10 months ago

What Happened When a Lubavitcher Chossid Brought Roses to Machane Yehuda?

Rabbi Shmuel Goldstein, a Crown Heights resident, was visiting Jerusalem’s bustling Machane Yehuda market this past Friday when he decided to do something out of the ordinary: hand out roses to IDF soldiers • Full Story

Rabbi Shmuel Goldstein

This past Friday, while shopping at the Machane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, I stopped for a moment to help at the local Chabad Tefillin stand. I had come to Eretz Yisroel to lead a Birthright delegation.

Earlier that day, a simple yet moving thought crossed my mind: to buy a small bouquet of roses and hand them to soldiers as a token of gratitude for their service. I imagined maybe five roses—just enough to bring a smile to a few faces.

But in the rush of the day, I forgot. When I arrived at the Tefillin stand, I noticed that a flower vendor was set up right next to it. Perfect! I could help people put on Tefillin and hand out roses at the same time. So I bought a bouquet and began looking for soldiers—and anyone willing to lay Tefillin.

At first, it didn’t go so quickly. The young man running the stand told me that for over an hour, nobody had agreed—either they had already put on Tefillin or simply weren’t interested. Still, I managed to find four soldiers. I gave each one a rose, wished them “Shabbat Shalom,” and thanked them sincerely.

That left me with one last rose. Along with it came a sprig of greenery the florist had added. I scanned the crowd passing by—hoping to spot another soldier, or perhaps someone else open to putting on Tefillin.

Then I saw them—a young couple approaching the stand. I asked the young man, Noam, if he would like to put on Tefillin. At first, he was quite firm: “No,” he said.

I smiled and held out the rose. “If you put on tefillin—you can give this to her.” He looked at her, and she smiled back and said, “Go on, do it.”

That was enough to persuade Noam!

Earlier that day, I had bought gifts for my wife and children back home—including a new yarmulke for my son, Yosef. I pulled it out and offered it to Noam to wear while putting on tefillin.

After reciting “Shema Yisroel,” we filmed a special greeting from Noam—wearing Yosef’s new yarmulke—for my son.

One rose. One yarmulke. One mitzvah. And a little piece of Jerusalem to take home with me.

—

Dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Tzivia, Bas Reb Shalom Yeshaya.

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Tags: Teffilin