| Yair, a resident of Ramat Gan, who had suffered many upheavals in his life, tried many times to do complete teshuvah and become a frum Jew. However, inevitably he would lose momentum and return to his old ways. Eventually he completely separated himself from frumkeit. The kiruv workers who were in touch with him for many years almost gave up as well.
One day, this man came on his initiative to one of the kiruv activists and attested to his firm decision to become completely frum immediately. When the kiruv worker inquired what had happened, Yair told him that it all began that morning when he had passed the large garbage dump, Chiria, which had recently been undergoing a complete transformation. The garbage dump was being moved to the Negev, and the area was being transformed into one of the largest parks in the entire Middle East, the South Ayalon Park.
Yair explained, "As I passed by Chiria, I thought about this transformation, and suddenly I found myself thinking about the mountain of garbage which was still present in the area. I began to have doubts whether it was possible that a site which had become a symbol for refuse and filth could be transformed into a flowering garden. How could it be? These thoughts so affected me that I decided to enter the park and inquire how this transformation was taking place."
"I had siyata dishmaya, and immediately upon entering the park, I met someone who introduced himself as the spokesman. He explained the details of the plan, and gave me a tour of the site. I saw the tractors and other heavy machines which were already digging at the site, preparing the earth for the trees and flowers which would be planted there."
"As I left the site, I knew that I was on the right path. I understood that Hashem had brought me here, to the site of Chiria, to truly understand that such a dirty and filthy site, completely filled with garbage and refuse, can be transformed into a flowering park. If this is possible, then I, who was created in the tzelem Elokim, even if I had sinned greatly and corrupted myself, until I "reeked" of sin, am also capable of transforming myself and becoming one of the favored children of Hashem."
"This thought encompassed my entire being. I contemplated it from every angle. I told myself that the spokesman had told me that plots of land at the site will be sold for construction, for large sums of money, due to its transformation to a beautiful park. It turns out that a garbage dump, from which everyone had kept their distance, would now be worth a fortune. And I, the son of the King of Kings, can rise above myself, and understand that even if I sinned greatly, I still have hope to transform myself to a completely different person. These thoughts propelled me directly from the garbage dump of Chiria to the Beis Midrash. (Barchi Nafshi)
|
printable version
