It seems that our community is just as excited as the ten Israeli soldiers for their upcoming trip to New York. Unfortunately, while applying for visas this week, one soldier was rejected with a callous dismissal. “There are too many injured American soldiers roaming around in New York”, he was told. Yogev L, a Givati officer will please G-d be replacing him.
The tale of Yogev’s injuries is a chilling one. In the middle of a short military break at home; he received notification to return immediately to the base to assist in the capture of a group of terrorists in Shechem. Arriving at the Ariel juncture fully armed yet attired in civilian clothing, Yogev awaited the arrival of his officer. Just then, a vehicle containing two terrorists sped into the juncture and stopped near two Israeli girls, forcing them into the vehicle. Yogev engaged the terrorists, allowing the girls to make good their escape. Unfortunately his heroic actions earned him a shooting at point blank range, with three bullets piercing his stomach and another two aimed at his right leg. Paramedics from an ambulance that was providentially parked on the other side of the road treated the critically injured Yogev before transporting him to the Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva where he underwent several operations. Israeli military intelligence was able to locate the two offending terrorists and entered Shechem the same night of the attempted kidnapping and subsequent assault, capturing the two of them.
G-d commands Moshe in this week’s parshah of Bamidbar to count Bnei Yisrael. Rashi explains that G-d desired an exact tally of His nation because they were so precious to Him. Each individual soul is a treasure unto itself, a valuable jewel whose presence must constantly be determined. The counting represents a fundamental belief of Judaism, the idea that human life is of infinite value.
It was the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s custom to stand outside the door of his office on Sunday afternoons, greeting the thousands of individuals who came to seek his blessing, handing each a dollar to deposit in tzedaka. The ritual would take hours and hours, with endless lines of people stretching for many blocks.
On one occasion, an elderly woman wondered how the Rebbe, in his late eighties, had the strength to stand for so long on a regular basis. Addressing her question to the Rebbe, he famously replied, “When one counts diamonds, he does not tire…”
The value of life is so absolute that G-d hinted to it in the creation of Adam, the very first person. The Talmud explains that unlike the animals around him, Adam was created as the sole representative of his species, thus he alone amounted to the entire human population of the world. Through this detail, Torah wishes to convey the message that each individual is so priceless that destroying a single life is comparable to destroying the entire world. Likewise, saving a single life is equated to saving the entire world.
On that day, not only did Yogev rescue two lives, he ultimately ensured the survival of two entire worlds. Let us hope we never find ourselves in such trying situations, rather may our simple kindnesses and thoughtful deeds suffice in our quest to see each individual for what he truly is: a rare gem to be admired and prized above all else.