I was in Israel just two weeks ago. We were there to inspire and get inspired.
At the Palmachim Air Force base we were privileged to witness one of our wounded IDF soldiers being reunited with the helicopter pilot who evacuated him to Tel Hashomer hospital and saved his life. It was an extremely emotional reunion which we will not forget!
The pilots described for us how they evacuate wounded soldiers from Gaza, often under fire, in record time. Our wounded soldier, for example, was in the hospital undergoing surgery within an hour of being injured! These people are true heroes.
At the end of our tour, I asked the head of the Palmachim Air Force if he’d put on tefillin yet that day. He hadn’t, and I offered to do it with him right then and there. He agreed.
I rolled up his sleeve—I know how to do it pretty quickly at this point!—and in under a minute we were reciting the Shema and connecting his soul to the deepest levels of G-dliness.
Then he shared with me, “You know, I would love to be in Helsinki right now. My nephew—my brother’s son—is having his bar mitzvah.” He grabbed his phone and pulled up a picture of his brother Tal and his nephew Omri putting on tefillin. We immediately recognized their rabbi, Rabbi Binyamin Wolff, who runs Chabad in Helsinki.
It turns out that his brother is the Israeli attaché in Helsinki. They were supposed to celebrate Omri’s bar mitzvah in Israel with their entire extended family, but due to the war they decided to do the bar mitzvah in Helsinki. Without family, however, it just was not the same!
What are the odds that we would visit Palmachim on the exact day of the bar mitzvah, and that I would have the privilege of putting tefillin on with this holy pilot, enabling him to truly celebrate with his nephew in spirit? Clearly, Divine providence was at play!
Thank you to our group leader, Bentzi Sasson, for capturing the moment.
This weekend, we mark Yud Shevat—the day that the Previous Lubavither Rebbe passed away in 1950, and the day that his son-in-law became Rebbe and leader of the Chabad movement in 1951. The Rebbe created the greatest army in the world. From Brooklyn, NY, the Rebbe created tunnels that run the length and breadth of the world. Tunnels that connect every Jew, wherever he or she may be. Tunnels of love connecting us in New York, Helsinki, and the Palmachim air force base.
The Rebbe sent emissaries out all over the world with a single mission: to spread love and kindness and to inspire others to make ourselves and the world a better place. The Rebbe entrusted that mission to us, and it’s up to us to keep it going.
So look around your sphere and ask yourself: Who can I reach out to? Where do my tunnels lead? Go ahead, and connect. Invite someone for a Shabbat meal. Ask a friend to tag along to shul. Offer Shabbat candles to your neighbor. Spread the light, spread the love; continue the Rebbe’s mission.