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Journey to Sinai: Yad L’Achim Prepares Women it Rescued to Receive the Torah

As part of the heroic journey that women rescued by Yad L’Achim from Arab villages make upon their return to the Jewish people, was an exciting program this week titled, “Personal Preparations for Receiving the Torah.” • Full Story

As part of the heroic journey that women rescued by Yad L’Achim from Arab villages make upon their return to the Jewish people, was an exciting program this week titled, “Personal Preparations for Receiving the Torah.”

Some 80 women and girls who have returned to Judaism, and are at one stage or another of their personal odyssey, joined a special day of Tefillah at the graves of the righteous in the north. The participants, who came from all over the country and were accompanied by their Yad L’Achim social workers, began the day with breakfast and Tefillah at the memorial of Rabi Meir Baal HaNes in Teverya.

After refreshments, they continued to daven at the tombs of the holy Shelah, Rambam and Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron. The highlight of the tour was the visit to the tziyun of the Tanna Yonatan ben Uziel in Amuka – known as a segula for matchmaking. This was a special opportunity for them to daven for themselves that they be able to overcome all the challenges and establish a faithful home in Israel.

“You could sense the sublime feeling that accompanied the entire trip,” a Yad L’Achim official said. “For many of the participants, this was the first time they had davened at holy sites, and it was a powerful experience for them that brought them to great excitement and tears.”

The journey concluded with a picnic meal in the Lavie Forest, in the Lower Galilee, during which the participants heard from Yad L’Achim lecturers how to receive the Torah and connect with it, each according to their situation and level of progress.

“The Torah belongs to all of us,” they were told. “It belongs equally to those who have studied it their entire lives, and to those who, unfortunately, may have converted and lived in distant regions. It was given to us as an inheritance and is just waiting for us to accept it with open arms and make it the guiding light of our lives.”

The women also received a magnificent set of Chumashim as part of the effort to deepen their connection with the Torah and Jewish identity, and to assist them in the process of personal and spiritual rehabilitation. “The occasion of Matan Torah is a special time when the connection to Judaism can be strengthened,’ one Yad L’Achim official said. “For the women who were rescued, it is another significant step towards returning to a full Jewish life.”

The emotional responses were not long in coming. “The journey to the graves of the righteous, the joint prayers, the moving explanations – all of these gave us a powerful spiritual experience that will strengthen us for a long time to come,” wrote one of the women. “Thank you for your care, dedication, exemplary organization, and for doing everything with love and kindness.”

Added another woman: “The meticulous organization and the huge investment you made to ensure that everything ran smoothly, contributed to the experience. The trip also gave me and everyone else an opportunity to create special memories with amazing people and new insights.”

Yet another wrote: “It wasn’t just a trip – it was an exciting, connecting, uplifting experience. A day of true joy, connection, and gratitude. Of understanding that the Torah is mine too!”

Photos: Yad L’Achim survivors pouring out their hearts at the ziyun of Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai and the ziyun of the Holy Shelah