A friend forwarded me a message about a widow who was sitting shiva for her two sons, her only boys, who were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists during the bloody massacre on Simchat Torah. The widow barely had anyone to come and comfort her. My husband and I felt compelled to drive to the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood to show our love for this bereaved Jewish woman. With the Chabad.org book, "A Time to Heal," written by my brother, Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson, in hand, we set off on our mission.
As soon as we parked, it became clear that our plans were neither original nor unique. We saw every type of Jew searching for the same address, looking confused in unfamiliar surroundings, focused on a goal. I recognized the look of conviction in each of their faces, which was surely mirrored in mine. We all wanted to be there for a Jew in need; a sister we had never met was in unfathomable pain.
The shul where Rachel was sitting shiva was packed with men and women of every age and background, from all around Israel, united as one. The tables were laden with food and goodies supplied by volunteers, and there were women holding booklets of Psalms, reciting chapters fervently.
Only after we left did I discover more about the identity of the family that we went to visit. Rachel's sons, Osher and Michael Vaknin, were twin brothers aged 35. They had organized the Supernova rave festival, "billed as a journey of love and peace," near Kibbutz Re'im, just 3 miles from the Gaza Strip. They were known for their joyful spirit and were passionate about bringing happiness to others.
Osher was found dead on the day of the attack, his car covered in blood, with eyewitnesses sharing that he had selflessly helped others escape. Michael was missing. Three days later, the family's hopes were dashed, as it became clear that Michael shared the same fate as his twin brother. When we arrived at the shiva home, Rachel was sitting for the 10th (and final day) of intense mourning over the loss of her two precious sons (Michael's seven days of shiva began three days into Osher's shiva).
We squeezed our way in to meet Rachel and to give her the book of comforting stories and inspiration from the Rebbe, a book which has brought solace to countless people during their most trying days of grief and mourning.
After we shared a few words of comfort, we moved back to make room for others.
A man with a small white beard, who appeared to be in his fifties, was now talking softly and caught my attention. He identified himself as Shimon, a faculty member of Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva.
Shimon shared that during the second Lebanon war in 2006, his tank had been bombed by the enemy, killing two of his comrades and leaving him with serious burns over his entire body. He was choking in the smoky tank, when someone pulled him out by the back of his neck, miraculously saving his life. For months he lay in a hospital bed, recovering from the painful burns.
One of the first places he visited once he was discharged from the hospital was the family of his friend who had perished, the driver of his tank. As he offered his condolences, Shimon shared the last words that his friend had uttered before returning his holy soul to his Maker. As they were riding into Lebanon, Shimon said to his friend over the radio, "Maybe you want to put on tefillin?" The driver laughed and shared honestly that he hadn't donned tefillin since his bar mitzvah. He declined. A few moments later, his voice cackled through to Shimon, "You know what?" he said, "Tomorrow morning, I want to put on tefillin. For you."
Shimon replied, "It's not for me. It's between you and G‑d."
"Not for you," the driver proclaimed, "I want to do it for G‑d!" The family felt great comfort, hearing that their son left this world with words of connection to G‑d and a desire to do a mitzvah.
Rachel, who looked numb with pain and somewhat detached, had been listening intently to Shimon. She proudly shared, "My boys put on tefillin." There was a huge picture of two kind-looking young men with big smiles on their faces and their arms around each other behind her.
Shimon responded gently, "I'm sure they were very virtuous. It says about those who are killed just because they are Jewish that there is a special place in Gan Eden reserved for them, where even the most righteous cannot enter."
We left the shiva home, humbled and inspired.
"Who is like Your nation, O Israel?!"
I thought of the bride and groom who were going to get married with no guests. Word went out, and within a few hours the wedding took place in a hall, with a catered dinner, music, and a DJ, with 400 guests in attendance, none of whom knew the couple!
And what about the request to host displaced Jews from the south? Just 45 minutes after the message was posted respondents were told, "You are way too late! We already found everyone a place."
Six-thousand families were placed in less than 45 minutes! Without skipping a beat, people opened their homes to complete strangers. Strangers whom we identify with as our international Jewish family.
Our soldiers stand in a league of their own. The response to the draft notice for Operation Iron Swords was 130%! Thousands of men, in Israel and abroad, chose to put their lives on the line to be a part of this mission for Am Yisrael. There was even a 95-year-old man who volunteered! Our IDF soldiers work tirelessly, as do their families, sacrificing so much.
Jewish communities across the globe, including our very own community of brave immigrants who have moved to Jerusalem, are gathering forces to aid Israeli soldiers and civilians, materially and spiritually.
Hundreds of hot meals have been delivered from our Chabad house, Chabad of Baka, to IDF soldiers, Jews in the south, and families of reservists. We have had the privilege of visiting some of our soldiers to provide physical nourishment, as well as a spiritual uplift.
The volunteers at the Friendship Circle of South Jerusalem, which we direct, have been going above and beyond to provide meaningful fun for children with special needs and to offer much-needed respite to their exhausted parents.
The acts of kindness and generosity taking place at every moment, and the feeling of Jewish unity worldwide, is surely an armor of protection for Am Yisrael at this intense time of war.
The Baal Shem Tov offers a beautiful explanation for the words from Psalms 121, "G‑d is your shadow." Our behavior here in the physical world elicits a parallel Divine response, he explains.
May G‑d mirror His nation of first responders by bringing deliverance to the Jewish people quickly and miraculously. May He return our captives from Gaza to our homeland, healthy and whole, may He heal the thousands of injured, and bring safety and protection to our soldiers and every single Jew. And may He bring true comfort to the grieving nation of Israel with the coming of the Final Redemption speedily now!
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