by Rabbi Yisrael Rutman

The whole world watched and was inspired by the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners trapped deep underground since August. The courage and undying hope of the miners and their families, the unprecedented generosity of the Chilean government which spent millions on the rescue, and the technological triumph that brought each one of them safely back to the surface, will not soon be forgotten.

Everyone declared themselves inspired, from hard-bitten journalists to President Barak Obama, a ranking authority on the ways and means of inspiration. Invitations to honor the rescued miners have poured in from all over, including the Manchester United and Madrid Real clubs (one of the miners was a soccer star).

Even the State of Israel, as represented by its Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, was inspired. I know, because Misezhnikov made Israel’s inspiredness official by inviting the miners and their families to spend Christmas in Israel.

I would have no trouble understanding it if President Obama had extended such an invitation. No doubt the miners would have been delighted to receive a free, all-expenses-paid vacation in Washington, DC. I would certainly feel that way, and I haven’t been trapped underground for a single day.

But what gives with Misezhnikov?

What is the connection, exactly, between the Jewish state and these guys in Chile? It would not surprise me if not one of them had ever heard of Misezhnikov. Most Israelis probably haven’t. As for Israel, given the country’s treatment in the media as the source of all evil, it is hardly the world’s leading tourist destination.

Actually, the answer is clear to anyone who read Misezhnikov’s invitation, which beckoned them with promises of free visits to the holy sites of Christianity, of which there are more than a few in Israel, and which attract more than a few Christian pilgrims every year. With all due respect to the Lincoln Memorial and prayer breakfasts at the White House, this is something even Barak Obama cannot compete with.

But if Misezhnikov’s invitation is a tourist promotion, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an authentic Jewish connection too. When they emerged from their underground burial into the spotlights of dozens of news organizations, many of the men were wearing T-shirts printed with Psalm 95:4: “In his hand are the depths of the Earth and the mountain peaks belong to Him.”

Of course, the miners are Catholics, and the preponderance of commentary about their faith in God throughout the ordeal was linked to that religious experience. Indeed, it was the best publicity the Church has had in a long time. But Psalms—better known in Jewish literature as Tehillim—is a part of the Hebrew Bible, otherwise known to non-Jews as the Old Testament. No doubt the miners also said many other prayers during their ordeal, but the Jewish prayers of Tehillim, which have for centuries been a faith possession of mankind in general, had its role in sustaining them until deliverance came.

And if the message of the miners is never to lose hope, even if you’re buried alive under 2,000 feet of rock, that God can save you no matter what, then it’s not hard to make the connection to the Jewish state, buried under a mountain of international condemnation and threats to wipe it off the map (not to mention the repeated attempts to actually do so since 1948). Yet, we never lose hope that eventually there will be peace.

I don’t know how often the Chilean miners recited Tehillim 95; but I can tell you how often I do: at least once a week. That’s because it is the first of the six Tehillim sung at the start of Kabbalat Shabbat, the welcoming of the Sabbath in the synagogue every Friday at sunset. “The common theme of these Tehillim (95-99 and 29) is that God is Master of the universe. Indeed, Shabbat is the testimony that He created heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh (Shabbat means rest). In this light many commentators teach that the six Tehillim allude to the six weekdays, which we elevate by dedicating them to the service of God and by preparing for the Shabbat day of spiritual elevation.” (Siddur Ahavas Shalom, The Complete Artscroll Siddur)

This brings to mind another true story of faith, one that is also connected to the days of Creation: “A man who was afflicted with a life-threatening lung condition went to Bnei Brak to see the great Torah sage of the last century, the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz. He told the Chazon Ish that the doctors gave him only four more days to live.

The Chazon Ish responded by asking him: “Perhaps you could tell me what God created on the first day?
“Heaven and earth,” the man replied.
“And what did He create on the second day?”
“The firmanent.”
“And the third day?”
“The oceans, the dry land and plant life.”
“And the fourth day?”
“The sun, the moon and the stars.”
“Nu,” said the Chazon Ish,” Is it possible that if God could create all that in four days that He cannot create a remedy for your illness in four days?”

And so it was. During the next four days, the permit was issued to import into Israel the very cure for the man’s illness. He obtained the medicine, took it, and recovered. (Noam Siach, Hamodia, P. 20, Chesvan 14, 5771)

So that is the connection between the miners of Chile and Jewish tradition: no matter how bleak things may seem, though you feel buried under a mountain of trouble, never give up. The God who created heaven and earth can create a way to save you too.

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