Dear YWN Editors,
I just got off the phone with my son. As you can see from the poem written below, he is a guard at the Kotel.
I daven every day that he should come back to Hashem ‘biteshuva sheleima’ but I love him, as he is, with all my heart and soul.
It is very distressing to me when he calls me and says “Ima, you should see what goes on here. There are people shoving other people to get to the Kotel so they wont “miss the Z’man”. How could these people really think this is the way to behave?” I cringe when i hear this from him. I always try to imagine that he is seeing much kindness and love from our wonderful fellow Jews.
I am hoping that this poem can inspire us all to be kinder to everyone this year. I am sure Hashem would rather someone waited a few more minutes patiently without making a Chillul Hashem rather than pushing and shoving and causing others to be upset with the Frum world.
Thank you and may this year be a year filled with kindness and compassion for ALL of our fellow Jews.
Al Chomotayich Yerushalayim Hifkadeti shomrim
My son, at the kotel you stand and guard,
Helping keep safe those you regard,
Checking big knapsacks, suitcases, pockets
Being on guard for bombs, knives and rockets.
To the people who come there,
you’re just a young man,
doing his job
to prevent all from harm.
No one does know, my dear son, only me,
How many tears I have shed over thee.
All the years that we struggled, and misunderstood,
Now coming together, to a place that is good.
You are not religious, but I love you so,
For you are my holy child, sent from above.
A talmid chacham I thought you would be,
But G-d had other plans in store for me.
So He sent me a son who chose a different route
And helped me to grow, to become more astute,
So I learned how to love you, because you are mine,
And be happy that we are so close, you and I.
Every morning I daven, and humbly ask
That my beautiful son will be safe at his task.
That the thousands of tefilos he hears night and day,
From the guard’s gate will fly into his soul and there stay.
That the people that pass by my son every day
Will stop for a moment, to smile and say.
“thank you kind shomer, for a job so well done.
As we pour out our hearts to the holy one.”
A kiddush Hashem it would be for my child,
If you would take the opportunity, and stay a while
To speak to the guard with the beautiful eyes,
Or any of the other guards, there at his side.
For all of those shomrim are children you know,
Belonging to parents who love them so.
When you see those guards, think a moment or two
Remember, those children could be your children too.
————
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31 Responses
what a beautiful poem and so well said when we are at the Kotel we should thank the guards and in general thank all the soldiers we meet there. May you have much nachas and a K’sevah V’chasima Tova
A beautiful poem may you have much nachas, and a K’sevah V’chasima Tova. Let us all take this to heart and remember to thank the guards and soldiers who risk their lives for us.
I am sorry if this sounds harsh but your son should not use other people’s behavior to shirk away from his responsibility to Ribono Shel Olom. It is an excuse commonly used by the chiloni. Of course people should behave perfectly, BUT, we are human. The Torah is perfect, and the Jews who received it are striving for perfection. Does he see how beautiful, kind, caring every yid is, even the ones who don’t have exemplary behavior on occasion? Even with your example — there is worse behavior than that — these people were after all pushing through to do a mitzvah. Please encourage your son to be honest and look within himself rather than judging his fellow yidden. After 120 he will not be asked about them… May this year be one of yeshuas for each member of klal yisroel and may we finally see in ourselves and in each other what RSO sees in us! May this year bring the geula shleima and release us from this horrible exile that blocks us from seeing the truth.
I should also add that the poem is beautiful and it brought tears for my eyes. Your prayers for your son and all our sons and daughters should be answered bekorov!
Yiddishemishpacha,
Lakol Zman Vaet Tachat Hashamim. Your comments, as correct as you may feel they are, are innapropriate for the this letter and for its purpose. In addition it is not for anyone to be giving personal life advice to someone we do not know on a website using an anynymous name. If we stopped being so critical of everything people said and did! Do me a favor, read the letter, cry a little, and next time you go to the Kotel try being a mentcsh and say hello and thank you to the guard and STOP BEING SO CRITICAL. Its a few days before Yom Hadin, yet people dont seem to get it. The less critical we are of others the less critical the Ultimate Judge will be of us. May we all have a Ktiva Vechatima Tova.
Thank you dear Yiddishe Bubby for your warm comments. to “yiddishemishpacha” do you think that if you “push through to do a mitzvah” it is a mitzvah? i am sure that our gedolim and tzaddikim never ever “pushed through to do a mitzvah.” and did I say that the reason my sweet child is not frum today is because he liked to blame frum people instead of “looking within himself?” My son is not frum because of a combination of tragedies that took place in his life which he has not been yet able to overcome. I just know that the people who “push through to do a mitzvah” are in effect helping to “push” him away even more. While the wonderful man who walks around on Friday night bringing the guards kiddush and food, pushes him one step closer.
Also, being rude to any human being is never okay.
So which one are you? The kind of person who “pushes for a mitzvah?” Or the person who brings food for the guards?
#3-Yiddishemishpacha- The soldier is not, as you stated, “using other people’s behavior to shirk away from his responsibility to the Ribono Shel Olem”. PLEASE DONT MAKE UP STORIES! He just happens to be telling over to his mother what goes on at the Kotel. The fact is that standing and guarding all day, he can’t help but notice this disturbing issue.
Don’t create problems where there are none.
And may your son be zoche to return to the path of the Torah bekorev!
very nice poem agree with #3 . obviously being frum means that our every move is scrutinized and that being extra polite will make more baalei teshuva.but BH we dont push to get into bars, discos, etc . i always try to be thankfull to the guards here especialy at the bank ,stores ,post office where the job is much more boring than at the kotel. after a pigua r’l we are reminded of how important they are .
when they ask me “yesh neshek”? i reply “lo – tzarich lehavi? they laugh and it brightens their day.
Thank you for giving me something so valuable to enhance my Elul. Ketiva v’chatima tova.
What a beautiful poem. May all your tefillos on Rosh Hashana be answered l’tovah.
How heartwarming! And so true. Kol Hakovod to all those who protect klal Yisroel and keep them out of harm’s way.
Yiddishemeshpucha,
How would you imagine the Kosel and other holy sites in EY without shmeeroh?
What an inspiring moment. Don’t ever give up on your son. Hopefully when he comes back, he will bring others with him.
An answer to your son’s (and many similar) question:
1. At the ball stadium, when tens/hundreds of people in the bleachers fight (fight!) for that home-run ball, does he have the same question?
1b. Or when people kill at the soccer match just to get a better look.
2. How about people shoving/pushing just to get an autograph from a celebrity?
3.4.5.6. The list goes on and on. Same line.
Now the aforementioned scenarios, people are fighting over something that has no real value.
But, lehavdil, when yidden are pushing each other for a dovor shbekdusha, which has an everlasting meaning, they are proclaiming “THIS is important!”. And it is.
Also, 99% of the time, these yidden have no ill feelings and actually love each other even while pushing. Everyone understands.
The mishna sais that the Koihanim used to race at the mizbaiach to see who was zoiche for the avodah. Until it was stopped because someone broke his leg!
So, at least these people are pushing for something meaningful. What are they pushing for? A ball??
stunning
Pushing and Shoviing in haste to do a Mitzvah is nothing new.
In the Time of the Bais Hamikdosh
The Kohanim would run up the ramp of the Mizbayach in hopes of having the zechus to participate in the Avoidah.
There is a story in the Gemmorah that one time the rush and push was so bad that a Kohain got knocked off the ramp and broke his leg.
After that they installed railings on the mizbayach and a lottery system for the Avoidah.
A yid burns with fire to do a Mitzvah that does not give one the excuse to be abusive in pushing.
But as Yidden we are Charedim and we have zerizus and fire burning within us to do Mitzvos and in Tefilah.
There is pushing and shoving and an abundance of loving kindness and tzedakah given at Koisel and the Jewish world as well.
Leaving the Derech because of seeing excessive pushing and zrizus sounds a bit lame and there must be underlying feelings other than just that.
Sunenshine, did you see a stanza in my poem that said “my son left the derech because there was pushing. Beforehand, a gadol was he, always rushing. To keep mitzvos and torah was his very aim, until one day a shove left him quite lame.”
You need to focus on my point. The point of my poem is to give a face to these young boys who stand and guard at the kotel and to ask the kindness of people like you in treating them nicely and understanding that they are just doing their jobs. A smile, a nice hello. a thank you. thats all I ask. Anything that might help these boys see that we think of them as human beings and might give a lift to their day.
Everyone else who sent me such beautiful brochos. i thank you from the bottom of my heart.
May Hashem accept all of the tefillos of klal yisroel this year and bring moshiach bimheira beyameinu.
Phoenix,
You must be quite a person. Your son, while not perfect, is obviously a mensch and a person of compassion. These are hard attributes to instill in our children. While he may not be perfect, he is a positive contributor to society. We all see many who are not positive contributors be they people who observe the mitzvos or not.
Take pride in your accomplishment, it is significant.
Kesivah V’chasimah Tovah and may you continue to have much nachas from your son.
If you would like to post your son’s hebrew name, I would be glad to keep him in mind in my tefillos that he should come back to Yiddishkeit and continue to bring you nachas.
thank you! you and we all should have much nachas, brochos and good mazal with our children and grandchildren in this coming year. K’sevah V’chasima Tova
Thank you! Your son may be protecting my daughter, and other dear relatives and friends. (Yes, I know it is really Hashem who is doing the protecting, but Phoenix’s son is contributing to the earthly hishtadlus.) Kesiva v’chasima tova!
yeshiva world, I think i know who “gold” is (they have made a comment as #19. and i would love to talk to them. can you ask them to get in touch with me please? thanks so much.
Thank you for all your wonderful comments. i know that everyone tries as best as they can to do the right thing. I just have seen how these children who have gone off the derech or have never been religious are extra sensitive to the way we frum people behave. That is why I am imploring all of you, even if it may be difficult, to try to take that extra moment to smile at them. You never know whose heart you might be warming with your smile.
Wow. Thank you so much for posting this article, I cried for your child and for all the other thousands of children that strayed from yiddishkeit.
#3, stop putting people down and just read the poem with an open heart and love every person whether religious or not.
May we all have a ksiva vchasima tova and hopefully this year will bring all the yeshuous that klal yisroel needs.
Yasher koach Phoenix!!! Thanx!!
Phoenix, I just emailed “contact us” at the website and told them my email address to give to you. so i hope they will respond soon. i have no idea who you are, but maybe you are right and we do know each other!
While your son may have given up certain mitzvos, by serving in the army he is being moser nefesh to protect the Jewish people.
When the time comes for din v’cheshban, it is not at all clear that he is any less “frum” than many of those who are still “on the derech”.
This poem is exquisite, and moved me to tears.
Your plea is piercing.
May it echo through the chambers of our collective heart, and effect heightened consciousness of our responsibilities to each precious Neshamah in our nation.
May your son and all the children of Klal Yisrael bring Nachas to their parents and to the Rebono Shel Olam.
IsraeliYid, that was Phoenix\’s point in 17. That such a stanza was NOT in the original poem.
dear # 17. that stanza is one I made up on the spot to answer #16. I was telling him that my son did not become irreligious because someone “pushed” him. It was definitely not in my poem. I was not blaming anyone for making my son not frum. all i am saying is that yidden should be kind to each other.
Dear Phoenix,
Beautiful and thought provoking!
Why not write your son’s name (ploni ben plonis) for all of us to see and daven for?
It is well known that Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz ztl ALWAYS greeted and thanked the chayalim at the Kossel and anywhere else he met them.
On the other hand, it is also well known that the highest compliment from the Beis Yisroel ztl (Gerrer Rebbe) that he would give to a prospective father-in-law about a bochur was “er shtipt git beim tisch!” (He pushes strongly at the Tisch).
It seems that there is a point in this pushing for a mitzva though obviously only within a crowd of similarly minded people and not in front of others who might misunderstand and misinterpret the religious fervor involved.
Wishing you, your son and all Klal Yisroel a kesivo vechasimo toivo.
You are clearly a very special Yiddishe mother. Never,never give up davening. You will IY”H come to see your hailege son be a full chozer b’tshuva. The fact that he chose to be a messenger of Hashem, and watch over His people speaks volumes.
May I wish him (and, yes, I say this to all the chayalim that I pass when I see them in Eretz Hakadosha) “Hashem Yishmor”.
I wish you, your noble son and your entire family a gut and g’bentched year.
May you merit to see your son souring to great spiritual heights and dedicating his life to one of torah and yiras shamayim very soon untill 120 Bezrat Hashem!
Wishing you lots of neverending yidishe nachas!!
kesiva v’chasima tova to you and all of klal yisrael!