By Rabbi Shlomie Rosenthal, teacher at Bet El Pre-Military Academy
Translated by Hillel Fendel
I'd like to tell you a special story that happened with two of our alumni who are now in the army. Their names are Ohad and Adi; I don't want to publicize their family names without asking them.
The two of them are in a paratroopers brigade in the IDF, and they came to visit the Mechina (pre-military academy) to tell of their experiences in the army. I asked them how it's going for them religiously, if the other soldiers ask them questions, or challenge them on religious issues, and the like.
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| IDF Soldiers |
One of them, Adi, said that they don't really ask him too much. But Ohad said, "Yes, many people ask me questions and are really interested to know more. Even those who act as if they're not interested, I see that they stand to the side and listen to these conversations."
This was really intriguing, because we know that Adi is really the more outgoing one, the cooler guy, the one who, before he became observant, used to organize parties and all sorts of things like that – whereas Ohad is a quieter type. So I asked them, "How do you explain this? You're in the same place, why should there be a difference?" I asked them to tell me their daily routines, so we could see if there's anything they do differently.
Ohad said, "Well, the day starts out at, let's say, 5 AM, when everyone has to wake up. But I ask the guy who's on guard duty at that time to wake me up a half-hour earlier." I asked him why, and he said, "What happens is that when everyone wakes up, the officer right away sends the religious guys to go to their morning prayers, and the other guys spend this time setting up and cleaning the bathrooms and the compound, etc. But I didn't feel right with this, that the others work instead of me. So I wake up earlier, so that I can clean up and set up stuff before the prayers, and when the other guys wake up, they see me working, and I tell them what I was able to do, and then they take over. And then I go to pray with the other religious guys."
And then Ohad was about to continue with the rest of his routine – but at this point Adi interrupted and said: "Now I understand the whole story. I don't do what Ohad does – I get up at the regular time." So I asked him, "So what do you mean that you now understand?"
So Adi said, "To be what I am, to be like me – it's no big deal; the not-religious guys know how to do that by themselves. They don't need the Torah for that. But to be like Ohad, with his concern for others, and the demands he makes upon himself – they see that this is something that comes from Torah, and therefore they want to learn it from him."
This is very special – and the depth of the matter, I believe, is that this is what is meant by the Torah's commandment v'ahavta l're'acha kamocha, "You should love your friend like yourself." R. Akiva said that this is a klal gadol baTorah - a great principle of the Torah. For when one looks at the Torah in general, the first thing that one sees in a person is how he behaves towards others, how he is in v'ahavta l're'acha kamocha. If this aspect of him is as it should be, and is a blatant part of his life, then others want to learn Torah from him.