A frum businessman started off his trip to the ECAP healthcare summit in Miami on the right foot, after turning an unfortunate event into an inspiring one.
Dovi Soiefer of Culinary Depot was heading into the Trump National Doral where the summit is being held when he was attacked by two vicious Rottweilers.
The dogs tackled Mr. Soiefer to the ground and began biting and scratching him, giving the hapless businessman cuts and bruises and his arms and elbows.
The dogs’ owner desperately worked to pull the dogs off their victim, eventually being able to corral them and move them away. The embarrassed dog owner apologized profusely and gave Mr. Soiefer his cell number in case he needed to contact him later.
A woman in the hotel who had seen what happened phoned the police, who told Mr. Soiefer that if he files a report, it’s possible the dogs will be euthanized.
The dog owner then returned all shaken up and beseeched Mr. Soiefer not to file a report, saying that he had just lost another dog to illness and didn’t want to lose his other dogs.
He added that he is Jewish, his parents are originally from Poland, and offered to help the victim with medical bills for his injuries.
But instead of taking money or other offers from the dog owner, Mr. Soiefer made a simple request of the man: put on tefillin.
He told the dog owner that he sees how broken up he was over the incident and explained how wearing tefillin would make him feel better.
The sobbing man did just that, donning tefillin for the first time in his life and reciting Shema with his new friend.
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23 Responses
Asking a Yid to put on Tefillin is not patented by Chabad. Kol Yisroel Areivim Zeh La’Zeh. Although, Mr. Soiefer should get an honorary lifetime membership to Chabad. Kol hakavod. You did well. (And I am certain the dog owner will become more cautious with his dogs to prevent any further harm).
Now that is a kiddush Hashem
Inspiring. Be sure to write a follow up story if the guy’s clearly dangerous animals maim anyone else.
It would’ve been even more inspiring if he would’ve taught the guy some bava kamah
Nice of course. Just wondering, what if these dogs live to do it again with a worse outcome. A natural reflex is for a person to try to escape into the street, which carries other risks.
They will probably attack someone else now, this is a case where having pity on this person is cruelty to everyone else, Tefillin or no Tefillin!
Nice story.
But the dogs should still be euthanized.
Qiddush Hashem!
great now that the dogs tasted human blood they will attack someone else , ridicioulous
A dogged ma’aseh.
Wow.
That’s a messed up story. I mean it’s very nice that the dog’s owner put on tefillin but these dogs are a danger to human life! Those Rottweilers NEED to put down to save others lives. This businessman should become a spokesperson for a law banning Rottweilers from being household pets but he put on tefillin on this man…wow! I’m so impressed-not. Every year people are killed and maimed by these viscous breeds being kept in household as pets.
AMAZING!!
What a beautiful story, with an inspirational message.
Thank you for sharing!
Sorry, I am not inspired. If the proper thing is to euthanize the dog, then do it. If the proper thing is to punish the owner do that too. This is sakonas nifashos. Absolutely not ok.
Oh great. So they’ll attack someone else tomorrow, perhaps with disasterous results.
refuah shelaima
very nice from a spiritual sense but…
I would think that Mr S is required to address the situation from another angle too. he must make an agreement with the dog owner of what precautions will be taken to prevent such a thing from happening to someone else cv.
for example for the dogs to never be without a leash or whatever other precautions a professional will suggest.
important to protect the life of others.
whomever has the ability should take responsibility to continue with the next step to work out a way to prevent that no one else gets hurt cv
A very sappy sweet story, but the frum Jew acted wrongly. Dogs that are not controllable need to be put down, in Jewish law (Lo Tasim Damim B’veisecha), in civil law, and in common sense law. Who will be responsible for the next attack? What happens if the next attack ends with more serious consequences (we’ve all heard stories of out-of-control Rottweilers’ attacks ending fatally, especially when younger people are victims — this foolish fellow has no idea how lucky he is to have been so “lightly” injured)? Until now, the foolish dog owner would have been responsible, but now the misguided frum Jew is responsible as well, and perhaps more so. Tefillin is a big Mitzvah, but no substitute for common sense.
TobRebbetzinGoldenetc.etc, and all those naively thinking the frum fellow was so nice in letting off the dog owner with a sappy tefillin moment:
The dog owner is incapable of “being more cautious next time.” This was not a lapse in caution. If he could be cautious, he’d have already known how to be cautious all the time, and his dogs would not DARE try that behavior with him around. (And, btw, the guy said it was to make the recalcitrant owner FEEL BETTER! But he should indeed feel bad, very bad. And not only pay the guy his medical bills, but *finally,* also, pay a top dog trainer to train both him and his hounds or, yes, into the tank they must go. He certainly already was quite aware he was unable to control those mini beasts.)
Are you aware that it is actually not likely that this is the first person these dogs attacked and will definitely not be the last. Dogs who are uncontrollable, especially dogs with (((attack))) embedded deeply into their DNA, will easily figure out they have attack liberties if they have not been correctly trained!
The owner should have been given this ultimatum and with this last chance in keeping them, should indeed have felt quite “better.”
The well-meaning frum guy actually got off easy when he could have been mauled for life or killed. That was his protection min hashamayim, but not a reflection of only mildly rough dogs. They are born to be killer machines as any trainer knows.
Also, the Tefillin request would likely still have been accepted and was a wonderful gesture. The injured man could have sued for his last penny plus ordered the dogs down and pressed charges. Instead, an ultimatum to train the owner – with his dogs – is good for society.
Not sure about the ‘inspiring” title. The dogs need to be put down. If God forbid this guys child were the next victim of these dogs how would he feel? This is a terrible ending.he should have pressed charges
@git meshige don’t forget Mitzvah goreires Mitzvah
>> Mitzvah goreires Mitzvah
Indeed, now every time someone is bitten by these two dogs, the owner will just put tefillin on and daven to Hashem to have mercy on the bitten people. Aveirah goreres aveirah also.
This guy messed it up. He should have made the guy visit the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe with his dogs, followed a bark mitzvah at 770, and a commitment to learn Tanya daily with them.