He was just 21 years old and already an IDF Commander. His task was to train 12 IDF Soldiers to become commanders. And then the three teens were kidnapped last summer in Israel, on the same night that we inaugurated the new Chabad House in Palm Beach Gardens. Operation Shuvu Achim, ‘Retrieve our Brothers’, led the IDF into Gaza for a full-scale attack to mine out the terror tunnels used by Hamas terrorists.
Elad Horowitz was commander of the first battalion to enter Gaza last summer. As the troops entered a heavily fortified mosque to seize a known terror tunnel, they encountered gunfire. Elad ordered his troops to the ground before they could receive authorization to return fire. Out of the darkness, one of his boys called "Help me. I’m hit." Instinctively, Elad lifted his head in the direction of his distressed soldier, and that was the last thing he remembered.
Though he can’t recall the experience, he was talking the entire two hours it took to bring him into the trauma unit in Tel Hashomer, Israel’s largest hospital. A bullet had entered Elad’s head just behind his left ear and exited through his right eye.
Despite all prognoses, Elad survived the potentially mortal wound with "only" loss of hearing in his left ear, sight in his right eye, and his sense of smell.
This week, Elad flew in from Israel, accompanied by his mother, Ettiel, to attend our Trump International Chabad Golf Classic benefitting IDF Soldiers and ChabadPBG. It is hard to speak with Elad without feeling a sense of great pride for the courage of our soldiers mixed with a sense of surprise as to how such a sweet and soft-spoken young man could be a commander in such difficult circumstances.
Elad spoke at our Golf Dinner and broke the hearts of everyone, and our Shul successfully raised funds to fund multiple IDF Soldier’s College Scholarships.
As we lit the sparkling silver Menorah in front at the magnificent event, we proclaimed the Chanukah blessings, thanking Hashem for the "miracles he performed for our fathers in those days and in our times." Indeed, Elad is a living miracle in our times.
Interestingly, the weather forecast for the golf event showed an eighty percent chance of rain! Scores of guests were flying in from across the country to attend our highly anticipated annual event, and we simply couldn’t afford the inclement weather. On Sunday, we sent a letter to the Ohel, the Rebbe’s holy resting place requesting a blessing for a successful event and good weather. All around us it was raining from North Palm Beach to Boynton Beach. At Trump, the skies were overcast and the clouds ominous throughout the day, but play went on. To everyone’s utter shock and amazement, it was 5:08 PM, after the last golfer had entered the clubhouse, that the skies opened up in a heavy downpour. Slapping a self-proclaimed atheist on the back, I toasted "l’chaim", telling him, "After today’s weather, I don’t want to ever hear you question the existence of G-d."
Indeed, in today's Torah portion too, we find that it was bad weather that caused the descent of the Jewish people to Egypt and the unfolding of the birth of the Jewish Nation in Egyptian slavery. As sophisticated as we think we have become, we still have zero control over the weather, and for that we rely entirely on Hashem!
The Chanukah candles inspire us not only to remember the miracles that surrounded us years ago, but also to seek out those that surround us today as well. The only question is whether or not we have the vision to be able to recognize them?
So try this Chanukah meditation tonight as you light your seventh candle (before 510pm) and share it tonight at your Shabbos Dinner Table:
As we peer into the beautiful Chanukah Candles, we recall the oil that couldn't be extinguished for eight days like the burning bush that refused to be consumed. These are the eternal symbols of the Jewish people who have overcome both persecution and assimilation, refusing to be consumed neither by the nemesis who have sought our blood nor by the cultures that have desired our souls. Like the Chanukah Candles, we will continue to burn through the dark night against all odds. The People who should have burned out long ago, continue to blaze. Why?