Holiness in the IDF

BH

Back from the Holy Land once again.

Mayanot Israel – Birthright Bus 559:
- Forty American college students or recent graduates
- A charming student leader
- A “Spiritual Guide” (me )
- A youthful Israeli coordinator
- A humorous tour guide
- An adored security guard/medic
- An obnoxious bus driver
- Eight very special Israeli soldiers.

For the third time this year, I trekked through the Land of Israel in lighting speed with my Mayanot group. Caesarea, Tiberias, The Golan and Galil, Tzfat, Tel Aviv, the Negev, Jerusalem and more – all in 10 quick days. Sure, I’ve seen 98% of the sites before, but this time it was different – and I’m not only referring to the above 100°F weather. What I speak of is my “crew” – the staff and participants of Mayanot 559.

On this trip, as in the past, my group and I shared many special moments. TEN members of our family celebrated their Bat Mitzvah at the Western Wall! Also at the Kotel, FIVE 559ers entered Jewish manhood as a Bar Mitzvah. ELEVEN of us adopted Jewish names for the first time in our life. In addition, FOUR of our sisters kindled the lights of Shabbat for the very first time and EIGHT of our brothers performed their first donning of Teffilin.

So, there you have it; the numbers of Mayanot 559. There were many great moments for our group as we celebrated together, danced together, prayed together and grew together.

After presenting all these number, there is one that particularly sticks out for me, especially this week. “Eight very special Israeli Soldiers.”

As has become a popular component of Taglit, our now close-knit family grew by eight for five of our 10 days. Those eight being “Chayalim” – Soldiers - in the Israel Defense Forces, the IDF. All from very different upbringings from each other, these eight young men and women quickly morphed into important roles on our trip. Our American youth and Israeli took “integration” to a new level. Friendships grew quickly and everyone was learning each others’ cultures.

The American student and the Israeli soldier – today’s Jewish youth. From very different backgrounds and levels of observance our crew quickly learned that our soldiers were special people. For hours and hours, every day, our remarkable gang-of-eight spoke of their love for Israel and their privilege of defending her.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe held the IDF troops in high regard and Mayanot 559’s Chayalim are no different. The Rebbe once stated that those that have total willingness to defend our Land and our people 24/7 are of a different level. These are people that even have the ability to bless others.

This week’s Parshah, Ki Teitzei states (Deuteronomy 23:15) "V’hoya Machanecho Kadosh “And your [military] camps shall be holy.” This is where the Torah tells of several requirements that need be performed to ensure that the Jewish military camps are regarded as holy and are presented that way.

After five days with our IDF troops, I see this verse still very much in play. I overheard one of the soldiers discussing with an American participant. His display of Jewish pride made me shiver. I was amazed. During that conversation I heard him say several times how privileged he is to fight for the Jewish people.

All eight of our soldiers made it their duty during five short days to deliver this specific message. While some of them are admittedly not observant by any stretch, their sense of Jewish pride and honor pierces the highest ceilings! To me, this public display of Yiddishkeit – Judaism – makes today’s IDF camps Kadosh, holy.

I have led three trips, and if my math skills serve me right, that means I have now had 24 proud IDF members in my groups. While all of them, and even throw in the three security guards I’ve worked with – all former soldiers – have displayed unbelievable pride and honor, this group taught me a few things.

In five days with my most recent group of soldiers I learned the importance of speaking out for your cause, even when it may not be popular. Not every American kid agrees with them, but they simply did not stop. They were going to inform their new friends about their selfless defense of the Jewish state and of the Jewish people.

Pride. Honor. Self-sacrifice. This ensures that your military camps will be holy.

This defines our Chayalim.

May G-d bestow unlimited blessing upon our brave brothers and sisters that stand guard over our Holy Land!

Competition: It Helps us Grow

BH

A little boy runs into his public school three minutes after the final bell. Huffing and puffing he twirls around a corner, his school bag flopping through air. He makes a dash down the stretch to his first-grade classroom and comes to a crash landing at the door. The teacher has already begun and she won’t let him in.

The little boy knocks, but to no avail. In despair, he sets his backpack on the floor, sits down next to it with his back against the wall, lowers his head and begins to sob. After a few moments he hears a voice. “Evan, this is G-d. I hate to see you so sad, why are you sitting in the hallway crying?”

Momentarily startled, Evan lifts his head and looks around but sees no one there. He speaks out into the empty hallway. “I’m sad and I’m crying because they won’t let me into the classroom.”

G-d calmly replies, “Don’t worry son; these days, they won’t let me in either!”

- - - -

I mention this joke for a reason. We as people – especially Jewish people – have been conditioned to question G-d. We all secretly convince ourselves that we could even do a better job creating the world if we were given the chance. In truth, that’s Jewish mentality!

In this week's Torah reading, Parshat Re’eh, it states, "Behold I place before you today the blessing and the curse," i.e., good vs. evil, life vs. death. This in itself develops many questions. Why create evil? Why make it a choice? Why not just create everyone happy and peaceful?

Rabbi Elisha Greenbaum, a writer for Chabad.org actually makes a comparison as such:

“A few years ago members of the Department of Education issued had a “brilliant” idea: from now on no scores were to be kept when umpiring kids' sports. Losing, competing and all those other nasty vices went against the latest political correctness manifesto.” Writes Rabbi Greenbaum.

“The only problem” continues Rabbi Greenbaum, “ was that the kids didn't buy it. Sports, by definition, are competitive. Without a method of keeping score, with no winner or loser, the exercise becomes pointless.”

This past week I attended the JCC Maccabi Games in Richmond, VA as a volunteer. I realized first hand that taking the “competitive” out of sports would be ultra silly. 800 young Jewish athletes from across the USA, Canada and Israel came together to compete – not just to play.

The competitions however aren’t based on hate; they are based on love and friendship. We are playing with each other as Jewish people. These young athletes aren’t growing up with hatred towards others for having lost along the way. It’s in fact the exact opposite. When one team loses, they in turn learned how to better themselves to prevent the same result next time.

In life we have the same exact scenario. God created good and evil. There is a reason he didn’t create a leveled playing field. Would that not pull the purpose out of what we do? If there was no evil to overcome, what would be so wonderful about “good”? It wouldn’t be “good” it would just be!

At the Maccabi games, I volunteered for three days to man Chabad of Virginia’s booth at Hang Time, the “chill area” for the athletes. We had Teffilin, Shabbat candles, prayer books and more. I was amazed at how many people came over to the booth to participate.

These athletes knew that in everycompetition, you need help to win and for many of them, that help came in the form of G-d. Even in a society where so many grow up questioning G-d or even choosing to not believe, the Maccabi athletes proved something to me: No matter what walk of life, we all believe that there is “something” out there that can help us.

“We did the Tefilin at the games last year and we won every game! We want G-d on our side again!” exclaimed one young man who was on his way to a soccer match. Dozens of girls took home their very first set of Shabbat candles and over a hundred boys donned teffilin, dozens for the first time!

Without a scoreboard, the Maccabi Games become pointless. Without good and evil, life becomes pointless. The way it was set up, leaves us with a purpose and a desire win.

If you have followed me in the last couple of years, you’ll know that I have done many thing like this. I’ve been to far flung places to assist Jewish people with their observance. I’ve led Passover in Africa, I’ve led dozens of American college students on trips to Israel, and now, I have volunteered at the Maccabi games.

Each time, it’s a new experience and each time I am re-inspired. Even in my own backyard.