42 Minutes To Create A Miracle

My soldier son was home for this past Shabbat. It was really nice to have him home and I was looking forward to lively Shabbat meals and shmoozing. 

On Friday at 3 p.m., he got a call to get back to base. He was in Jerusalem and called to tell us. He arranged for my husband to drive him and his friend back to base. The area he’s serving in was heating up and everyone had to get back asap.

I offered him food, which he was happy to take. 

For some “unknown reason”, my daughter had made a huge pot of kubbeh soup for the first time; she’d also baked extra challah and cinnamon buns, so we packed them up for him. 

I had an extra chicken and rice dish in the freezer, so I packed up what I had made that morning. We were getting organised and were pretty pleased with what we had to give him.

And then, slowly, more details came his way. 40+ guys were coming back to base, and there wasn’t enough cooked food to go around. 

I told him I would see what I could do. 

At 3.48 I sent this message out to 3 WhatsApp groups and put it on my status:

”Our son had just been called back to base. They all have to get back. There’s no cooked food on the base for the extra soldiers.

If anyone has spare food, they would really appreciate it. He’s leaving home at 4.30.
Address: x
Thank you”

There was barely any time, but I thought whatever we could send with him would be a help. 

What happened next was almost unbelievable.

My phone started ringing with questions and offers. My WhatsApps were going crazy and food started flowing into my house. Bags poured in. Each one with a smile and good wishes. Some sent with children with a note of love and thanks to our chayalim (soldiers). Someone from my shul did 2 trips as she picked up food from a few places. Someone called and told me she was calling all the local delis and so far there was no answer. Then a friend’s son called; this neighbor had found kugels at a chasidish deli in a nearby neighborhood and they were on their way to pick them up and wanted to let us know.

My son stopped at a bakery where his friend works, and they loaded whatever food they had leftover into the car. He got home, raced to pack his bag, get into uniform, and get on the road.

At that point, I had to tell people to stop – the car was going to be packed!

So I sent out this message at 4.20:

“BH. Thank you for the super speedy response.  They’re sorted!”

The food continued to arrive. My son and his friend stood by the car gratefully and bashfully accepting the bags and trays of food. We were all in shock.

The car was completely packed. My friend pulled up and her son loaded huge kugels onto the soldier in the back as there was nowhere else to put them.

With a kiss and blessing, they were off at 4.30. 

What a whirlwind.

42 minutes had passed from when I sent out the message to when they had driven away with a car packed to the brim with food.

And then the messages came in – and the stories unfolded:
How someone had decided to start cooking for Rosh Hashanah for a whole lot of reasons. So the afternoon before, which was Tisha B’Av, she had cooked 7 trays of chicken. She’d thought they were for the chagim, but now knew the chicken was actually meant for these soldiers.

Another woman said she never makes so much rice and didn’t really understand why she had done that – but now it was clear.

The givers thanked me for the opportunity to do something to show their appreciation to the soldiers for all their dedication and hard work.

And then messages of regret came in. People had just seen the request and were sorry to have missed the opportunity.

When they got to base, 10 soldiers unpacked the car. My son told me they were so appreciative.

My husband got there and back without any traffic, in good time before Shabbat, which itself felt like a miracle.

This is who we really are.
People who create a gastronomic miracle in 42 minutes for soldiers they’ve never met and already love.
We’re a people who take action and thank the recipient for the privilege.
We care about each other’s children as our own.

מי כעמך ישראל – There’s nobody quite like the Jewish people.

Let’s go out of our way to remember who we really are.
I’m beyond blessed that this is home and this is our family.