Among the worshippers in the Levinson Arch hall at the Western Wall, a rumor suddenly spread: An exciting event of the first placing of tefillin for children rescued from hostile villages.
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Some of the audience wanted to take part in the rare mitzvah and help tie the tefillin. The children stood to receive the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven and recite the Shema in an elevated and moving setting.
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But then it turned out that among the participants in the group was a boy of about 15 who had only recently been rescued and had not yet celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. The boy came to experience the experience at the Western Wall - because he did not receive it when he reached the mitzvah, and told the worshipers that he made sure to put on tefillin every day in secret, even in the hostile village. "He was very excited and even helped the children put on tefillin," say the activists who joined the march.
Rabbi Chaim Kahn, who accompanied the children, called them to the Torah one by one, and they greeted with great excitement. The excited mothers performed the custom of throwing candy from the women's section, and tears of Jewish relief flowed like water by the stones of the Western Wall.
This is the story of a group of five children who were rescued with their mothers from the heart of hostile villages through the holy activities of the Yad Laachim organization, and made it to Jerusalem, the holy city and the Temple. There, facing the place from which the Divine Presence did not move, the children took on the burden of the commandments.
Previously, they visited the homes of the great men of Israel and were blessed by them.
The group opened the visitation tractate, accompanied by a distinguished delegation of the organization's activists and some of those engaged in the holy work in the assimilation department at Yad Laachim, at the residence of the eminent Rabbi Benyahu Shmueli, head of the Nehar Shalom Kabbalist yeshiva.
The Grav welcomed the children with great kindness, shook their hands warmly, and expressed his admiration. "To see children who could now be in the village with their father, and now, thanks to the holy and bold activity of Yad L'Achim activists, they are standing here on their way to lay tefillin at the Western Wall, is truly 'and the sons have returned to their borders' - blessed are the eyes that see this!" said the Grav, wishing the mothers well, while incorporating a strengthening message into his words: "You left Egypt, and now you are engaged in building your own little temple.".
Before leaving, the rabbi blessed each child individually and presented them with a magnificent "prayer book" as a Bar Mitzvah gift: "Never stop praying," he urged them.
Peace to the Father in Heaven
At the residence of the Gaon Rabbi Ben Zion Motzfi, the group was warmly received. "You have been honored to bring much more joy to the Holy One, blessed be He, than I have," the rabbi told the children. "You come from a foreign land and return to the bosom of Judaism despite all the obstacles you bravely face.".
The Rabbi asked them to read to him the parasha they had been preparing for, in honor of the Aliyah to the Torah, and indeed, the children amazed him with their knowledge in an exciting way as they recited the reading with the flavors and wording passed down from generation to generation, with the Rabbi reading with them from his memory by heart. At the end of the reading, the Rabbi began to clap his hands excitedly and encouraged them, because Onkelos Hagar also had the privilege of ascending to the Torah to the point that his composition, the Targum, was studied in every home in Israel every week.
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""This is an incalculable saving of lives," the Grand Patriarch told the activities of the Assimilation Department, after hearing the mothers' incredible story of their rescue, and asked to convey on his behalf to the donors behind the great enterprise of redeeming captives that "they will be granted the privilege of sitting in the company of the Holy One, blessed be He, and will be granted measure for measure from His open and expansive hand in abundant measure.".
Dinner at 'Mother Rachel's''
Afterwards, the group of children went up to the tomb of their mother Rachel, and Rabbi Yoav Robinson, who accompanied the delegation, spoke to the children about their mother Rachel and the story of her burial in Bethlehem. After his words, the children approached the tombstone and participated in the prayer and the selichot that were held, concluding with the blowing of the shofar.
With the help of the women, there was a special excitement as the mothers, who returned from the land of Beni Nachir to the bosom of Judaism, cuddled up at the burial place of their mother Rachel, accompanied by the social workers of Yad Laachim, who assist them at every step.
After visiting the tomb of our mother Rachel, the group headed to a sumptuous bar mitzvah feast that had been tastefully prepared in advance in honor of the joy of the bar mitzvah, with the mitzvah's groomsmen sitting at the head and celebrating the joy. Rabbi Yoav Robinson spoke about the essence of the big day, and thanked the organization's activities for its ongoing support for mothers and their children.
And purify our hearts
After the blessing of food, summoned by the groomsmen of joy, the group headed to the Western Wall to place tefillin near the remains of our Temple.
The children ended the exciting day in the office of the rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu in Givat Shaul, who received the children with great warmth and heard from them about their spiritual aspirations, strengthening them in doing so.
The rabbi asked the mothers to hear about the journey and the challenges they and their children face in educational settings. One of the mothers reviewed for the rabbi the comprehensive help they receive from Yad L'Achim, saying: "Without them, we wouldn't be here today.".
To conclude, the children were blessed and honored to receive an elegant prayer book prepared by the father of the Harosh, the Rishon LeZion, the Gaon Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l, in accordance with the tradition of his ancestors and masters. The Harosh broke into singing "And purify our hearts, that we may serve you in truth," and the children joined hands with him in a heartwarming and unifying circle.
It should be noted that among the children who participated in the special and impressive journey that will be etched in their hearts for many days, one child whose custody issue and that of his brother is facing a crucial hearing in a Sharia court, and the concern that fluttered in the hearts of the Yad L'Achim activists was that at the moment it seemed that the judges would tend to rule in favor of the father. The group of children therefore took advantage of the big day to receive blessings from the great men of Israel and to pray for the merit of the Bar Mitzvah boys to tear down the gates of heaven, that everything would turn out for the better.
Another child who participated in the group is filling the many gaps in his knowledge of Jewish Torah by regularly participating in Torah lessons given in his neighborhood, and as early as next year he will be able to integrate into a Torah study framework.
