Page 41 - HaMizrachi Rosh HaShana - Yom Kippur 5783 USA

Over the next several days, I would grab years. In 1916, Rav Kook moved to London,
every opportunity to get out of my tank to but he and my grandfather remained good
lay tefillin, daven and thank Hashem for the friends.
many miracles I was experiencing during
the war. But my commander, Doron, was Years later, just as the Great Depression
not a religious man and pushed me to was beginning in 1929, my grandfather
hurry up. It was war time! was swindled and lost all of his fortune.
Overnight, he was transformed from a
One morning, when I finished davening, generous philanthropist into a poor man
I turned around and realized why Doron who was forced to receive charity in order
wanted me to hurry up. A long line of sol- to survive. The stress ultimately caused
diers was waiting to use my tefillin! There him to suffer a physical and mental break-
were a few other religious soldiers with down. Hearing of his plight from Israel,
tefillin in the battalion, but for some reason Rav Kook sought to help my grandfather.
the soldiers all wanted to use mine. Like In 1934, the year before his death, Rav Kook
a Chabadnik at Tachana Merkazit, I helped remembered that Avraham Kimche had
each one say the blessings, lay tefillin and a son – my father, Yisrael James – who
recite Shema. was becoming a bar mitzvah. He realized
Rabbi Kimche davening with the tefillin in Lebanon.
Day in, day out, soldiers who experienced that my grandfather was likely unable to
Cohen, I began packing up my bags to get miracles and survived dangerous battles afford a pair of tefillin for his son. And so a
back to my unit as soon as possible. My lined up to use my tefillin. I didn’t under- few weeks before my father’s bar mitzvah
parents, who were very worried for my stand why this was happening. What was in Switzerland, a special gift arrived from
safety, helped me pack. My father gave so special about my father’s spare set of Jerusalem – a pair of tefillin from Rav Kook
me a blessing and asked me to take his old tefillin? himself!
spare pair of tefillin instead of my beautiful Six weeks later, after having no contact “These tefillin,” my father explained,
new pair. I put them in my bag and waved with my parents and no way to tell them “are the tefillin I wore most of my life. I
goodbye, not knowing if and when I would I was ok, I was able to return home for the recently bought myself a new pair, and
see them again. first time since the war broke out. When I these became my spare tefillin. I gave them
When I arrived at the base and saw my finally arrived, filthy and smelly, they were to you because I hoped the merit of your
tank, I hardly recognized it. It had five in shock. For them it was like experiencing grandfather’s friendship with Rav Kook
big new antennas on top instead of one. techiyat hameitim, the revival of the dead; would keep you safe throughout the war.”
I learned that the highest officer in com- they had expected the worst. Our Father in Heaven works in amazing
mand, General Doron Rubin, had to ride in That night at the Shabbat table, I told them ways!
the lead tank so that he could direct the air about some of the many close calls and
force, paratroopers, tanks, and infantry. miracles I had experienced in Lebanon. I Rabbi Shlomo Kimche is the founder and Senior
Riding in the lead tank, the commander also told them about the strange attraction Rabbi of Yeshivat Bnei Akiva Orot Yehuda Yeshiva
would naturally choose the most protected so many of my non-religious IDF friends High School in Efrat, Rabbi of the Orot Yehuda
Community and the Vice Chairman of the Bnei
vehicle and the best team. That's how I had to my ‘magnetic’ tefillin. My father Akiva Educational Network of Yeshivot and
found myself driving the first tank of Bri- smiled, and said: “I never told you where Ulpanot.
gade 500 into Lebanon on the 15th of Sivan, this pair of tefillin came from?”
June 6, 1982. My grandfather, Avraham Kimche, was a
Doron was too busy to direct me, and there rich businessman in Switzerland at the
was no vehicle in front of me to show me beginning of the 20th century. In 1914, Rav
the way. Until today I still hear an echo Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook traveled
of Doron’s voice shouting at me: Kimche – to Europe to attend the rabbinical conven-
tion of Agudat Yisrael, to try and convince
ata roeh Levanon? – Sa! “Kimche – do you European rabbis of the importance of the
see Lebanon? Go!” I was making the first Zionist movement. Before the convention
tank tracks, and the other drivers followed took place, World War I broke out and
them to avoid mines. I had to decide when Rav Kook was stranded in Europe. Rav
to stay on the road and when to go off-road, Kook traveled to Switzerland, where my
whether to go over a mountain or around grandfather, who understood the great
it. My commander was too busy telling rabbi’s situation, invited him to stay at his
everybody else where to go and what to do. home as his guest of honor until the roads
Over and over again, I whispered to myself: reopened. Rav Kook thankfully accepted
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ךי ֶכ ָר ְ ּ ד-ל ָכ ְּ ב ,ך ְר ָמ ְ ׁש ִל ך ָּ ל-ה ֶּו ַצְי ,וי ָכ ָא ְל ַמ י ִּ כ, “For He the offer and stayed in my grandfather’s
will command His angels on your behalf to home, where he learned Torah and wrote
guard you in all your ways” (Tehillim 91:11). books without distraction for the next two Rabbi Kimche's father z”l giving his son the tefillin for
his Bar Mitzvah in 2003.
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