Afik Sopir, Blind from Birth: "I Never Thought I Would Keep the Commandments"

"When I was ten," begins Afik Sopir's story, "during a search for a program that would interest me on TV, I came across the Hidabroot channel. I didn’t know its name at the time, nor did I understand the discussions there. One word was repeated that stuck with me - blessings, and something inside wanted me to continue listening. Slowly, I managed to focus and understand more; it was a lecture by Rabbi Zamir Cohen. After that, came a lecture by Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger, followed by several more, all of which I listened to that day."

Afik Sopir, 19, is blind from birth. He was born into a traditional family that held *Kiddush* on *Shabbat*, but not much more. Regarding his blindness, he says: "Despite being blind, my parents and surroundings always conveyed that I could do everything just like everyone else. Although I cannot see, and along the way, I faced many challenges regarding it, I learned that despite differences, I can succeed in whatever I want to do, maybe except driving."

"At some point," he continues, "I realized that blindness is a gift from Hashem. People who can see, see smiles through facial expressions, but I perceive them through tone of voice. They see sadness on faces, I hear it in the speech of the person in front of me. I sense when someone next to me is sad, happy, or needs someone to listen, and I love listening to people. For me, blindness doesn't pose a limitation because instead of seeing, I feel the people around me from within."

As a child, Afik was integrated into regular frameworks. "I had assistants in the class over the years, and I also have a special computer with a talking program and a Braille display. The display prints in Braille everything written on the computer, and that's how I read. The talking program can also read aloud what's written, but I prefer not to use it as much."

While in high school, Afik participated in several interesting projects. "For four years, I had a regular show on the local radio," he describes, "The program included music that I edited, and I used to talk about and raise awareness for individuals with special needs. Simultaneously, I mentored at *Wings of Krembo* - a youth movement integrating children with special needs along with those without. I had four trainees, each with their special need, and I mediated the world for them, taught them new things, and had a lot of fun with them. Last year," he continues, "I did my national service at the *Place for All* association, which advocates community integration for people with disabilities. I used to share my personal story as a blind person there to raise awareness of life and the needs of the blind in society."

The Encounter with Hidabroot

Since the day he was exposed to the Hidabroot channel, Afik began listening to lectures regularly. "I started listening to many Torah lessons, especially those by Rabbi Zamir Cohen. The calm way he speaks, as if he has all the time in the world for any question, amazed me. Besides, my beloved leisure companion always was the radio, in addition to family and friends. I loved listening to it, searching for new and interesting things. After discovering the Hidabroot channel, I also found religious radio stations and began listening to Torah lectures on them too."

Already at the age of ten, after listening to some lessons on the subject, Afik tried to observe *Shabbat*. "It was very hard for me," he describes, "I felt it was the right thing, but I didn't have books explaining what needed to be done, and I didn't exactly know what it was about. Over several years I tried repeatedly, but didn't know what to do with myself on that day, still not fully understanding why *Shabbat* should be kept." Nevertheless, he says, "When I didn't observe *Shabbat*, I missed it. Generally, once you taste Judaism, you cannot detach from it."

Several more years passed during which Afik listened to many Torah lessons, but still couldn't take the step. "I struggled to apply the things," he says, "but all the while, I continued listening to lessons. I also love the Hidabroot bulletin, which the organization sends to me weekly in Word format, before it's converted to pdf, so my software can decipher and translate it into Braille more easily. I also reached the *Mesila* library - a Torah library for the blind located in Bnei Brak, providing many Braille books related to Judaism. They have prayer books, festival collections, study and ethics books, basically everything. Through it, I enriched my knowledge."

About a year and a half ago, Afik decided that this time he'd start observing *Shabbat* fully and continually. "Even then, there were ups and downs," he describes. "I use technology a lot - mobile phone and computer, which are very significant for my communication. It took time to get over this hurdle and find a way to manage on *Shabbat* without them. Now I read *Tehillim* or other books on *Shabbat*, sometimes visit relatives, and thank Hashem, I manage to experience *Shabbat* pleasantly even without the computer and mobile. The difficulty in observing *Shabbat* was also because I felt connected in heart, but it took my intellect time to grasp it. What I know for sure is this is the path, and the realization is just a matter of time."

Afik concludes the interview with the feeling that accompanies him throughout his life: "For me, nothing stands in the way of will, no matter what I want to do. For instance, I didn't think I could be a mentor in a youth movement for students with special needs, yet I succeeded. I had to mediate many world concepts for them, and I learned how to do it in a way that touches and advances them. Also, when I wanted to host a radio show, I really managed to get there with my own program. And so, a few years ago, I didn't believe I could keep the commandments, and here I am today doing so. I've come a long way, and I aim and hope to continue drawing closer to Hashem and the path of Torah more and more."