Dear Friends,
One morning this week, my mobile phone rings, and i see it is a number from Singapore. What do I have with Singapore?
Then I remembered that we have friends living there. They are a wonderful family, who used to live here, and moved to Singapore a couple of months ago. So, I answer the phone, and indeed it is my friend whom I haven't spoken to in a long time. After the usual questions "how are you?", "how is the family?", "how is business?", I'm waiting to hear the 'tachles', the reason for the phone call... what can I help him with... This friend is a doctor and scientist who is definitely busy from morning to evening, I don’t want to take too much of his time, and get straight to the point.
My dear friend continues and says:"I'm happy to hear all is well, I just called to say hello."
We end the conversation and I think to myself.... eventhough, thank G-d, I am not a miner in Chile who was stuck 700 meters underground for 69 days, I live a normal life and I'm able to communicate normally with my surroundings, I can still say, this phone call from Singapore moved my heart. I started thinking, when was the last time I called someone whom I didn't speak with in a while, just to say 'hi'?
My dear friend in Singapore (who's name I won't mention here), I hope you are reading this blog, and this way I would like to tell you, you touched my heart. It is really a nice feeling to get such a unexpected call just to see how you are doing.
When was the last time we all made such a call? I wish to all of us, we should all have many of such phone calls 'just to say hi', and may we all have a wonderful and meaningful Shabbat.
Yours,
Rabbi Chaim