My son and a friend went to downtown Los Angeles Friday, the last day before Yeshiva starts after yomtov, to do Mivtzoim.
They came home with a simple, yet profound story that portrays the power of pure and simple Ahavas Yisroel.
They walked into a store and put on Tefillin with a middle-aged Iranian Jew and his college-aged son.
After they donned Tefillin, my son asked the young man, “How was your Simchas Torah?”
This is what he answered:
“Great! I am a student at USC (University of Southern California) so I went to Chabad on campus and it was really nice. I didn’t stay too long, but the most amazing thing happened on my way home.
“As I was leaving down the block, one of the Yeshiva boys that were helping run the program, tipsy from celebrating, stopped me and asked if he could give me a hug.
“I agreed, and we hugged for a couple of seconds.
“As I got to the crosswalk about to cross the street, a drunk driver spun out of control, crashed into another car and landed directly in the middle of the crosswalk where I would have been if I wasn’t hugged by my fellow Jew!
“My life was saved! The car that was sitting in the crosswalk was shredded as if it had gone through a blender.”
That was this young man’s story.
As I am sitting here listening to my son tell this story, I am moved beyond words. The Rebbe instilled in us Chassidim unconditional love for every Yid.
This Bochur left the comforts of home to help a Shliach. He is tipsy with joy and how does he express it? By hugging a Yid passing by! The koach of that Ahavas Yisroel saved a life!
A mother from Los Angeles
Boruch Hashem!
number 4 , your the only one with serious issues.
and number 29. thanx for hte real story.
its crazy how lil details in stories alaways seem to get changed around
you don’t belive in hashgacha pratis
Keep up all the great work that you do to always help out a fellow jew & continue to make the Rebbe proud.
Thanks Rabbi & (of course) Rebbetzin Wagner for giving the bochurim the opportunity to have the experience that they did, for a second yr in a row. Continued Hatzlocha in EVERYTHING that u do.
RT
The Wagners are true shaliachs of Hashem and are doing amazing work!
a touching story and a nice picture
A – you are an idiot
B- READ THE STORY – one of the Yeshiva boys that were helping run the program, tipsy from celebrating, stopped me and asked if he could give me a hug.
he wasnt some guy off the street – it was the bochur who arranged the hakofas and one of the atendees
Hi, Somebody sent me this link. Here’s the actual facebook message the student sent me after simchas torah. He was stopped and brought in by one of the bochurim with true Ahavas Yisroel at 2:30 am or so to say Good Yom Tov. No tipsiness involved. On that note though, a huge thank you for the wonderful hard work the bochurim did throughout sukkos and simchas torah, reaching out, shaking lulav, and meaningfully impacting hundreds and hundreds of students. Thank you Boruch Sholom Blesofsky, Mendy Friedman, Yitzchak Pevsner, and Mendel Turner! Im not sure if you remember me from last… Read more »
I think he’s a guy from Holland, it could really be because Yossi Waks came a few times to Holland, and together arranged things
GO RABBI DOV AND RUNYA WAGNER!!!!
U ROCK! =)
i heard this story straight from the bochurs mouth that went on mivtzoim at the shabbos bereashis farbrengen in yeshivah ohr elchonon chabad mesivta
couldn’t have said it better, love it!!
you must have serious issues!
reading your comment, i wonder if you are lubavitch,’
Great story! Mayben we should have a daily hashgacha protis story. G-d does miracle every day, we should share the good!
Excellent point – that is precisely what the rebbe wanted on Simchas Torah – not to be drunk, out of control, but to take a l’chaim – and efsher saving another yid. A L’chaim is meant to elevate, be joyous, etc. Case in point.
You people out there need help.
Obviously, this picture is for illustrative (if you know what that means) purposes only as it took place on Yom Tov. Also, the person in the picture was no where near USC.
Lastly, get a life! Some boys go and do a good thing in true fashion of Ahavas Yisroel, vi amaleger Chassidim, and right away knock them. You are probably the same one’s that run our Yeshiva system that stinks.
yossi the good old days the early morning sichos learning and a bisel lchaim!
do you have any understandig about chsidim at all? do yourself a favor and start being informed versus ignorant, generations of chsidim survived the most harshest of erra’s thanks to their uncoditional love for each other, and for you its so hard to figure out how a bochur on simchas torah after saying some l’chayim (NICHNAS YAYIN YOTSO SOD) GENTLY ASKS ANOTHER YID IF HE COULD GIVE HIM A HUG, AND AFTER THAT YID WILLINGLY AGREES, HE HUGS HIM OUT OF AHAVAS YISROEL THAT WAS INGRAINED IN US FOR GENERATIONS, AND FOR YOU #4 ITS STILL COMPLICATED TO UNDERSTAND….. AS… Read more »
Why is a bochur tipsy, and then saved from being hit by a drunk driver?
A little pinimius please.
no one said he’s randomly hugging ppl in the street – REREAD the story before commenting! He was a yeshiva bachur who had come to help run the program, he was outside when this guy left – seems like they may have met inside? keep your dumb remarks to yourself & start looking @ the positive things in life as just that – POSITIVE!!!!
The Wagners are phenomenal and so are the bochurim who work there.
its hash cochah pra`tis!!!!!!
hayungerman yossi waks meaustralia.
Dov Wagner rocks!!
Mazel Tov Runya!
how inspiring!! that’s a chossid!!
Its great to see you. miss the old days together over a bisl lechaim
i think that picture is a little much….
Beautiful Story
but it was nice to see yossi waks!
WOW! is all i can say…
hashem, see how much love ur children have for each other ! have pity on us and bring moshiach now !
A Yeshivah bochur who randomly hugs people in the street may have very serious isuues…
what a story!…its truly amazing!….who is that picture of though?
soooooo nice!!!!!!!!!!