From the Shul to an Alaskan Yacht

By COLlive reporter

Benjamin was preparing for his annual vacation in Alaska during which he spends a few months on his yacht. Before leaving his home in Tucson, Arizona, he stopped by Shul one last time, to join the Minyan.

Catching his attention from the front corner of the Congregation Young Israel-Chabad was a colorful array of pamphlets which piqued his curiosity.

“What is that pile of booklets doing stashed in the corner, as though there was no use for them?” he thought to himself.

On top of the pile was a booklet titled Chayenu and he began browsing through its pages, offering a selection of verses and chapter from Torah, Rambam, Chassidus and Halcha.

His discovery was like unearthing a hidden treasure chest. Chayenu is printed on newsprint paper for the weekly regimen of learning. Once done, its subscribers place it in the Shaimos/Genizah box to be buried.

That didn’t stop Benjamin. He went over to the shul’s Rabbi Yossie Shemtov and asked whether he can take some of the booklets with him to Alaska. “With pleasure,” was the answer.

Months later, upon his return to Tucson from his vacation, Benjamin approached Rabbi Shemtov with a question on the daily Rambam. Rabbi Shemtov, Head Shliach of Tucson who often emphasizes the importance of education, answered him.

A moment later, Rabbi Shemtov thought to himself, “since when is Benjamin into daily Rambam? This is strange…”

Seeing the astonished look on the Rabbi’s face, Benjamin explained how since salvaging the Chayenu booklets from the Shaimos box, they have given him a lot of inspiration in Alaska.

It led him to contact Chayenu and sign up for a year-long subscription. Needless to say, Rabbi Shemtov’s bewilderment turned to joy.

“It’s not the first time we’ve heard from Shluchim how certain mekurovim who they least expected to be into a daily Torah study routine happened to come across a Chayenu in Shaimos, and it inspired them so that they subscribed!” commented Yossi Pels, Chayenu’s Executive Director says, “We should not underestimate our Mekurovim.”