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Unbelievable! Please read and pass along!
A Light in the Darkness of WarOriginal article written by Shula WeissferA year has passed but First Lieutenant M. has not forgotten aboutthe activities of Migdal Ohr which had been discreetlyaccomplished. With minor changes, we publish here for the firsttime in English, Lieutenant M's written recording of hisexperience. "I remember the two weeks of near face-to-face combat, theconfused orders and insufficient combat gear, the intense hunger,physical and emotional exhaustion and toughest of all, theself-imposed silence and disassociation with our surroundings."Now is not the right time to complain, but when it is over," wethought to ourselves, "when the air raid sirens stop and we areout of these fatigues, we can talk and the truth will be known." When the news came that we were receiving a day off, our heartssoared. We suffered so much stress and hardship. Where would wego? How should we take full advantage of this gift?Rumors begin to circulate that we were going to some school inMigdal Ha'Emek. "This must be a joke! Who ordered ten buses tobring us to some yeshiva with some Rabbi who is just going to tryand brainwash us?"Then, a few of the guys remembered. "Rabbi Grossman, that's theDisco Rabbi right? The guys all give him great respect." But whatdo they know? He is still some rabbi.Tired and emotionally drained, we got off the buses and stoodface to face with an old-world looking Jew, complete with a whitebeard, side locks and long jacket. "So here it comes," Ithought, "the push to put on tefillin or to say prayers together.Some day off.""Boys," the rabbi's words thundered, "I suggest that first thingyou do is take a dip in the pool and freshen up. In themeantime, we will make you something to eat."In amazing simplicity, Rabbi Grossman heard in passing that thebrigade was looking for a home for a day, and he immediatelyvolunteered his campus. "What's the problem? 600 soldiers?They should all come, of course we have room!"With the echoes of war from the battlefield still in our ears, itseemed like a mirage or hallucination. Soft music came fromeverywhere and flowing water and greenery surrounded us. Withinminutes, the tables were set with cold refreshing watermelon,cakes, and beverages, followed by cheeses, fresh vegetables, andsoft rolls.Then we heard, "Out of the pool, get dressed and eat something."We saw piles of new undergarments. 600 new undershirts andunderwear appeared as if out of nowhere, laid out on tables forour choosing.Rabbi Grossman sat with us and laughed, "Have a good time boys!Have a great time! This evening, I will put on the mostspectacular performance you have ever seen."I am not a religious person by any means, but I can't help butenvision the first Jew, Avraham, standing and personally servinghis guests perfectly naturally and without the slightest hint ofcondescension. He respected each individual and cared for alltheir needs. Like Avraham, Rabbi Grossman saw in this an obviousact of kindness, a mission of a Mitzvah that had fallen into hishands. As the evening continued, we learned quickly that this wasthe essence of who Rabbi Grossman is and what he is all about.He loves everyone and accepts everyone as they are with all hisheart and soul. "Tell me friends," Rabbi Grossman said, "I heard you are lackingdifferent pieces of equipment. Do me a favor. Here is a penciland paper, just write down everything you are missing and leavethe paper on the table." That night, we enjoyed theentertainment and afterwards, slept in soft beds andair-conditioned rooms.Like in a fairytale, we awoke in the morning and could notbelieve our eyes. Mounds of gear which we so desperately neededhad arrived at Migdal Ohr. Attached, was a small note from RabbiGrossman, "To my dear solders, from all my heart!"Rabbi Grossman personally and immediately raised over $60,000worth of equipment from friends literally overnight! Theessential equipment included ceramic bulletproof vests, helmets,canteens, knee pads, backpack water canteens, night visiongoggles, toothbrushes, socks and more.Interestingly, a few months before the war broke out, a specialfriend of Rabbi Grossman from France was interested in donating anew Torah scroll to the main Migdal Ohr Beit Midrash (studyhall). For some reason, Rabbi Grossman requested to postpone theevent until an unspecified later date."Now is the right time!" Rabbi Grossman realized. He immediatelymade arrangements and in an early evening ceremony, weparticipated in the completion of writing the Torah. While thescroll was carefully laid on the table next to a special pen andink, Rabbi Grossman addressed the soldiers."My holy ones! I am going to bestow upon you the merit of a holymitzvah, which can be considered a once in a life timeopportunity. Each one of you will complete a letter in the Torahscroll. While you are executing this holy task, each one of youshould pray the prayer of his heart and request from G-d that themerit of the letter he has completed will protect him in battle.Holy sparks will emanate from these sacred letters and dispersearound you, creating a protective shield which will keep you safeand bring you home safely."Those moments were the most exciting and emotional ones in mylife. Shaking from the intensity of the immeasurable experience,still not believing, we held the edges of the Torah scroll whileare hearts beat rapidly. There was complete silence all around.One after the other, we dipped the quill in the ink and completeda letter in the Torah scroll. A bystander would have seen a breathtaking scene of incredibleelation and spiritual exuberance. The world seemed as if shroudedin silence. The strings of our heart felt strummed and the tearsflowed freely down our cheeks. "Mother!" cried one of the soldiers into his cell phone, "youwont believe what I have done! I have written a letter in a Torahscroll! Mother, are you there? Can you hear?! Me, a Shmutznik (amember of a non- religious Kibbutz), who can't differentiatebetween Shabbat and the rest of the week, who has not seen tzizit(ritual garment) in my life. Me, I wrote a letter in a Torahscroll! I can't believe it. I can't believe it."After the completion of the Torah, the ceremony continued.Leading the procession was a decorated car with multi-coloredlights strung all over it and with a crown of lights spinningaround on its roof. Following the car, bearers of a decoratedcanopy marched while people danced around it. Under the canopy,others held the Torah scroll, which was clothed in white andcrimson with a silver crown at its top. 600 soldiers and thousands of the town residents marched anddanced in the procession, a loud speaker accompanying them,playing traditional Jewish music.As the ceremony came to a close, Rabbi Grossman approached everysoldier and kissed him while placing a half-shekel coin in hishand and said "shliach mitzvah aino nezok," messengers of amitzvah are not harmed. Rabbi Grossman concluded, "When youreturn, G-d willing, healthy and unharmed, you will fulfill thismission I am placing upon you, and you will donate this money tocharity."The night came. Twelve buses made their way atop the GalileeMountains. Heavy darkness engulfed us, yet behind, in thegrowing distance, a bright flame pierced the night sky. In themidst of war and violence, we found love and unending humancompassion at Migdal Ohr, the educational center established inMigdal Ha'Emek by Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman.Rabbi Grossman speaks"This was an immense "Kiddush Hashem." For a long period of time,I cried and was very emotional." Thus Rabbi Grossman recalled themoment when he first read the words above written by FirstLieutenant M.Rabbi Grossman has what to add to the end of this excitingmemoir. "A moment before they returned to Lebanon, I told thesoldiers, 'in the merit that you said "shema" and put ontefillin, wrote a letter in the torah, and are messengers of amitzvah, I promise you, that you will all return safe and sound.None of you will be wounded or killed.'" "Wasn't the Rabbi scared to commit to 600 soldiers that theywould return home safe and sound?" asked Shula Weissfer, ajournalist. "That is what came out of my mouth word for word," hereplied. "This was a moment of exuberance.""I continued and told them," Rabbi Grossman relates, "if thisdoes actually happen that you come back safely, the first placeyou must come back to - before you go home - is Migdal Ohr. Wewill thank G-d together and from there we will say goodbye." Itold them, "think of this as an emergency call-up. Do youaccept?" The commanding officer replied in the affirmative.Two weeks later, around midnight, Rabbi Grossman received a phonecall. "Rabbi, your blessing has come true!" exclaimed thecommander over the phone. "Everyone is safe and we are on our wayto you. We will be there by two 'O clock in the morning"Rabbi Grossman immediately contacted the kitchen staff and askedthem to prepare a meal while he worked to organize a band.People asked him 'You need a band at 2 a.m.? Is Moshiach here?'"At 2:30 a.m. the soldiers disembarked from the buses, each onecarrying 60 kilo of equipment on his back. The band startedplaying music and the soldiers approached Rabbi Grossman, eachone lovingly received with a hug and a kiss. This continued fortwo hours. "I felt as I had never felt before," recalls RabbiGrossman. "Each one told me his personal miracle." One soldier, a kibbutznik and a lawyer in civilian life, relayedan incredible miracle. A group of soldiers were gathered in anempty house in a Lebanese village when one of them forgetfullylit a cigarette.Hezbollah terrorists immediately noticed the light and fired ananti-tank missile at the house. Coincidentally, two horses fromthe village ran in front of the house and were hit and killed.The missile, deflected by the horses, veered away from the house,landing elsewhere. Incredibly, the horses miraculously saved thesoldiers inside the house.After the warm reception, the soldiers recited "birkat hagomel,"and together with Rabbi Grossman, sang and danced until daybreak."To this day," says Rabbi Grossman, "we maintain contact witheach soldier and have thus become one family." Rabbi Grossman is a recipient of the "Award of Recognition forhis Actions on Behalf of Soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forcesand the Second Lebanon War"Original article written by Shula Weissfer
