Chevron Under Lockdown! A Special Rosh Hashana
by Levi Davidson
I know, the title might lead you to think that I am telling you a story from the 1929 massacres that took place in Chevron, leaving the city empty of Jews. I am actually telling you a story of 2020 and hope to bring to you a taste of our special time spent in Chevron! Below you will read two stories about shofar blowing which are sure to make you as emotional as I am each time I think about them.
I was in touch with the Chabad Shluchim in Chevron, Rabbi Danny and Batsheva Cohen, regarding spending Rosh Hashana in Chevron with the Cohens. I would serve as a Chazzen for the Chabad minyan at Me’arat Hamachpela and my family and I would assist the Cohens with bringing the Yom Tov feeling to the soldiers stationed in Chevron. Little did we know how much of an impact we would have on so many soldiers!
What many people don’t know is that the life of soldiers who are currently serving in the army has become even more complicated and stressful. In order to minimize the risk of soldiers being infected with Covid-19, many soldiers throughout Eretz Yisrael stay put wherever they are stationed for an entire month straight or even two months straight without being able to take a Shabbos off to go visit their family and rest. Life for the soldiers is stressful enough, how much more so when they are on guard for 60 days straight without a weekend of homemade food and a chance to sleep in a normal bed. Add to this being stationed in a place like Chevron where the soldiers have to be even more vigilant and composed. This is where the Shluchim in Chevron take a very important role. The Cohens along with their team of other Chabad Shluchim provide the family atmosphere for the soldiers in Chevron and Kiryat Arba; whether it’s the gourmet Shabbat meals in their house, or the homemade Challah hand delivered to soldiers along with a smile and an uplifting word, or the visits from members of the Chabad team to the many outposts where soldiers are stationed at all hours of the day and night to bring the soldiers a hot coffee or a cold drink, or the pizza which is given out to soldiers. Chabad plays a very important role in these soldiers’ lives aside for the spiritual boost with the shiurim they provide for the soldiers. This has tremendous impact on these soldiers who might not have ever had any connection with the specialty of being Hashem’s nation, depending on where they were raised.
My family and I are lucky enough to have spent a lot of time in Chevron, including having a Shabbos Bar Mitzvah for our son in Chevron with all of our family and friends along with the soldiers, and we are aware of how much the Cohens and their team do for the soldiers in addition to being a beacon of positivity, warmth and assistance for the citizens of the Chevron and Kiryat Arba community.
Baruch Hashem, even though the country went into lockdown on Erev Rosh Hashana preventing most people from traveling anywhere, we were issued a special permit to travel to Chevron as I would be serving as the Chazzen. The feelings and emotions while saying the words of the davening at Me’arat Hamachpela is indescribable and especially on Rosh Hashana! Thinking about how Rabbi Dov Ber, “the Mitteler Rebbe”, describes that Tefila is called Chevron because of the connections of our Forefathers in each Tefila and how the Tefilos go up through Chevron! Reading the words “G-d of our Forefathers the G-d of Avraham the G-d of Yitzchak and the G-d of Yaakov”, the special mentions throughout the Rosh Hashana davening of Avraham and Sarah and that they were blessed with having a child Yitzchak and the Akeida of Yitzchak in addition to the daily Tefilah of the Akeida which we say each morning; the list goes on and on of attempting to describe how tremendous the feeling of davening on the land which was purchased by Avraham himself and where our fathers and mothers are buried! Of course, throughout the davening we were constantly thinking about our brethren throughout the world who were not even lucky enough to be able to daven with a minyan this year and putting in special thought in our davening that our ancestors should please beseech Hashem on all of Klal Yisrael’s behalf to finally fulfill the promise He made to Avraham Avinu and grant us the final and complete Geulah!
Rosh Hashana shofar blowing was the climax! Starting our day with blowing Shofar for many soldiers who were on guard in the morning before our minyan started, as there could be a chance that they would be in an inaccessible location during the afternoon, reminded us of the story of the Alter Rebbe blowing Shofar before davening in order to assist with defeating Napolean. As is known, his intention was to protect the Jewish people from spiritual harm. Immediately after davening, we all split up into teams to blow the shofar for the soldiers at the many outposts.
Here are two scenarios which make me cry each time I think about them. After blowing shofar for two soldiers, I noticed two other soldiers running towards us and right away understood that they also would like for the shofar to be blown for them. I asked them which one of them would like to say the Brochos and one of them asked if he can also say the chapter of Tehillim which is said before shofar blowing! It was so moving to watch him saying the words with so much emotion and feeling! Sure enough, while he was saying the Brochos, I noticed another soldier running towards us. The first soldier was already almost finished the Brochos so this soldier as well said the Brochos and I blew the shofar for all three.
After another few times of blowing shofar, we came to a soldier and when we asked him if he had heard the shofar yet he told us that this would be his first time in a few years hearing the shofar as the past two years he had been serving in remote places and had not heard the shofar on Rosh Hashana!!! You can imagine how emotional that shofar blowing was!
It is well known how much of a physical connection great tzaddikim had with Chevron in addition to the spiritual connections. Rabbi Shneur Zalmen of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe spoke about supporting the community of Chevron and himself sent support. His son Rabbi Dov Ber, the Mitteler Rebbe, spoke about supporting the community of Chevron and so on and so forth. They spoke about the special blessings of long life and abundance in parnossoh which will come to a person who supports the community who is living “in the place of our Forefathers”, and supporting building the community even more through helping to purchase more properties.
The shluchim in Chevron continue to work tirelessly to bring the same warmth and love and even more warmth and love than before, during these complicated past 6 months. Even with the new government and army specific regulations due to Covid-19, the shluchim have implemented new ways to make sure to bring a smile to the soldiers’ faces and fill their hungry stomachs!!! The cans of soda and bags of snacks brought to the soldiers at all hours of the day and night, the prepackaged cakes, the list goes on and on of what the shluchim do to make Chevron the way Avraham Avinu would have had it with his 24 hours/7 days per week open tent. Please help as much as you can, whether it’s your Yom Kippur Yizkor pledge or your extra Tzeddakah which is customary to give during the days surrounding Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur or your Kapporos money. The more the better and the more blessings which will come forth to those who help Rabbi Danny and Batsheva and their team continue their holy work!
Please donate at https://www.chabadhebron.com/donate
