Message Received

“After the atzeres, the masses dispersed in an orderly fashion to their homes and cities. I sat in a car as we tried to navigate our way through the crowds streaming towards the entrance of the city. It was hard to move because of the mass of people. Suddenly, I noticed a policeman approaching the car, and working to open a path for us. He saw that I have a white beard, so he thought perhaps I was a Rav and asked to talk to me.

“This is what he said, which moved everyone around us who heard him: ‘I have to tell the Rav that I’ve been here since the beginning of the atzeres, but I had nothing to do the whole time because of the way everyone behaved so decorously. I really identify with you, and wondered what I could do to fill the time. And when I saw this crowd of quality people, each holding a pamphlet and praying from it, I asked someone if they had one for me, and I recited the entire tefillah from the paper.

“‘Then I spoke to the Creator in my own language and I told him, G-d in Heaven, I see a huge crowd of quality people, and all they want is to be able to continue learning Torah, and I asked that He should fulfill the wishes of the chareidim, and added that although there are people in this country who don’t want to allow them this, and even persecute them, You, G-d, will know better than anyone how to manage with them, and please, arrange that they should allow this sector to continue doing the only thing they yearn to do.’”

This article appeared in print on page 41 of the March 5th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.