Aliya Spends Purim in the Hospital

by Rabbi Moshe Feiglin

It was a Purim to remember for Aliya members who rode around town in a stretch limousine. The spirit was jovial, the music loud and everyone was enjoying delivering Mishlaoch Manos to friends and supporters.

Everything was going great when I received an urgent phone call from long time Aliya member and dear friend Chaim Botnik. “We need someone to go lain megillah for an Aliya member stuck in NYU Hospital for Purim. Do you know anyone?” he asked frantically. We didn’t just need a baal koreh, we needed a megillah too, and there was just a couple hours left to Purim.

“We need someone to lain Megillah in Manhattan right now!” I announced to the rowdy limousine crew. Mordy Spielman, who had his head out of the window cheering up locals at the time, immediately stuck his head back inside and said, “Sure! I’ll go.”

“You sure?” I asked. Was he really ready to leave all his friends and put an end to all the fun he was heading for a trip to the hospital? Well, sure he was, and thankfully we were able to secure a megillah at our very next mishloach manos delivery, the Krinsky family, who didn’t even balk at handing over a megillah to a bunch of long haired teenagers.

While we continued our limousine trail, Mordy, Chaim and Aliya’s latest chosson and kallah, Yaakov and Pessy Malachowski, made their way to NYU to visit a friend in need of spirit boost. Wouldn’t you know it, but by hashgacha protis our friend’s hospital roommate also happened to be Jewish and was thoroughly grateful to have a megillah reading and Purim seudah in his hospital room.

While Aliya had planned numerous megillah readings throughout the day at our center, and we had Purim seduos at both Rabbi Shemtov and my homes, we never imagined an exciting party in middle of a hospital. Certainly, for a young boy lying in hospital having a miserable Purim, the Aliyah crew made a tremendous difference to his life. No matter the fun and joys he will surely have in future Purim celebrations, he will always look back fondly to that surprise Aliyah Seuda at NYU.

When the group returned from Manhattan to join our seuda and shared their uplifting experience it once again reminded me of our mission at Aliya, and how each and every Chossid can make a huge impact on the world – if we only give them the chance.