Meaningful Moments in Maine - Part 2

And here is where the real story begins (for Part 1, scroll down below):

"A----S-----" was his Hebrew name and, after our initial *surprise/chance meeting at Hannaford, and exchange of contact information, the correspondence continued through email.  He invited us to visit his home. He lived in a small town, with few, if any Jews (as mentioned previously), and was delighted to make the acquaintance of a Rabbi and his family. 

So we made it a part of our trip. Instead of the straight three and a half hour journey back to our home in Natick, we took a slight southeasterly turn off the main road into the woods. And again we turned...and turned...until deep in the forests of Maine. "Don't listen to the GPS' instructions," he told us, "follow xyz until you reach a dirt road. We're at the end of it."

(*To us, this was not simply a detour. We believe everything in the world happens by Divine plan and call this concept "Hashgocha Protis." Our encounter was not just chance, but an opportunity - a moment that would bring people together for a purpose. [Click here for more info on the topic of Hashgocha Protis.])

After thumping and bumping down the long unpaved narrow road, surrounded by thick forestry, for about a mile we arrived at their homestead – which includes their house and many acres of natural land. Living out here in the sticks, A----S-----, who we will call Steve, did not have readily available opportunities to learn about and connect with his heritage. Clearly, this was what he was seeking.  With the reverence of a Jew who loves Judaism (but had not had the opportunity to express it), he showed us a mezuzah that he had purchased some time ago – hoping we could guide him in putting it up the correct way.  The Rabbi asked Steve if he could check his mezuzah and see if it's "kosher" (prepared according to Jewish law). "It's like a security system for the home."  While the Mezuzah case was a beautiful work of art, unfortunately, the "scroll' turned out to be a photo-copied paper - not the authentic parchment prepared by a scribe.  Rabbi connected him with a trustworthy scribe (Zalman from esofer.com) so that he could order the scroll and also sent him a link afterwards for a mezuzah app that guides with affixing mezuzah properly.

During the original encounter in the Hannaford parking lot, my husband had asked Steve if he had ever put on Tefillin. Steve answered that the last time he did (and probably the only time) was the Thursday before his Bar Mitzvah. So finally, after all those years, Steve got to put on Tefillin again.  

Steve had mentioned in the email correspondences before we came, that there was another member of “tribe” of “Jewish in the Woods” who was excited to meet us and would like to be at his home when we came. So our other new friend, who we will call Larry, arrived.

After the Rabbi helped Steve with the Tefillin, it was Larry's turn. Larry, an elderly man, had actually reconnected in the last few years with his religion. Some time ago, he began learning through JNET (a one-on-one on the phone/online learning partnership which we highly recommend) with Rabbi K. from Brooklyn, NY.  Thus, together with Rabbi Fogelman, the two men put on Tefillin.  Both were excited and inspired by doing this important mitzvah.

We had a nice time at their house. Our kids played near the pond, zoomed around in their ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle), and ran around the extensive grounds. We also truly enjoyed meeting with Steve, his wife, and Larry.

These may have been "Jews of the Woods" (as they call themselves, see Part 1), but a Jew, no matter where he/she may be, is always connected to a global family. As "Chassidim" (see Part 1) we had the honor and privilege, through the Hashgocha Protis of meeting Steve, to perform mitzvot together in the backwoods of Maine. What a great and meaningful vacation!

POSTSCRIPT: Once back at home, we contacted Rabbi Wilansky in Portland, ME about the "Jews of the Woods" to share these encounters. It turns out that he had once brought a "Sukkah mobile" to that group and was interested in reconnecting.