An Outpouring in the Wilderness

Although we are meeting precious Jewish souls on a daily basis, there are those who stand out; whose stories beg to be told.

Meet Yoram, an Israeli who has lived in Ireland for some twenty-six years and established himself as a prominent Celtic artist.

Walking into his studio in the humble town of Castleblaney one is greeted with a vast array of quite non-Jewish looking sculptures. "Lo taaseh l'chah pesel—You shall not make yourself a carved image!" he said with a grin as he welcomed us in, quoting one of the Ten Commandments. "I know about that. But I know very well who I am; I'm not worried about them," he said, pointing to the artifacts. Among them we noticed a plaque on which was inscribed a Hebrew prayer for prosperity.

Unfortunately for Yoram, business has slowed in recent times. Although he has been visited by shluchim in the past, the current lull in activity allowed us the luxury of a far reaching conversation.

Yoram shared his fascinating background with us, including how he landed in Ireland (by marrying an Irish woman he met on a kibbutz in Israel) and his rise to fame in the Irish art community. Understandably not all locals took his intrusion into their own area of expertise very well. Nevertheless, with his talented hands and ambition he has found much success.

In the middle of our conversation, as if on cue, Yoram's father called from Israel. "Shalom Abba!" he answered the phone. "I have two rabbis here who have come to visit me, and we're going to put on tefillin together!" His father, an active member of a Jerusalem synagogue, sounded very pleased, his nachas palpable over the speakerphone.

When it came time for Yoram to put on tefillin he proudly procured his own beautifully-made pair, given to him by his father. However, as we proceeded to remove their plastic coverings, Yoram appeared shocked. "Why are you taking those off?" he asked. When we explained that wearing tefillin with their covers is in fact halachically questionable, he informed us that he had mistakenly done so for a three month period last year, during which he experienced terrible luck in business. Now enlightened, he proceeded to don them with enthusiasm.

While reading the third paragraph of the Shema, Yoram's voice began to change noticeably. Then, quite suddenly, as he said the words, "V'lo sasuru acharei l'vavchem," the floodgates opened and he sobbed, while I in turn shifted my gaze to the floor and did not much else. After several moments he recomposed himself and concluded, thanking us for our understanding.

He then invited us to take some photos with him, but only in the next room, "away from the forbidden images."

A short while after our visit, I found the following email in my inbox:

שלום לכם יהודים יקרים,

רבנים אשר ודויד !!

תודה לכם מקרב לב על הביקור שלכם. עשיתם מצווה גדולה לשבת איתי. מאוד התרגשתי להרגיש כל כך טוב ליד אנשים יהודים כמוני. פתאום הרגשתי כמה זה חשוב שיש אנשים יהודים שאכפת להם ממני. אני כבר 26 שנים באירלנד ואף פעם לא הרגשתי כל כך קרוב ליהדות. ( מי אני,מה אני ). ירדו לי דמעות מרוב התרגשות, אני מקווה שלא נורא והשם סולח לי!?

בעת הנחת תפילין הרגשתי שהשמים נפתחים והשם שומע אותי ואת תפילתי. נראה שעשיתם מצווה גדולה באותו יום ואני מקווה שהשם יגמול לכם על כך.

אני חוזר ומניח תפילין כל בוקר וזה מעלה את רוחי . אני פתאום מרגיש שאני יהודי ואני שמח בחלקי.

פשוט הצלתם נשמה יהודית וזה דבר כל כך חשוב וטוב. לא אשכח זאת לעולם [...] תודה מקרב לב,

שלום על ישראל.

בשנה הבאה בירושליים !

יורם [...] והמשפחה

Translation:

Hello to you, precious Jews,
Rabbis Osher and Dovid!!
Thank you very much for your visit. You have done a great mitzvah sitting with me; I was very excited to sit with Jews like myself. I suddenly realized how important it is that there are Jews who care about me. I’m in Ireland 26 years now and never felt so close to Judaism. I cried due to the strong emotions. I hope that's okay and that G‑d forgives me!
When I put the Tefillin on I felt as if the heavens had opened and that G‑d was listening to me and my prayers. It appears you did a big mitzvah on that day and I hope that G‑d rewards you for it.
I put on Tefillin again each morning, and it uplifts me. I suddenly feel Jewish and I am happy with my lot.
You literally saved a Jewish soul, which is such a good, important thing. I will never forget it.
Thank you from the depths of my heart.
Peace be upon Israel.
Next year in Jerusalem!

Yoram [...] and family

These are precious words, written by a precious soul in the Irish wilderness. How profoundly inspiring it is to witness such an outpouring.