This week, I received a text message that left me speechless. It was from Moshe, a wounded IDF soldier in his 40’s who visited my office a few weeks ago while he was here in New York receiving treatment through our Belev Echad program.
We had a wonderful meeting, discussing his treatment options (he needed surgery to heal his tremendous pain), and then I asked him if he wanted to put on tefillin—something I routinely do whenever I meet people. He said yes, we wrapped the tefillin and said Shema, and went on with our days. I didn’t give it much further thought.
But now, three weeks later, Moshe texted me, pouring out his heart, revealing that that simple act reignited the spark of his neshama, his soul. He explained that putting on tefillin is not typically high on his list of priorities, but the moment we wrapped them together his passion for spiritual growth was reignited, and he has been putting them on every day since with renewed conviction.
Moshe’s life is not easy! He deals with physical and emotional pain as a result of his injuries and experiences. Nevertheless, he realized that connecting with G-d every day is his top priority, and is taking steps to make that happen.
What about the rest of us? We too, every single one of us, have a neshama deep inside us. The neshama yearns to connect, to do good deeds, to study Torah, in direct contrast to the body’s priorities—enjoying material life.
As I read Moshe’s words, I was touched and inspired. Our simple act of putting on tefillin together caused a ripple effect in his priorities, awakening his neshama and his pintele yid.
And you know what? It awakened my soul too! I was reminded that even in the midst of our busy lives, we have the power to inspire and uplift others.
Every single Jew has a neshama, and all it takes is one small spark to set it aflame.
When a chassid asked the Rebbe Rashab, “What is a chassid?” the Rebbe Rashab answered him, “A chassid is a lamplighter.” In other words, a chassid is one who strives to ignite the spark in his or her fellow Jews’ G-dly souls.
How can you ignite souls? Now is the perfect time! We’re all about to sit around the Seder table—the most widely-observed mitzvah in the Jewish world. Even Jews who are unengaged the rest of the year look for a Seder, for matzah, for some semblance of Pesach. So give it some thought, look around, and figure out who you can invite to your Seder.
And to Moshe, I want to say: thank you! Thank you for being a shining example of resilience, faith, and kindness. Your message has inspired me to continue doing what I do, and I have no doubt it will inspire countless others to do the same.