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provides a unique window into the Israeli people, culture, and pulse. We are excited to present this new section,
“Ruach Yisrael,” the spirit of Israel, in which we bring some of their writings to an English-speaking audience.

RUACH YISRAEL

Joy Through Hardship

Yedidya Meir

spent Simchat Torah in sick children, men with artificial payot feeling of the Shechina being in that
Yerushalayim’s Hadassah attached to their kippot, and individ- shul. People with tremendous physi-
Hospital,” Devori Borstein uals in wheelchairs connected to IVs cal and mental pain danced with the
“I ote to me, “visiting a in shul. Torah with unbelievable passion –
wr
family member who was being treated “As Yom Tov began, Rabbi Peretz got some with smiles and some with tears.
there. In the hospital’s shul, about 100 up to speak. ‘Anyone who is here now There wasn’t a heart that remained
people gathered to daven. I don’t think surely thinks that Hashem doesn’t unmoved from such an incredible dis-
there is any shul like this in the world, play of emunah.”
with Jews of all stripes: Ashkenazim want them to be happy this Simchat
Torah. However, the joy of Simchat
and Sephardim, National Religious May we be able to experience such
and Satmar, Litvaks and Masoratiim, Torah is not dependent on our situa- joy on Yom Tov, in less challenging
tion or location. If anything, the joy
and Belzer, Gur and Chabad chassidim. circumstances.
Nobody’s first choice was to be in the of celebrating with the Torah can be  First published in Hebrew in B’Sheva on
a tremendous zechut and can help one
hospital for Yom Tov, except for Rabbi experience salvation in supernatural
Yitzchak and Sima Peretz, a couple October 24, 2019.
who have volunteered to provide ways.’ Yedidya Meir was born in the Old City of
meals for the sick and their visitors at “There is no way to describe how Jerusalem. His media career began at a
the hospital for 25 years. Some people incredible the hakafot were. The young age, and he served in the IDF for the
were there for happy reasons such Gemara writes that the Shechina is army’s Bamachane magazine. He writes a
as a birth, and others were there for found above the head of a sick person weekly column for BaSheva and hosts a radio
more challenging reasons. There were (Shabbat 12b), and one had a palpable show on Kol Chai.

The Abbell
Synagogue at
the Hadassah
University Medical
Center. Twelve
unique windows
for it were created
by Jewish painter
Mark Chagall.

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