Finding Spiritual Connection During Military Service

You need to read this moving post that was published on Sivan Rahav Meir's Facebook page. It tells the story of reservists from Nahal, and it's truly inspiring.

In fact, the tale is shared by Rabbi Zeevik Harel from the Ulpan where these reservists stayed for three months. "During the moving farewell ceremony, I shook hands with each and every one of them. Barak Fox from Tzur Hadassah, who, in regular times, is a programmer at the Israel Aerospace Industries, caught my attention. I often saw him sitting in the Beit Midrash, constantly studying the Tanakh, so out of curiosity, I asked him which book he was learning. He then surprised me by saying, 'I’ve been blessed to complete the entire Tanakh today.'

"To my amazement, he told me that when he went out for reserve duty, he was seeking something to fill him spiritually. He decided to study the Tanakh between various activities, using Rabbi Steinsaltz's commentary. He explained to me, 'I told myself this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finish the entire Tanakh, and the truth is, it really connected me to all generations, right up to our current reality. Our unit was constantly moving in and out of Gaza, securing the supply routes, and during breaks, I would sit and study. We didn't know when we’d be discharged, but the guys joked that when I finished the Tanakh, we’d be released. As I reached the book of Chronicles, we began to see the end, and the day I finished the entire Tanakh, we were packing up to head home.'"

Rabbi Harel, deeply moved by this story, received Fox's permission to share it with the public. Fox expressed gratitude to the kibbutz and the ulpan for their hospitality, and he described himself as someone not inclined to intensive study: "I have attention deficit disorder, and I’m not the type for daily learning. I want to say to all my brothers with attention issues: there are ways to study. Personally, I learn while listening with headphones, at hours that aren’t always traditional. One must acknowledge that there is an obstacle. It's not an excuse; it's something we need to recognize and live with, and it's all about how we overcome it."

Rabbi Harel concluded the post with gratitude: "Thank you, Barak. And as we say when completing a book of the Torah: Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazek."