up a tefillin stand.
Of course, the first person we met was Avishai*, the curly headed teenager manning the counter. I asked him if he wanted to put on tefillin, and he flatly refused. His accent sounded quite familiar, and, as we got to talking, I found out he’d grown up in Borehamwood as well!
“I rarely meet other Jews from my hometown!” I told him. “What incredible Hashgacha Pratis that drew us here together!”
We soon bonded over shared memories, and Avishai’s icy demeanor melted away completely. When I asked him again if he wanted to put on tefillin, Avishai nodded.
After a couple of weeks, Avishai shook his head again when I asked him to put on tefillin.
“I already put them on today!” he said with a cheeky grin.
After a while, Avishai moved on to bigger and better things. Three years later, he visited me and shook my hand solemnly.
“Rabbi, you changed my life,” he said. “Three years ago, I was just a drifting teenager, hooked on drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. When you walked into the store, you shook me up and compelled me to change. I’ve gotten my life back in order, all thanks to you!”
Devorah*, one of the young women in our community, recently gave birth to her first baby. Unfortunately, there were some complications, and she had to remain in the hospital.
I was hosting a farbrengen in honor of Pesach Sheini, and I dedicated it to a refuah shleima for Devorah.
“May Devorah come home by the end of the week!” I said. Everyone answered “Amen,” and drank l’chaim.
The next day, Devorah was released from the hospital with a completely clean bill of health!
Rivka*, one of my seminary students, confided in me about her difficult home life. Her parents were going through an acrimonious divorce and she felt pulled between them. Finances were extremely tight, so though she knew she wanted to go to med school, she had no idea how she’d pay for it.
“Emunah and bitachon are the keys,” I told her. “If you can work on yourself and place your trust in Hashem, He will take care of everything.”
She was still extremely anxious, so I tried to give her pointers on how to strengthen her emunah and bitachon. After finishing seminary, she went on to Einstein College. A few months later, she called me, excitement and wonder still palpable in her voice.
IllumiNations
“It worked!” she said. “I worked really, really hard to place my trust in Hashem and calm my anxiety. You’ll never believe what happened! A donor offered to pay the tuition of every new Jewish student in college! Baruch Hashem, everything has been taken care of, exactly as you told me it would!”
After discarding my Chassidishe levush, I got a job on the diamond Bourse. I was anxious to fit in and look the part of a commensurate businessman, so I decided to start trimming my beard. It felt strange after so many years of growing it out, but I felt I had no choice. Parnassah was tight, and this would ensure I could provide for my family.
I rode the train to work every day, and usually picked up the free Chayenus that were given out in every train station in Israel. I enjoyed keeping up with the daily Chitas, as well as the many other learning resources Chayenu included.
One day, shortly after taking the job, I used my commute to read through the Rebbe’s letters included in the Chayenu. The words struck me like lightning: Hashem’s shefa comes through the beard. Even though you’ve already begun trimming, you should stop and regrow it, and see how Hashem’s brachos flow.
It felt like the Rebbe was speaking directly to me. I was shaking and trembling all over. When the train doors opened, I saw a friend, a Chabad chassid, standing on the platform. I immediately went over and asked him to read the letter with me again, as I doubted the evidence of my own eyes.
Although I was unsure of my path in life and which derech I would follow, the Rebbe never gave up on me.
*Names changed to protect privacy
