This week, I had the opportunity to be involved in a very moving experience, in pairing up a soon to be Bar Mitzvah boy who I am studying with, with a seriously wounded IDF soldier, who together with his parents gifted this wounded veteran with a pair of Tefillin of his own, as the boy begins his own milestone of starting to wear Tefillin.
The injured soldier whose name is Daniel, lost his two commanders in the attack, spent two and a half months in the ICU and many months since then in Rehabilitation, and as part of this he decided that wearing the Tefillin and reciting the Shema each day, is something he would really like to do.
A mutual friend of ours who helps a lot of the wounded, helped pair this family through Chabad of Sudbury with this young hero, who then sent them a beautiful video with a message to the Bar Mitzvah boy about his story and how meaningful this gift is, which he plans on using each day.
Ironically on the same visit to the rehab, our friend, Rabbi Menachem Kutner, met another seriously injured soldier who asked him if he could get him a pair for him to start wearing. We have undertaken to help this young hero too as part of our community efforts and to make a little difference to his recovery.
There stories of adversity and determination in the face of so many challenges as they are in the prime of their lives, is truly something that is beyond words.
Adversity and challenges are things we often face in life and they can come in all different shapes and sizes. Many times as face these moments, the fear and anxiety of what lays ahead can overwhelm us, shut us down, and fill us with dread and make us freeze.
This can be true on an individual level and true on a collective level too, as a society, as Jewish people, or when facing our personal challenges of different sorts.
In this week's portion of Shelach, we read the story of the spies who returned from the land of Israel, not just with a scary report about the actual challenges and obstacles that lay ahead, but also with a resounding sense of defeat and surrender to the circumstances. In their words, "we cannot ascend to the Land of Israel" and this mission is impossible.
Joshua and Kalev, were the only two spies who had the clarity of mind and perspective, to analyze the situation, but also express the confidence that "we are surely able to ascend" for G-d is with us.
The Jews overwhelmed and influence by the sense of dread of the ten spies, panicked and became terror stricken and said we are doomed to fail. Joshua and Kalev tried as hard as they could to encourage the people and remind them that if G-d had put them there and given them this challenges then there is no doubt that they can succeed, but their voices weren't heard.
We read this story and so often these different perspectives are the sentiments we feel at different junctures of our personal and collective story. The words of Joshua and Kalev, "we are surely able to ascend and succeed" continue to remind us, that for every challenge we face, we must remind ourselves that we have also been endowed with the abilities to confront and succeed with the dynamics at hand.
Daniel, the young man who received the Tefillin this week, has been through a journey of pain, grief, physical injuries and more, and has had every reason to give up along the way. Yet he does what he does with a sense of mission and purpose in what he does and why he did this, and this is something he carries with him each day.
Daniel is someone who has said both before his injuries and during his recovery "I am surely able to succeed".
May the Tefillin, give Daniel an added dose of inspiration and connection for his journey of healing and growth in the months and years ahead, and may his story of determination in the face of challenges, alongside the important messages of this week's portion, provide us with inspiration and food for thought in how we grow and deal with what comes at us in life.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel