Rabotai (gentlemen), I just got off the phone with Rabbi Chaim Zaid from Israel, who told me a tremendous story to advertise. I literally just spoke to him on the phone to verify the story 100%.
Last week, a girl who is a student of Rabbi Chaim Zaid called him and told him that she had 6,000 shekalim (shekels) saved in her savings account—6,000 shekel, not dollars. But she wants to donate it to go buy a pair of tzitzit (ritual fringes) for the soldiers who want to put on a pair of tzitzit now that they're going into war.
The rabbi told her, “Are you sure? If that's all you have in your savings account, 6,000 shekel, save it for yourself and give a little less.” But she insisted—this girl insisted—“I want to give all my money in the savings account that I saved, all 6,000 shekel, to the soldiers in Israel to put on tzitzit.”
The rabbi said, “No problem.” He took the donation, and then he went and bought boxes and boxes of pairs of tzitzit. But then he had to go to the south because the soldiers are in the south in the war zone, which is very dangerous. So Rabbi Chaim Zaid had to call a few friends of politicians who could hook him up with a safe driver to drive him to the south, right near Gaza, where the soldiers are standing as we speak.
Rabbi Chaim Zaid drove down there on Monday. I spoke to him on the phone today. He told me he drove down there on Monday. He went to the south, and as he was driving down the main highway to the darom (south), he saw tons of cops, tons of lights, and helicopters. So he had to pull over. As he pulled over, he noticed that he couldn't go farther. The mishtara (police) said he could not go any farther. It was very dangerous down there.
So Rabbi Chaim Zaid went to the back of the car and took out a pair of tzitzit. He started giving them to the shotrim (cops) and chayalim (soldiers), wherever he saw them, in all directions. There was one soldier who raised his hand, but he was behind the barricade. He was behind this thing that was trying to block him from moving farther down the road, a concrete barricade. He said, “I also want a pair of tzitzit.” Rabbi Chaim Zaid grabbed a pair of tzitzit and chucked it across. As the tzitzit was flying in the air, it fell on the floor. While it fell on the floor, right under, there was a mechabel, there was a terrorist, that was hiding under a certain hiding spot where that tzitzit exactly fell. And the Arab got scared; he thought it was something. So he got out of his hiding spot, not realizing that there was a soldier right there. Boom, they killed him on the spot.
Rabotai, I spoke to Rabbi Chaim Zaid. I asked him if it was a true story. He told me 100% that it happened to him this Monday. As he was going, he threw a pair of tzitzit. It landed on the floor. A terrorist didn't realize what it was. He got up. He got scared out of something. He got confused. Boom, he was killed on the spot.
Who knows how many Jewish soldiers and cops were saved for that one pair of tzitzit? But the lesson over here is even greater. Klal Yisrael, right now, is going through an unbelievable campaign of more Torah u'mitzvot (Torah and commandments). Every mitzvah (commandment) that you do makes a tremendous difference in the world. Do not hesitate. Do not doubt how much power and koach and strength you have. To learn more Torah for the soldiers. To do more mitzvot for the hostages. More Tehillim. More Shabbat. More candles Friday night. More putting on tefillin (phylacteries). More chasadim (acts of kindness). Everything you do makes 100% of a difference to the world. Don't stop. Keep on going. Be'ezrat Hashem (with God's help), we'll have a tremendous yeshuah (salvation). And all the Jews across the world will be 100% healthy.