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Man approaches operator of tefillin stand operator at Western Wall in Jerusalem and shows him a picture of the two of them. “This is from 11 years ago when I was last here. I want to thank you.”
By Ben Rappaport, United with Israel
“You never know how much you can change someone’s life if you try.”
That was the conclusion of Gutman Locks, who on Sunday shared on Facebook the story of a man who recently approached him at a tefillin stand he mans near the Western Wall (Kotel) in the Old City of Jerusalem.
“His name is Gabriel. He came up to me at the tefillin stand showing me a picture of us.
“He said, ‘This is from 11 years ago when I was last here. I want to thank you. In those days I was into yoga, and things like that, and I was sitting by the Kotel in a meditation session.’
“‘You came up to me and put tefillin on me, and you told me three things. ‘Don’t do Hindu practices, G-d is all, and marry a Jewish girl.’
“’My life changed. I stopped yoga and the other things I was doing, and I remembered what you said about having to marry a Jewish girl.’”
Locks continued, “He happily showed me a picture of his Jewish wife and their young daughter. He said that he moved from Brazil to Portugal and now he is the president of the Jewish community in his city!”
“He went from being a meditating yogi to being a Jewish leader in his community because he listened to those few things I told him.
“You never know how much you can change someone’s life if you try. Where would he have ended up had I not taken those few minutes to try to help him?
“How many people do you meet who need your help? First you have to care, then you have to try, then you will learn how to do it,” Locks added.
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