The Lost Boy and the Man Who Found Him

My most recent guest at the weekly Mitchadshot workshop was Noam Simchi, the man who last Friday afternoon found Yuval Kogan, the four-year-old who had gone missing last Thursday in the dunes near Ashkelon. Did you see the footage of him crying out, “Abba, thank You!” as he held Yuval in his arms?

We had the pleasure of getting to know him a little better. He is 27 years old and discovered the Breslov Chassidic movement at the age of 14. From the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov he learned that we are all brothers, and so when he heard that Yuval was missing, he felt as though his own little brother had disappeared.

Noam owns a horse farm called “Ahavat Hashem” (Love of G-d). He and his friends joined the search. After hours of combing the area beneath the blazing sun, they were exhausted and had found nothing. Then they themselves lost their way – and it was precisely then that they suddenly found Yuval under a tree, as if he had been waiting for them.

We talked about Rebbe Nachman’s Stories, in which there is always something lost that must be found. Noam, too, set out on horseback in search of something precious that had been lost – and he found it.

He is deeply moved that his simple, wholehearted words of faith have now reached millions of people. At the same time, he insists that this story is not about him. Thousands of volunteers joined the search, and countless people prayed. He does not know why he was privileged to be the one who found Yuval.

He quoted Rebbe Nachman: “There is no despair in the world at all,” and “The whole world is a very narrow bridge.”

How remarkable that he found the boy just before Shabbat. What a Shabbat Noam must have experienced afterward!

Take Note of the Mezuzah

Have you noticed the mezuzah on the doorway of the room you are in right now? Take a moment to look at it.

Rabbi YY Jacobson writes: “At first glance, the mezuzah seems like a one-time mitzvah. You affix it to the doorpost once, and you are done. That is why it is so easy to overlook its purpose and forget it is there. But a mezuzah is not merely a charm or a source of blessing. It is meant to remain present in our awareness at all times. It is a mitzvah that never ends.

“The mezuzah stands at the entrance, on the boundary between the home and the outside world. Inside it are two sacred passages: ‘Shema Yisrael’ and ‘Vehaya im shamo’a.’

“It accompanies you each time you enter and each time you leave. It reminds you of what truly matters, what is eternal and what is fleeting. It reminds you that life has a purpose. This awareness is especially important at moments of transition. As you leave your home, the mezuzah sends you out into the world with a reminder: Instead of being swept away by the rush of life, remember that you have a mission, a role and a purpose.

“But perhaps the more important moment is when you return. Home is where we face the challenges, tensions and triggers that arise between people who live together. Just before walking through the door, it is worth kissing the mezuzah and asking yourself: What do I want to bring into my home, and what do I want to leave outside?

“The mezuzah reminds me that the Divine presence dwells in this home. The bonds we build here are not meant merely to help us survive the daily routine. They are meant to create something greater and holier. The mezuzah reminds us that we are entering our own sanctuary.”

This is an opportunity to have our mezuzot checked, particularly if they have not been inspected recently, to make sure they are kosher.

It is also an opportunity to check whether we are truly noticing the mezuzah – and paying attention to what it has to teach us.

After posting the above, I received the following astonishing response from a student at the Nefesh Yehudi student organization in Haifa. After reading about the importance of the mezuzah, she decided to check whether hers was kosher. To her surprise, instead of finding a parchment containing the passages of the mezuzah, she discovered a piece of paper with Russian writing on it. “I don’t know what is written here,” she wrote, “but it is clearly not what belongs inside a kosher mezuzah,” and she immediately went out and bought herself a new, kosher mezuzah.

Translated by Yehoshua Siskin and Janine Muller Sherr.