Extraordinary & Moving Hachnasat Sefer Torah



I had the privilege of attending an extraordinary, dramatic, moving, beautiful and inspiring event on Thursday night.

The main elements of the evening were:

  1. Hachnasat Sefer Torah
  2. Generously donated for a refuah sheleima (speedy return to health) of  Amitai Moses
  3. At the new yishuv of “Neta” in the Lachish area
  4. After seven years of wandering, permanent re-housing for Gush Katif expellees
  5. Amitai’s spectacular arrival in a private helicopter.

Hachnasat Sefer Torah -  Inaugurating a new sefer torah is always joyous and moving. I was particularly thrilled to be able to write a letter in the last sentence of the torah – a rare mitzvah-opportunity.



Refuah Sheleima – Amitai (“Amitai Yakov ben Bracha”) is a young cancer patient, fighting to overcome leukemia. The Moses family are neighbors and close friends in Ramat Beit Shemesh.

The sefer torah was generously donated by Marvin & Malka Schick from NY.

Watching Amitai write the last letter in the sefer torah, and carry the sefer, dancing, was powerful and moving. Dov Moses, Amitai’s father, spoke inspiringly.


“Neta” is a hilltop in the Eastern Lachish region – about 40 minutes South from Beit Shemesh, half an hour drive from Kireat Gat and from Beersheva.

I was particularly impressed by the large tracts of uninhabited & fertile land around there, and that many of the Gush Katif expellees are rebuilding their lives in the Lachish region.  About half of the sixty families who will soon be moving into Neta, are from various destroyed towns and villages in Gush Katif. The head of the yishuv invoked the dream that this sefer torah will accompany these families back to Gush Katif, bimheira, beyameinu.



Amitai himself was flown by a volunteer in a private helicopter from Hadassah hospital (including flying over Amitai’s house in RBS, see photo above) to Neta.

It was an amazing occasion, and I do not recall such a moving and inspiring event.

Our tears flowed freely - there was not a dry eye there.

Bezrat Hashem, the many zchuyot from the event should result in a speedy return to full health for Amitai – and a yishuv tov for the heroic pioneering families of Neta.

Please include Amitai Yakov ben Bracha in your prayers/tefillot.

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