IDF pulls out all the stops to ensure man in
Corona hotel has tefillin to use after Sukkot
(A true story from the eve of the Sukkot [Feast of Tabernacles] holiday)
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Subject: Need tefillin.
I am a Covid positive patient. I was evacuated straight from the hospital two days ago to a hotel in Jerusalem designated for quarantined Corona patients, and I haven't put on tefillin [phylacteries] since leaving the hospital.
I need your help to acquire tefillin so I can pray to recover from this illness. If you could somehow get me some tefillin, it would make me so happy.
Hag same'ah,
D
Ezra Cohen, the head of the Bet El Yeshiva site since its founding over 20 years ago, called D within minutes to tell him that he has an extra pair of tefillin to lend to people who need, but the custom in Israel is not to put on tefillin during Sukkot. Ezra inquired why D couldn’t simply borrow tefillin from a neighbor in the hotel.
D said that his hotel mixes Covid positive patients together with those who came in contact with Covid positive patients and are thus also in obligatory quarantine. Therefore, he is not allowed to leave his room in order not to spread the virus.
Ezra happens to be in the middle of milu'im [IDF reserve duty], serving in the division in the Central Command in charge of the Corona-designated hotels. Ezra talked to his commander (who is not Torah observant), and the commander said that if no solution is found by the end of the Sukkot holiday, he will personally see to it that Ezra’s extra pair of tefillin are delivered to D.
Corona patient's tefillin problem solved by high ranking non-religious IDF commander. That is the true beauty of our beautiful, diverse, and beloved Jewish country. ❤️🇮🇱