Rabbi Uriel Sayyed recently shared a powerful and moving experience he had during a trip to Argentina, which was part of a Torah dedication ceremony in memory of Lt. Col. Yitzhak Ben Bashat and 13 Golani soldiers who heroically fell in battle.
During a layover in Madrid, Rabbi Sayyed was quietly eating in a corner of the airport when he was suddenly approached by a man named Juan Jose, one of the local airport staff, who asked for a blessing. The rabbi humbly tried to explain that he was not the proper address for blessings, but Juan Jose persisted. “I know that all blessings come into the world through the people of Israel,” he told him emphatically.
Juan went on to describe his sense of connection to the Jewish people. “Every time I see you defeating evil, I cheer like I’m in a football stadium and shout ‘Goal!’” he said. He also shared that his family holds a tradition of ancient Jewish roots, and that his great-great-grandmother had passed on a Hebrew-written book to his 19-year-old son. “He studies architecture and prays to find a non-Jew like himself who will love the Jewish people,” he added emotionally.
Before they parted ways, Juan made one personal request to Rabbi Sayyed: “Bless me that one day I, too, will merit to visit Jerusalem, the place where God’s eyes are always watching.”
Rabbi Sayyed concluded by quoting the prophet Isaiah: “I will bring them to My sacred mount and let them rejoice in My house of prayer ... For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” He then offered a heartfelt plea: “Master of the Universe, let it be known that You have beloved ones in Your world.”