My most recent guest at the weekly Mitchadshot workshop was Noam Simchi, the man who last Friday afternoon found Yuval Kogan, the four-year-old who had gone missing last Thursday in the dunes near Ashkelon. Did you see the footage of him crying out, “Abba, thank You!” as he held Yuval in his arms?
We had the pleasure of getting to know him a little better. He is 27 years old and discovered the Breslov Hassidic movement at the age of 14. From the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, he learned that we are all brothers, and so when he heard that Yuval was missing, he felt as though his own little brother had disappeared.
Noam owns a horse farm called “Ahavat Hashem”(Love of God). He and his friends joined the search. After hours of combing the area beneath the blazing sun, they were exhausted and had found nothing. Then they themselves lost their way — and it was precisely then that they suddenly found Yuval under a tree, as if he had been waiting for them.
We talked about Rebbe Nachman’s Stories, in which there is always something lost that must be found. Noam, too, set out on horseback in search of something precious that had been lost—and he found it.
He is deeply moved that his simple, wholehearted words of faith have now reached millions of people. At the same time, he insists that this story is not about him. Thousands of volunteers joined the search, and countless people prayed. He does not know why he was privileged to be the one who found Yuval.
He quoted Rebbe Nachman: “There is no despair in the world at all,” and “The whole world is a very narrow bridge.”
How remarkable that he found the boy just before Shabbat. What a Shabbat Noam must have experienced afterward!
Amid all the headlines and upheaval, a modern-day hassidic tale unfolded here on Friday.
A few more bricks in the Temple
This past Tisha B’Av, I learned a lesson in innocence, sincerity, and simple faith.
Chani Canterman, a Chabad emissary, invited me to visit a very special place: Camp Gan Israel–Friendship Circle, a summer camp for children with special needs. Children come from around the world to attend this unique program, and each camper is paired with a dedicated counselor. Chani asked me to speak to the group on the fast day of Tisha B’Av, when the usual outings and activities are not possible.
The fast had begun. The counselors turned off the lights, and we sat in the darkness by candlelight. Two girls came into the hall late, tears streaming down their faces.
Alarmed, I asked them what had happened.
“The Holy Temple was destroyed,” they replied.
I was stunned.
I asked the children why the Temple had been destroyed and what we could do to rebuild it. Their answers amazed me.
One boy said that the next day, he would try not to complain and would smile at his counselors instead. That, he said, would be his “brick” in rebuilding the Temple.
Another girl said that she prays from a siddur and asked if she could pray into the microphone. I handed it to her, and she repeated the same words again and again:
“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself.” That was her prayer.
I felt as though I had stepped into a Chassidic story.
One child after another spoke about acts of kindness and love. Then one boy stood up and embraced his counselor, who cares for him devotedly, day and night.
“We learned about unconditional love, so now I am doing unconditional love. Michal, thank you.”
They stood there, holding one another. Then more children came forward to hug their counselors—and one another.
Thank you to the counselors and campers of Camp Gan Israel–Friendship Circle for the privilege of building a few more bricks in the Temple together.
With Love
“Love” is one of the words that appears most frequently in this week's Torah portion, Eikev. Again and again we are asked to love, or are told that God loves us: "to walk in all His ways and to love Him," "Only in your fathers did the Lord delight to love them," "And it shall be, if you listen diligently to My commandments which I command you today - to love the Lord your God."
Rashi explains here a fundamental principle: "Whatever you do - do it out of love, and honor will eventually come." We are supposed to observe the Torah and commandments not in order to receive reward, honor, or any benefit, but out of love. When we work from love, all the rest will come naturally.
This portion is so fitting for these hot August days, for summer vacation. In the most crowded and pressured, and sometimes a bit oppressive days — show love to others and remember that we are loved. Even when there's tension, even when it's hot and annoying, love is there, at the foundation of the relationship.
The Heroic Power of Restraint
"And you shall eat, be satisfied, and bless.” These words that appear in this week’s Torah portion are the source for the Grace after Meals, the prayer recited after eating a meal with bread. In fact, before and after eating, we stop to acknowledge, bless, and thank God. Here is a beautiful explanation of this mitzvah from Rabbi Aharoni Bernstein:
“It is worthwhile to listen to the story that food is telling us. The presence of God in the plate in front of us is both astonishing and uplifting.
“These feelings begin with the blessing before we eat. The plate is full of colorful food, the stomach is grumbling, but we pause first to offer thanks. This sudden delay before attacking the food grants us the heroic power of restraint.
“After eating, when we want to quickly continue on our way, we pause again in order to bless. The Grace after Meals teaches us to look back, to honor and to thank God for the favor of providing us with food. It teaches us that delayed gratification is supremely gratifying. When we sanctify eating, we discover that food is the bridge that connects us to God. Eating becomes a profound event, much more than just an opportunity to refuel. Keep this in mind the next time you sit down to eat.”
Translated by Yehoshua Siskin and Janine Muller Sherr
Want to read more by Sivan Rahav Meir? Google The Daily Thought or visit sivanrahavmeir.com