Just Four Bochurim Transformed Our Home

by Chana Miriam Golub – Beit Shemesh, Israel

Living in Israel right now means living with uncertainty. Alerts and Sirens can come at any moment. Interruptions day and night. Sleep is broken. Children move between trying to have a somewhat normal routine and sudden disruptions.

And yet, life continues.

There are still meals to cook, laundry to fold, figuring out logistics for the incredible Zoom classes run by committed teachers from our local Chabad Schools wanting to support, educate and love our children from afar. Shabbos to prepare, and Pesach approaching quickly. We try our best to keep everything moving as normally as possible, for ourselves and especially for our children.

Children often seem resilient. They continue playing, learning, and laughing. But even when they are not fully aware, something in the moment touches them. The tension, the interruptions, and the lack of sleep all leave a quiet imprint.

This past Shabbos, something special happened in our home.

We hosted four Chabad Bochurim from Yeshivas Lubavitch Tiferes Yisroel (YLTY) – Bet Shemesh. Young men learning and living in Israel coming to our home for Shabbos. Nothing elaborate, just what we call a home away from home.

But the moment they walked in, the entire energy of the house shifted.

They brought with them a simcha that was genuine and contagious. Their singing filled the room. Their warmth reached everyone. Their pride in being a chossid of the Rebbe shone through in the simplest ways, how they spoke, how they sang, how they connected with the children.

And the children felt it, we saw it happening before our eyes.

You could see their faces light up. Something inside them happened. A spark in them lit up their little neshama, one they didn’t even realize they needed but Hakadosh Baruch Hu did. The bochurim laughed with them, sang with them, farbrenged with them. They showed what it means to live with simcha, with purpose, with pride in being a Yid and a chossid of the Rebbe.

Then, our eldest son went to visit a chabad family down the street and to our surprise moments later, more people arrived. Our son appeared with the Rabbi and his sons B”H. Suddenly the table grew fuller, the singing louder, the atmosphere warmer.

What began as a regular Shabbos meal turned into a full farbrengen.

Yidden who had never met before were suddenly united, singing together, sharing words of Torah, and celebrating the gift of Shabbos. The room was filled with warmth, connection, and chassidishe simcha.

In a time when the outside world feels uncertain, something powerful happened inside those walls.

This is the power of a Chossid.

A chossid carries light. Not because circumstances are easy, but because he knows his purpose is to bring simcha, strength, and connection wherever he goes. A chossid reminds others who they are without words but through their middos. He lifts those around him, sometimes without even realizing it.

These young bochurim may have simply thought they were coming for a Shabbos meal.

But they gave our children something much bigger: pride, energy, and a living example of what it means to be a chossid .

And in that moment, even after sirens earlier during our shabbos meal, the sirens, alerts and the exhaustion of the week faded away.

All that remained was the power of Shabbos, the unity of Yidden, and the quiet but extraordinary power of a chossid.

The Rebbe so often said and encouraged that Eretz Yisroel is the safest place on earth:

ארץ אשר תמיד עיני ה’ אלוקיך בה מראשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה…

It’s one thing to say it, quite another to live it, these bochurim showed it.

To the young men who entered our home, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for giving our children a moment they so needed. To the parents and teachers of these incredible young men, thank you for giving us the Brocho to host them.

To the youth of today thank you for always showing up. For reminding me of the little things that make a massive impact.

To all chassidim around the world and to Klal Yisroel. Never forget who you are. Never forget you have the power to bring light, love and simcha to everyone around you. Remember the Power of a Chossid, the power of a Jew, the power in YOU!