The two T’mimim, Yitzchok and Ayal, went on mivtzaim to the main street of "Red" Chaifa. It looked as though it would be another routine Friday, but it didn’t work out that way at all. Since it was the Friday before Gimmel Tammuz, the bachurim decided to extend their route in order to reach even more Jews and put t’fillin on with them. That is how they learned the following fascinating story.

Yitzchok: I noticed a huge office building, and we decided to go in, even though it was almost Shabbos. As soon as we entered the first floor, I noticed an open dentist’s office. We walked in and saw the dentist sitting and talking on the phone.

Just one look at him made us nervous. Those who go on mivtzaim regularly know this type from a mile away. You could see the angry eyes and how he was getting ready to curse us out.

Well, what we were afraid of came to pass. As soon as he finished his phone conversation, he was full of questions for us, which he asked in an angry and even demeaning tone. We weren’t scared off, though. We’re used to reactions like this. I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost Shabbos. The man was only listening to himself. I motioned to my friend and we began to leave.

We were standing on the threshold, and suddenly Ayal turned toward the dentist and loudly responded in the same tone with which he had spoken to us. "Yehudi! You’ve been in this world for forty years now. You eat and sleep, but what’s with your neshama? You think you’re yelling at us, but you are really yelling at the Lubavitcher Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach, who has helped thousands of Jews do good deeds!" And he went on in this vein.

In my mind’s eye I could picture the dentist getting up and hitting us, but that’s not what happened. When he heard the Rebbe’s name, he trembled, his face fell, and he had an uncomfortable look in his eyes.

When my friend finished his "musar schmooze," the dentist said in surprise, "Oh, you’re from the Lubavitcher Rebbe!?" His voice was calm and quiet, and we wondered if it could really be the same man we had just been talking to! "Sit down," he said. "You probably think I don’t know your Rebbe. Listen, and I’ll tell you who the Lubavitcher Rebbe is."

The anger in our hearts just a few minutes before changed to curiosity. We sat down and the dentist began his tale.

***

"I grew up in Vienna, and my sole connection with Judaism was through the Zionist youth movement in our city. After I finished school, I moved here and was drafted. During the Six-Day War I served as a combat officer on the front.

"In the course of my work as a dentist, I got to know a religious girl from Boro Park who was visiting here. We stayed in touch even after she returned home. At some point I returned to Vienna.

"A few months went by and with her agreement, I decided to go to New York in order to meet her and ask her parents to allow us to marry. I visited her home. Her parents were gracious, but when I left the house, the father came out with me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and said I must break up with his daughter. ‘You don’t deserve to be my son-in-law,’ he declared.

"I wondered what was wrong with me. I was a dentist, an officer, an Israeli, tall and good-looking, making nice money - in short, I had it all. ‘He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on,’ I thought sadly. ‘Other people would be proud to have a son-in-law like me. Not only that, but if I married his daughter, she would get me to become religious.’

"I was still thinking this over when my cousin, Yaakov, with whom I was staying in America, appeared. He saw I was upset and asked what was wrong. I told him what had just happened and he said, ‘Listen, not far from here lives a great Rabbi who everybody talks about. Maybe you should visit him and he can explain what happened, or maybe he would even agree to convince the father...’

"A few weeks later I had a yechidus with the Rebbe. The Rebbe took a great interest in hearing about my life, and I told him at length about the area where I grew up, about the Jewish community, about my army service, and then finally, the reason I was there. I told the Rebbe about our desire to marry and how the father had vetoed the idea.

"When I finished my story, the Rebbe told me to get up. I got up in surprise, and the Rebbe looked me over in satisfaction and said, ‘I’m pleased. Until now I was pleased. Now I’m even more pleased.’

"I had no idea what the Rebbe was talking about, and waited for him to continue. The Rebbe began to explain to me that in the Jewish America of today there was unprecedented assimilation and intermarriage. People practically gave no thought as to the nationality of their future spouse. Now, said the Rebbe, if somebody were to tell me that an observant Jew took a dentist, who was also an officer and a nice-looking fellow, despite the fact that he was not observant, for a son-in-law, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. But when you tell me that here, in America, there are Jews who consider the Torah more important than the honor they would get when people heard they got ‘a bachur fun Eretz Yisroel,’ I am very pleased.

"‘That’s why I asked you to stand up - so I could see how tall you are and how well-built. To believe that a Jew from Boro Park gave you up despite all your good qualities - just because he wants an observant man for his daughter!’

"I was in shock. I had come to tell the Rebbe my sorry tale, and the Rebbe was telling me he was happy about it! Despite what the Rebbe had said thus far, I kept trying. ‘Rebbe! Who knows - maybe if I marry her, I would try to live more like she does, and I would be chozer b’t’shuva. Why shouldn’t I get a chance?’

"The Rebbe answered with a mashal. There are two friends - one on the top of a mountain where there are plenty of delicious fruits, and one on the bottom of the mountain without fruits. The one on top throws a few fruits down to the one on the bottom, and when he tastes them he sees how good they are. With his friend’s help, he makes it to the top of the mountain. But this happened because the one on the bottom tasted the fruits and saw how good they were. If he wouldn’t have tasted them, there would have been no way he would want to make the attempt to climb to the summit.

"The Rebbe looked at me with a penetrating gaze and said, ‘You’re not even willing to lift 200 grams, and you want to be a Boro Parker?’

"I tried to rack my brains to figure out what the Rebbe was referring to when he said ‘you won’t even lift 200 grams,’ but came up with nothing. Had I tried to lift something weighing 200 grams and not succeeded?

"With that, the yechidus ended, and I left in confusion and disappointment. My cousin, Yaakov, was waiting outside, and I told him what the Rebbe said. I told him I had no idea what the Rebbe was referring to when he said I couldn’t even lift 200 grams.

"Yaakov thought it over for a few seconds and then jumped up. ‘Tell me, do you put on t’fillin every morning?’

"‘No, I don’t. I haven’t even given it a thought.’

"‘Nu!’ Yaakov shouted, ‘that’s what the Rebbe meant! You’re not even willing to put 200 grams of t’fillin on you, so what makes you think you’ll change your lifestyle and fulfill all 613 mitzvos simply because you’re marrying someone? First begin doing mitzvos on your own, and do basic things like putting on t’fillin, and then with her help or the help of a good friend, you can progress to a life of Torah and mitzvos!’

"This time it was my turn to get excited: ‘What a Rebbe! How wise he is!’

"Some time later, I married a religious girl and baruch Hashem, we have three children, all yeshiva graduates. The first is named Menachem, like the Rebbe, of course. My daughter leads a religious life, and even though I still have a lot to work on personally, whatever I do have is in the z’chus of that yechidus."

* * *

"We sat and listened to his story," concluded Yitzchok, "and when he finished I asked him, ‘Nu, after a story like that about 200 grams, are you still not ready to put on t’fillin?’