Singer Akiva Turgeman shared with his followers on Facebook a moving story that happened to him this morning (Monday), while he was praying the morning prayer.
""In the synagogue where I prayed, they sold the Torah offerings and the gabai announced 'Third Aliyah'.".
'"'18 shekels,' shouted one from one end of the synagogue, '26 shekels,' called a young avrech from the other end. After a short ping-pong, the bid was settled at '52' in favor of the young avrech. That's a considerable sum for a guy like him.".
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Akiva wrote that personally he is less connected to this, even though it is clear to him that it is a way to survive the ongoing payments for electricity, air conditioning, cleaning, etc., and therefore he usually simply steals a few moments with himself under the tallit until the Torah reading.
Akiva continues and says: "'Shh... Akiva...', suddenly someone calls out to me from the side. I move the tallit and see the young man before the moment of aliyah, approaching me excitedly and shaking my hand. 'You know,' he tells me, 'there's not a day that I don't hear you. Your songs strengthen me like crazy, and I have no way to return the favor. I can't buy an album because I have nowhere to listen to it and going to a concert doesn't belong in the world I live in, so I bought this aliyah for you as a gift and I would be happy if you would ascend to the Torah in my place.'.
Akiva answered him with a stammer of embarrassment: 'Thank you, brother, you didn't have to.'.
Then he continued to describe: "For a moment I thought I imagined a tear in the corner of this sweet little boy's eye, but those were my own wet eyes.
""Wow, there are so many ways in the world to express gratitude. Receiving love in this way is something special. You touched a dear person whose name I don't even know. I wish I could be as grateful as you are and pass this kindness on.".
