Weekly Chasidic Story #967(s5776-39 / 2 Sivan
5776).
From the desk of Yerachmiel Tilles editor@ascentofsafed.com
A Scroll and a Menorah for Adelaide
"The Qantas Airline pilot looked at me, looked at the precious Torah in
my hands, and gave me a big grin."
Connection: Seasonal - Shavuot, the giving of the Torah
A Scroll and a Menorah for Adelaide
It was the night before Rosh Hashana. My teenage son Mendel [Gordon] was excited
but a bit apprehensive. He was scheduled to fly from Melbourne to Adelaide (capital
of the province South Australia), a one-hour flight, to help Rabbi Yossi Engel
for the High Holidays. This was the first time he would be going to Adelaide,
and he was asked to bring a Torah scroll.
"Ma," he asked, "what if the airline gives me trouble about taking
the Torah on the plane? I've heard that they've become very strict lately. I
don't want to have to send it with the luggage."
I tried to reassure him. I reminded him of the time his father had taken a Torah
scroll to Tasmania, and how the non-Jewish man sitting next to him on the plane
was so excited to see the Torah that he offered to drive him wherever he wished
to go upon landing.
"But that was years ago, before all these security regulations. I've been
told that the airline might give me a hard time."
There wasn't much I could answer, so I wished him success and reminded him that
he was acting as the emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and that he had the Rebbe's
blessings.
The next afternoon, in the midst of a flurry of preparations for Rosh Hashana,
Mendel called to tell me how things had gone.
"You won't believe what happened. As I walked through the airport, people
came over to kiss the Torah and wish me a 'Shana Tova' (a good year).
When I got to the gate, however, the Qantas airline employee asked if I was
planning on carrying that large item into the cabin. She wanted it to go underneath
with the luggage. I explained that this is a very holy object, and I must carry
it on board with me. She said that she's not sure if this could be allowed.
"I waited to see what would happen, knowing I had tried my best and the
rest was in G-d's Hands. A few minutes later she called me over. 'Go down the
corridor and through that door. Someone wants to talk to you.' A man in a pilot's
uniform was waiting for me. I wondered what would happen next. The pilot looked
at me, looked at the precious Torah in my hands, and gave me a big grin. 'Shana
Tova! he said, 'I'm Mordechai. Shall we put the Torah in the cockpit next
to my tefilin?'"
It turned out that Mordechai, a.k.a. Captain Mark DiVeroli, probably the only
commercial pilot in Australia who flies with his talit and tefilin
next to him, just "happened" to be flying the plane my son was taking.
Even though Mordechai offered to keep the Torah in the cockpit, Mendel preferred
to hold it for the duration of the flight or keep it next to him. Mordechai
agreed, and arranged for Mendel to have a spare seat next to him for the Torah.
After landing, the pilot told Mendel that he'd be back in Melbourne in time
for Rosh Hashana, and that he would be at the shul of Rabbi Motty Liberow,
the Chabad Rabbi of "Hamerkaz Shelanu Community."
Mordechai also told him that he usually stays in the cockpit before the flight,
and for some reason this time decided to walk over to the galley, where he heard
the cabin crew talking about the Jewish boy who wanted to bring a large holy
object onto the plane. "If I had stayed up front as I usually do, I would
not have known about it," he said, "and I could not have helped."
"Well," I thought to myself, "G-d has a way of sending us little
love notes to let us know that He is always with us. I must share this story
of my son."
As soon as we finished speaking, I called the rabbi's wife in Melbourne, Dini
Liberow, and told her what had happened. Imagine the pilot's surprise when Rabbi
Liberow told the story to his congregation that Rosh Hashana, and then pointed
to Mordechai, sitting among them, as the hero of the story.
After Mendel came back to Melbourne, he kept in touch with Mordechai the pilot.
Before Chanuka, he called him to ask if he wanted a menora sign for his
car. Mordechai was happy to comply. "I was actually involved many years
ago in the Rebbe's menora campaign," he said. "I used to live
in Adelaide, working for a small airline company. I had always dreamed of getting
a job with a large commercial airline like Qantas, but I never managed to get
an interview.
"One year, about 20 years ago, a yeshiva student came to Adelaide
to put up a public menora. The student needed someone to help him out,
and as I always had my day off on Wednesdays, I was happy to volunteer. I didn't
know much about Chabad or the Rebbe, but it sounded like a nice idea for a place
like Adelaide. I mentioned to my boss that I was planning to help put up a public
menora on Wednesday, my day off. 'Don't count on it,' he said, 'I want you to
come in to work this Wednesday.'
"'But I made a commitment, because I always have Wednesdays off!' I pleaded.
"'If you don't come in on Wednesday, then don't come in on Thursday, either,'
he said.
"I helped the student install the menora on Wednesday, and went
to work on Thursday. 'What? You're here? I told you not to come in if you miss
Wednesday.' And I was fired.
"I wasn't very happy about losing my job, but wanting to make the best
of it, I called the student, and offered to help out some more, as now I had
plenty of time on my hands. The student really felt bad about my situation,
and immediately asked me for my full Hebrew name and my mother's name. He sent
a fax to the Rebbe's office asking for a blessing for a job for me. A little
while later he told me, 'Don't worry, you've got a blessing from the Rebbe;
it will all work out."
Shortly afterwards, I received a totally unexpected phone call. Qantas airlines
wanted me to come in for a job interview. Thanks to the Rebbe's blessing, I
landed the job that I had always wanted!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Lightly edited and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from an
article by Mina Gordon in N'Shei Chabad Newsletter, and reprinted
with permission by L'ChaimWeekly (#1054--5768/2007)
Editor's note: If Mordechai/Mark the pilot is the Mordechai/Mark the
pilot I know (how many can there be!), we prepared and hosted a Saturday night
Sheva Brachos (post-wedding celebration) meal for him 17 +- years ago.
YT
Connection:Seasonal -- Shavuot, festival of "giving of the Torah"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yerachmiel
Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor
of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories
to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells
them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.
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