HaRav Osher Weiss spoke about a young IDF soldier he met who was severely injured in battle in Gaza, losing both legs and his right arm and injuring his left hand.
Rav Weiss said: “The soldier is a young talmid chacham. He asked me several shailos including: “Where do I put on tefillin now?
One of the shailos brought Rav Weiss to tears. “When I get my prosthetics, when I do I say Shechiyanu – when I get them or when I use them?” the soldier asked.
The story brings to mind that of Amichai Shindler, whose arm was blown off in the October 7th massacre. After he miraculously regained consciousness, his first requests were a visit by HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin, which were given to him by the Gerrer Rosh HaYeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Shaul Altar.
Watch the powerful video below:
Channel 14 News journalist Yinon Magal later tweeted the video of Rav Weiss and identified the soldier as Ari Spitz. Someone else posted a video of Ari making a bracha at his friend’s wedding, as seen below.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
Ari Spitz- What a mind blowing Kiddush Hashem. It Leaves one speechless and dumfounded that there are yeiden in our generation like this. Unbeleivable…
מי כעמך ישראל!
Please continue to daven for this amazing young man, Moshe Aharon ben Leah Baila
I absolutely agree that this boy is an amazing person, he gave his all for his country and is still happy. we can surely learn from him. But what Reb Asher said that we wouldn’t be able to judge him if C”V he became an apikores… Why not?? Its not like someone had accident and loses his arms and legs that we might maybe understand for being angry at Hashem C”V, but this boy? He chose to go to war knowing that he might lose his life, but he didn’t and he survived! He has no reason in the world to become an apikores!
(besides the point that there’s never such a thing as a good reason to become one)
Dear “TruthAlways”,
All R’ Asher said was that you wouldn’t have the right to judge him, which is a billion percent true. No-one ever validated this as a good reason to become an apikores. All he meant was is that from your little point of view compared to the state that he is in now, you don’t begin to reach his toenails to even think of judging! (Besides for the fact that it’s never your place to judge anyone, I think hashem does a fine job with that and he doesn’t need your help.) Hatzlachah!!!
But – but – but – isn’t the point of the army to make anyone who joins a chazer-eating, partying, mechalel Shabbos? How can it be that someone like this exists after serving in the army – as committed to Torah uMitzvos when he came out as when he went in?
Is it actually possible that the army has no interest in making people less Frum – only in providing the best possible protection for Am Yisrael, and welcomes and accommodates Frum soldiers? Something worth thinking about.
an Israeli Yid
Your right!!! Let’s quote “suya25” again: “It Leaves one speechless and dumfounded that there are yeiden in our generation like this. Unbeleivable…”.
We should also be thankful to the totally non-frum soldier who gives everything of himself to protect the Jewish people and land. As the story of Rav Shlomo Zalman states.
A student in the Kol Torah Yeshiva in Jerusalem, approached his Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l and asked him the question: May I leave my Torah studies in the yeshiva to go [for a short visit] and pray at the graves of tzadikim (righteous people,) in the Galil (Northern Israel?)
Rav Auerbach answered, “It is better to say in yeshiva, and study Torah”
The student replied, “Isn’t there a time I could go to visit the graves of tzadikim? Doesn’t Rav Auerbach go and pray by the graves of tzadikim?
Rav Auerbach answered, “In order to pray at the graves of tzadikim, one doesn’t have to travel up to the Galil. Whenever I feel the need to pray at the graves of tzadikim, I go to Mount Herzl, [the national cemetery for fallen IDF soliders in Jerusalem], to the graves of the soliders…who fell “Al Kiddush Hashem” for the sanctification of G-d.
wow wow wow! This yid is a real tzadik!
Wow מי כעמך ישראל!!