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EIQEV

07/30/2021 12:12:31 PM

Jul30

I've told this story before in Chevra Shaas. As it is a meaningful and memorable incident for me, I felt that I should use this opportunity to write it down. 

Many years ago, I had the privilege of spending a year sabbatical in Jerusalem, with my wife a"h and children. We departed from Mirabel [remember that airport?!], non-stop on El Al. In the airport, I met my friend, who was the gabbai of the Bostoner Rebbe's shul in Boston (more precisely, in the Brookline suburrb.) He was transporting a Sefer Torah, to be used in the Bostoner Rebbe's new shul, that had recently opened in Jerusalem. My friend told me that, although we were traveling Tourist Class, El Al was placing the Torah in 1st class!

Now, the flight left on a Wednesday night. That meant that Thursday morning, we would be approaching Israel. And Thursday morning is a time when we read Torah. A group of people were making a minyan in the rear of the plane. Normally, El Al does not carry a Torah.  So, we said that this would be a rare opportunity to read a Torah on the plane.  The only catch was that the steward said that he could not disturb the 1st class passengers, who were probably sleeping!

As it happens, one of our minyan people showed the steward his business card. He was a correspondent for an Israeli Chareidi paper. He told the steward that if El Al allows us to use the Torah, he would write a glowing article about El Al to encourage religious Jews to fly El Al. The argument worked!! 

The next obvious question:  "does anyone here know how to read the Torah?'' Well, I volunteered.  It was the parasha of Eiqev, which is so inspiring!  I was carried away by emotion as I read, and as I was thinking to myself: here we are, approaching the Land of Israel, the very land about which the Torah is referring in the very portion I was reading: "do not be afraid of your enemies, for the Lord your God is with you,... ...the Lord is bringing you to a good land, a land of water,... of wheat and barley and wine and figs and pomegranates, of olives and dates.. you will not be lacking anything... a land of iron and bronze. And you will eat and be satiated and bless the Lord your God for the good land that He has given you." [the Hebrew cantillation is much more powerful than my translation!]

And, indeed, the incident, describing the parasha and my reading, was written up in the paper haModi`a, and then translated into English for the International Jerusalem Post. 

Shabbat shalom, shalom `al yisrael

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784