This week our community hosted 12 severely wounded IDF soldiers as our VIP guests. During the trip, one of the soldiers lost his wallet. He was understandably distraught, because the wallet contained all his credit cards, his license, and all the cash he had for the trip.
He searched everywhere without success. He thought it might have been left on the bus, so we called the driver who looked around but didn't find it. We retraced he steps, searching everywhere he had been, to no avail. Not in the hotel room, or the lobby, or any of the other places we looked.
When the other soldiers on the trip saw how devastated he was, they came up with an idea.
In an act of incredible brotherly love, they decided to each contribute $35, for a total of $385, so that he wasn't left with nothing.
Now, these soldiers did not know each other before the trip. They didn't grow up together, weren't friends, didn't serve in the same army units. They were complete strangers. Some are religious, some are atheist. Some lean to the right politically, others to the left. But during the trip they bonded in a unique and lasting way. This generous show of unity—each donating $35 for a friend in need—is but a small example of their newfound friendship.
Ahavat Yisrael—love for one's fellow, is something we all need to learn and implement in our own lives. Let's look to these heroes as examples, and start to focus on all that unites us.