TECHNOLOGY IN THE SERVICE OF SHLICHUS

He asked permission to take a picture of the military vehicle next to the mobile sukka. R’ Nachshon agreed as long as the man was willing to have his picture taken with the Dalet Minim…

WEBSITES AS HOLY SITES

The Rebbe explains that in our times we can see how modern technology not only prepares the world for Geula, but is itself part of the Geula process.

Chabad houses use the Internet to reach tens of thousands of Jews (and non-Jews, l’havdil). For many of them, it’s the only way to be in touch with a Chabad house and with Judaism. Many people who ask that their mezuzos be checked, that their kitchen be koshered, etc. say that their first exposure to Judaism was by visiting the Chabad house website.

There is a famous story about a shliach in Australia, Rabbi Moss, who answers questions about Judaism over the Internet. A girl, who discovered the site and learned many things, corresponded with the rabbi. At some point, she asked him why the Jewish religion seems to obsess about details. What could happen already if a letter is missing in a mezuza?

To her surprise, he did not answer right away. A week later, she sent a reminder. Rabbi Moss said he had actually answered right away, but he had left the dot out of the dot.com address. What difference could a little dot make when he spelled everything right? The point was, of course, that every detail does matter. Just as a missing dot prevented them from communicating, so too, in order for us to be able to connect with G-d through t’fillin or mezuzos or whatever the mitzva is, the details matter.

DUE TO A SMALL TECHNOLOGICAL ERROR

One of the incredible inventions of modern times is the telephone and cell phones. The Rebbe refers to this (Truma 5744 etc.) and says that a person can be speaking here, and his words can be heard at the ends of the world. The Rebbe calls this “ko’ach adir,” and this tremendous force was created solely for spreading Torah, doing chesed, etc.

One Erev Sukkos, the phone in my house rang. It was R’ Mendel Gorewitz, the shliach in Frankfurt, Germany. He said that one of the friends of his Chabad house wanted to donate money for a needy person in Beit Shaan for Yom Tov, and he wanted to know whether the money could be sent through me. I agreed. The man, Robert was his name, called me and told me the name of the person in Beit Shaan and the amount of money he wanted to give him, an amount generous enough that with it the man could buy all his family’s needs for Yom Tov.

Five minutes later, the man was in my house to take the money. I asked him how he knew Robert from Germany. He said, “It’s an amazing story of hashgacha pratis and I would like this story to be publicized.” So I’m writing it here.

“Yesterday,” began the man, “two days before Sukkos, there were no signs of preparation for Yom Tov in my house. My wife and I and the children had no idea what we would eat on Yom Tov. My wife pressured me and so I went to the grocery store in the hopes that he would extend me more credit, but the grocery store owner was unwilling to do so. I tried using my credit card; maybe there would be a miracle. But no, it didn’t work. I went to the bank to ask whether I could take out some cash, but the answer was no.

“I was, understandably, very unhappy. I sat down on a bench near the house and began talking to G-d. I said to him, ‘You must help me. I love you. I built a sukka and I will celebrate the holiday in the sukka. I did my part; now you do yours and send me money.’

“After I finished talking to G-d, and upon seeing no way of getting the money I needed, I figured at least I could go and get a haircut in honor of Yom Tov (I would pay him after Yom Tov, of course). I would do mine, and G-d would do his.

“My cell phone rang. ‘This is Robert from Frankfurt. How are you Meir?’ asked a voice in Hebrew.

“‘You have the wrong number,’ I told him. ‘I’m not Meir and I don’t know any Robert from Frankfurt.’

“He insisted, ‘If you’re not Meir, maybe you can get Meir’s number for me. He lives at that moshav, what’s it called, near Yokneam.’

“He went on and on until I said, ‘Listen here Robert. It seems like you’re having some fun at my expense, and I’d prefer if you found someone else. I am suffering as it is, and I feel like my world is crumbling around me, so please find someone else to have fun with.’

“He didn’t give up. He asked me, ‘Why do you feel like your world is crumbling?’ I told him my situation, that it’s Erev Yom Tov and I have no money, no money in the bank, and no credit at the grocer, and that I had spoken to G-d and I don’t know what else to do.

“Do you know what happened next? He said, ‘Don’t worry. I will send you whatever you need.’ He tried sending me the money through the bank or the post office but that did not work out. He asked me whether I have a shliach in Beit Shaan. ‘I’ll speak to our shliach in Frankfurt, and through the two shluchim, I’ll send the money to you.’”

The man received his money, said thanks to Hashem and his angel, as well as to the Rebbe whose shluchim are all over the world. He received the money within five minutes (without favors from the bank or post office). He was also thankful for the mistake of one digit that enabled an indigent Jew in Beit Shaan to connect with a donor from the next continent.

That’s why there is a telephone.

SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY AT CHABAD SCHOOLS

R’ Yigal Kaspi, shliach in Maalot, is well aware of the power of technology for his personal use, as well as a means to improve the preschools that he runs in Maalot.

In the distant past, R’ Kaspi learned some practical occupations like electronics, air conditioning, and building renovations, and he uses this knowledge in his shlichus. He built, almost with his own two hands, all the Chabad house buildings, including the electrical systems for the mikvaos, air conditioning, soup kitchen, and more.

When he opened his preschools, he advertised that they would have computers with advanced educational programs. The parents were thrilled and came in droves to sign up their kids. R’ Kaspi made sure that all the city leaders knew about his advanced preschools, and he received compliments from the mayor, the director of the educational department, and supervisors from the Education Ministry.

Then during the summer of 2010, a certain religious organization came to Maalot and advertised their preschools with a superior program. Dozens of parents said they would leave the Chabad schools for the new schools. R’ Kaspi was in trouble. He wrote to the Rebbe and asked for a bracha. Nothing had changed by the end of summer vacation and there was a serious possibility that at least some Chabad schools would have to close.

When the school year began, the new preschools of that organization opened, but during the first inspection performed by the Education Ministry, serious problems were discovered that could not be fixed and the schools were closed. Amazingly, more children joined the Chabad schools than had left them.

Now, everyone knows that everything in the Chabad schools is on a high level with well-equipped classrooms, computers and more – all the bells and whistles.

THE SHOFAR THAT DID NOT SHOOT

R’ Nissan Nachshon is a shliach in Efrat, but he reaches out to all the yishuvim of Gush Etzyon, mainly to the many IDF camps and posts in the area. R’ Nachshon is known and beloved by all the commanders and soldiers. They all know that there is no limit to his devotion to the soldiers. He sometimes appears at a military post in the middle of the night with coffee and a niggun, and sometimes he shows up at dawn with t’fillin, mishloach manos, or a shofar, depending on the time of year.

One Rosh HaShana, he took along a volunteer and two shofars, and walked from one military post to another in the area. Many soldiers heard the shofar and then R’ Nachshon and his assistant went back to Efrat. He wanted to make use of every minute, and so on the way he read chapters of T’hillim while the other fellow finished the daily Chitas. Suddenly, they heard a voice in Arabic saying, “Ya Sadam, Ya Sadam.” R’ Nachshon looked up from his T’hillim to see who was shouting there in the wilderness. On the edge of the road, among the rows in the vineyard, lay an Arab, holding a rifle which was aimed at them.

In a quick movement, R’ Nachshon made believe he was taking out his revolver, but he actually took out a shofar. He yelled in Arabic, “Halt!” Incredibly, the Arab got up and fled.

Apparently, a shofar is also a technological wonder.

PHOTO OP

As Sukkos approached, R’ Nissan remembered that it would be good if he had a trailer to hitch to his car on which he could build a sukka. He went to a friend of his and said, “Don’t you have a trailer attachment?”

The man said he did, but all the lights on it did not work. R’ Nachshon told him, “I have a friend who is an electrician and a friend who is a carpenter and a friend who is somewhat wealthy …”

The electrician spent two hours and the lights worked. The carpenter set up the sukka, and the wealthy friend paid for the refreshments, the music, and the Dalet Minim, and the mobile sukka was on its way.

On a trip somewhere in the hills of Yehuda-Shomron, R’ Nachshon parked his mobile sukka near a military vehicle on the side of the road. While the soldiers stood gawking, a biker rode up, loaded with biking equipment and a top-quality camera. He had invested a lot of time and money into his hobbies of bike riding and photography. He asked permission to take a picture of the military vehicle next to the mobile sukka. R’ Nachshon agreed as long as the man was willing to have his picture taken with the Dalet Minim.

Thanks to the bike and the professional camera, they all entered the small sukka and enthusiastically fulfilled the mitzvos of Sukkos.

WHEN TECHNOLOGY STOPPED BECAUSE OF MIVTZA T’FILLIN

R’ Shmuel Reinitz, shliach in Beit Shaan, regularly visits all the industrial and business centers of Beit Shaan. At one of the factories he regularly visits, there are three employees who put on t’fillin whenever he comes. He also works on building his relationship with the owner of the factory (who only occasionally visits Beit Shaan) and has even received nice donations from him for the Chabad house.

A new manager showed up, and he did not like the idea of workers putting on t’fillin in the middle of the workday. He said that t’fillin could be put on only during breaks. R’ Reinitz understood very well that during the breaks the workers want to relax and drink something, and this would never be a feasible option. The manager told R’ Reinitz to leave and not to come back.

R’ Reinitz left, but he did not give up so fast. When he met the factory owner, the latter said that he was happy when the shliach came and men put on t’fillin. The following week, R’ Reinitz was back at the factory and before the manager could open his mouth, he told him that the owner had said he could come anytime and put t’fillin on with the employees.

R’ Reinitz went to his usual posts and put t’fillin on with whoever needed it. Friends told him an extraordinary story. “Don’t ask what happened last week. As soon as the manager got rid of you, something went wrong and the machines stopped working. They brought in technicians and only after four hours of waiting did it all start up again. We all told the manager that it was a sign from Heaven. He had gained about five minutes of our work when we didn’t put on t’fillin and lost four hours.

That’s how technology stopped working for the sake of Mivtza T’fillin.

WHY DID THE LEAD ARMORED VEHICLE STOP WORKING?

R’ Roi Tor, shliach to the kibbutzim in the Beit Shaan Valley, continues doing mivtzaim even while in the Reserves. Without revealing many military secrets, R’ Tor serves in the artillery corps. His job is to sit in an armored command vehicle that triangulates artillery firing coordinates according to satellite (GPS) and other technological wonders.

The truth is that most of the guys in the command group don’t put on t’fillin. They are intellectuals, academics and very enlightened … but sometimes other soldiers come and R’ Roi doesn’t miss the opportunity.

Once, there were training sessions in the south and, as I said, the enlightened ones did not want to put on t’fillin. One morning, after an entire night of exercises, the command carrier suddenly stopped working. As a result, all the vehicles and the entire exercise ground to a halt. The company’s munitions team came to fix the lead artillery half-track, but was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, R’ Roi put t’fillin on with all the mechanics.

Bigger experts showed up, but they too, could not figure out why the vehicle had stopped. They also put on t’fillin. It was only after they had all put on t’fillin that someone suddenly asked, “Maybe there is no more gas?” They put several liters of gas into the gas tank and it began moving.

R’ Roi, and you dear readers, know why this happened.

Please daven for the refua shleima of Yaakov Aryeh ben Rochel.