“There are no atheists in a foxhole…”
“I was contacted by our unit commander and told to go meet up with a group of soldiers. We cannot send you any more ammunition. Just use what you have and if you need more, take from those who are gone.
I understood where I was being sent…. I got there and we were a group of secular soldiers. Among us was one who was so secular that even on the holiest day, Yom Kippur, he didn’t refrain from work, G-d forbid.
Gunfire was coming towards us. The bullets were heading our way. We fired and tried to hit back. But we could feel that we were being surrounded and there were hundreds of them. We were running out of ammunition. We knew we wouldn’t get out of there alive, G-d forbid. The bullets were getting closer and closer, and they were coming from all sides.
I was standing next to the fellow who was the most secular among us. G-d, Torah and mitzvot had been the furthest thing from his mind. Now he turns towards me and says, “Listen, if we get out of here alive, know that I will keep Shabbat!”
It’s impossible to explain in natural terms what happened next – As he said these words, within twenty to thirty seconds, suddenly the sound of the gunfire begins to recede moving further and further away from us, until it was gone completely.
I’m not a religious guy but since then I go to synagogue every Friday night and Shabbat day!As secular Israelis we have many questions about G-d. But for our group it was obvious that G-d’s was right there with us and saved our lives!
No more questions for me! Just DO IT!
Freely transcribed from an interview with the commander.
From Am Yisrael Chai Positivity Group WhatsApp.
Melava Malka Stories 