I have to share this story with you.
Yesterday, while waiting for a train at the station, I noticed a group of soldiers standing beside me near the tracks.
The tags on their uniforms indicated that they were Golani fighters, and judging from their somewhat disarrayed appearance, they must have been in the reserves and were heading off to their next round of duty. All the soldiers carried large backpacks and had guns across their shoulders. It was obvious that they were prepared for an extended stay away from home.
As I observed their interactions, I silently prayed to G-d to look after them and bless them. It was heartwarming to see that the four soldiers demonstrated obvious affection and comradeship toward one another despite their very different appearances. I couldn’t help but think that all members of society should learn from them to put our differences aside and work together toward common goals for the benefit of everyone.
Two of the soldiers were obviously religious. One even had long payot and was holding a lulav in his hand. The third soldier had freshly cut hair and was clean-shaven. And although he didn’t have a kippa on his head, there were tefillin strapped to his backpack.
The fourth soldier’s appearance was somewhat different from that of his comrades. He was wearing a baseball hat that partially covered a blonde ponytail, and a weathered grey teddy bear wearing an olive green shirt was strapped to his backpack.
I was pretty surprised to see a soldier going to war with a teddy bear strapped to his gear, and I couldn’t help but wonder why the soldier was carrying it. I was still toying with this thought when the train pulled into the station, and I headed toward the lower level to find a seat. The soldiers decided to try their luck on the upper level.
I was kind of disappointed because I was hoping that they would sit beside me so that I could inquire about the bear. I slowly moved along the aisle, found an accessible seat, and settled down. Then suddenly, I saw that the soldiers had come down the stairs and were heading down the aisle looking for a seat, as the upper level must have been full.
At that point, my curiosity led me to overcome my shyness. When the soldier carrying the backpack with the teddy bear passed by my seat, I said, “Excuse me, soldier, I bet that bear has a meaningful story behind it, right?”
He stopped, backtracked a few steps, said, “You’re right,” and then began to walk away.
I couldn’t leave it at that, so I piped up and said,” I’d love to hear it.”
He backtracked again and leaned over my seat to look at me. With a slight Russian accent and evident emotion in his voice, he said, ” He has been with me through everything: my training, Gaza, missions, and more, and now he’s accompanying me on this mission. I’ll always keep him with me wherever we go.”
He then turned his head and started to walk away. But in the split second that our eyes met along the way, I blurted out the first thing that popped into my mind…I blessed him that, G-d willing, when he has children, he will give them that teddy bear and tell them the stories about their experiences together.
I hope and pray that G-d will bless and protect him, his comrades, and our incredible soldiers putting their lives on the line to protect our people and nation. May they all succeed in their missions and return safely and healthily to their loved ones awaiting them.
To read my blog or learn about my book “Moving Forward: Reflections on Autism, Neurodiversity, Brain Surgery, and Faith,” I invite you to check out jackisbooks.com
