In 1942, Ted Mogil, a U.S. Marine, was given a military-issued prayer book just before he was shipped out to the South Pacific. As the only Jew in his regiment, Ted grew especially attached to the prayer book as the only tangible tie to his Jewish heritage while he fought the Japanese in WWII. He kept the siddur in the left breast pocket of his shirt everywhere he went, but in 1948, Ted and his wife moved from Nebraska to California and somehow lost his siddur in the move. Ted was heartbroken. That siddur meant so much to him. It served as a great comfort, and a kind of protection for him, he felt, during the war.
Sixty-seven years later, a 12-year-old Jewish boy from Harlan, Iowa, by the name of Will Beach, was browsing through a used book sale in his local Reform temple when his eye caught this tiny orange book. He picked up the siddur and saw Ted Mogil’s name inscribed on the inside and a handwritten date — November 5, 1942.
Will called over his father and showed him the book. He paid $15 for the siddur using his own money he had made mowing lawns, and then went to work trying to find the owner. After finding 12 Ted Mogils on the Internet, Will eventually tracked him down and phoned Ted who was now 85 years old, and eventually returned the book to him.
By reuniting an old man with something precious from his youth, this 12-year-old boy fulfilled the very critical mitzvah of hashavat avediah, to return lost objects, found in last week’s parsha: You should not watch your brother’s ox or sheep straying and turn a blind eye. You should return them to your brother. (Devarim 22:1)
The simple reading of the biblical text expresses the Torah’s mitzvah to return someone else’s lost property. Indeed, most commentators understand this verse as referring solely to the responsibility of a Jew to return his or her fellow Jew’s lost property. However, the great 18th century Kabbalistic thinker, the Ohr Hachayim (Rabbi Chayim Ben Atar), writes that this verse also refers to the responsibility to return a fellow Jew who is lost to his or her rightful owner — namely to God Himself. This is why, continues the Ohr Hachayim, the Torah uses an ox and a sheep as examples of lost objects because it refers to the Jewish people who are compared to a holy flock — animals which are sacred and therefore fit for the altar like an ox or sheep. And so, if we were to read the verses according to the Ohr Hachayim, the Torah is telling the righteous among Israel: “Don’t see your brothers ox or sheep going astray”—don’t watch the Jewish people, God’s holy flock go astray “and hide yourself from them, rather, return them to your brother.” “Your brother” says the Ohr Hachayim, is a simile for God: “hashaiv teshivaym leachecha”— return them to Hashem. And the Torah repeats the word hashaiv —“return” because, addressing the righteous of Israel —“hasheiv” — if you will make the first move in encouraging the people to follow the Torah, then teshivaym—then the people will take the next step themselves and complete their journey back to God.
This mitzvah is not just for the righteous. We all need to be a part of this. The High Holidays are approaching. Thousands of Jews in New York, New Jersey and beyond will be searching for some kind of meaningful experience. Tell them about MJE or any of the other outreach programs, bring them to your shul or to a class, invite them to your home for a Shabbat meal. Help them find their special place in our community.
And now is the time. Since Oct 7 there’s been an uptick in interest in exploring one’s Judaism. The attack on Israel and the rise of antisemitism on campus has spurred a greater interest in being part of Jewish life. MJE’s events have had a 37 % increase in attendance since October 7. Young people are seeing the double standard. They are seeing their friends on the left remaining silent and in some cases supporting Hamas, and they’re feeling vulnerable and confused. They are asking questions and showing up for programs and we must be there to embrace them.
About a month after Israel was attacked, a 24-year-old young man came to see me. He said his only connection to Judaism was Yom Kippur services once a year and told me that his girlfriend, who isn’t Jewish, was critical of Israel after the Oct 7 attack and it really bothered him. He said to me: “I’m not sure why it bothered me so much; I’ve never been to Israel, and I have almost nothing to do with the Jewish community. I told him about our belief in the pintele Yid each of us possesses and that Oct 7 activated it. Either way, he broke up with his girlfriend and started getting more involved in Jewish life. We have a unique opportunity at this time!
The Ohr Hachayim continues to say that every Jew has a chelek of Torah which is “meureset lechol Yisrael” –—which is “betrothed” to every Jewish person. It is our responsibility to help our fellow Jew find their portion of Torah and to do the same for ourselves! Rav Kook wrote that you can tell what your unique portion of the Torah is by what area of Torah you are attracted to, and, therefore, one should pay attention to what interests them and focus on that part of theTorah.
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, let’s use this time of Elul, “when the King is in the field”— this time of spiritual closeness when Hashem is more accessible, to develop and deepen our own personal chelek of Torah, while at the same time reaching out to help our brothers and sisters find their special place in our community.
Shabbat shalom!
Rabbi Mark Wildes is the founder and director of the Manhattan Jewish Experience.
