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When Life Stands Still
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
August 11, 2024, Israel
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. That was the name of a show, my parents had the album and recall seeing it often and hearing it when I was a child. Somehow the phrase stayed with me even though I have no idea what the play/album is about. But the idea...something funny happened on the way to the forum, you are on your way to one place, and, something funny happened, life, twists and turns, the unexpected. Something happened when you were on your way to do something else, and such is life.
So today I had to bring the car in for a repair demanded, commanded, directed by the manufacturer. Without this I would not be able to continue driving this car. And so reluctantly I braved the Jerusalem traffic and brought the car in. The car repair was just a few minutes from my old hunting grounds in the Romema neighborhood of Jerusalem, where I trained 3 times per week for a period of 18 years with Itay Gil. I know it well.
I did not realize that I would have to leave the car there and return later in the day. After a few attempts to find a way back home I made a decision. I saw that in the same complex there were a number of Yeshivot, Rabbinical Academies. While I was trying to figure out what to do, I went to take a look. I saw a rabbi and told him I was waiting for my car to be repaired; may I enter the study hall and study? "By all means!! Enter and study, he said, "Good luck, be successful (in your religious studies)."
Ah, the old familiar look, smell and feel, the Beth HaMidrash, the House of Study, the Eternal place of God! I am at home at once. I pick up a Sefer, a holy book, and begin to study. Soon I am interacting with other students. This academy is named for the late Sephardic chief rabbi, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing. The students I met where all of Moroccan descent.
A discussion began and soon enough I was teaching these young men a little lesson, about the Holy Scriptures, life, faith. Time stood still. I was back "home".
Earlier I was worried. I had expected the repairs to be quick and I had plans for the day. But then I learned to accept what happens. No rush, man plans and God laughs. Time is something we cannot control. The house of study, lined with books spanning centuries, millenium, this is what I call home. I was speaking with a young man from a Moroccan family. He mentioned a certain Polish Hasidic sect, Gur/Ger from Góra Kalwaria. I told him I was there, in Poland, at the original house of study, which still stands, but in derelict condition, no one having enter the House of Study since the Nazis emptied out all the Jews. He was amazed to see the photos, and the graves of the revered rabbis. To my amazement, he knew every name! I showed him photos taken at the Warsaw Jewish Cemetary, he recognized the names of all the great rabbis, even though they are all Eastern European Polish rabbis, and he is from a Moroccan family. When I mentioned Facebook, he had no idea what I was talking about. This is a young man immersed in his holy studies. Terms like the internet, Wi-Fi, etc... were somewhat foreign to him. I saw a sign near the building saying, Life is better without movies or internet. (Return to the old pure ways).
It was time to go, I thanked him for his time, and he said, on the contrary, it is you whom I must thank, you have strengthened me in my faith!
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. I spent the morning back in the old House of Study, and perhaps, years from now, this young man will repeat the story of the stranger he met by chance...
Holy Jewish books spanning thousands of years, used, and used again...
Hats and coats of Yeshiva students
Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.
Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz
What is the cultural background of Krav Maga? What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?
What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?
What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?
How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?
All that and more in this unique book.
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