By Rabbi Berel Dubinsky – Shliach in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
On the second day of Shavuot, as we were returning the Sefer Torah to the Aron in our Chabad House in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, I stood beside the Ark and found my gaze drifting to the “other” Torah—an older, Ashkenazi Torah that had been resting silently in the Aron since long before we arrived.
As the melodies of the Torah procession filled the room, I glanced at the mantle and began reading the names embroidered on its fabric. Suddenly, my eyes landed on a familiar name at the bottom—and I froze.
Sorhagen. Chana Sorhagen.
Mrs. Sorhagen lived across the street from my childhood home on Tikvah Way in Morristown, NJ. For years, she was a fixture at our Shabbos and Yom Tov table. She was elderly, kind, deeply spiritual, and loved to share stories—especially about the Rebbe. She often told us about receiving dollars from the Rebbe, and the lasting impact it had on her life. She passed away in 2015.
And here, in a beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula—where monkeys swing from trees and the only way to get here is via a bumpy six-hour journey or a small jungle plane—here stood her Torah.
How did it get here?
Back in 2007, around the time of my Bar Mitzvah, Mrs. Sorhagen donated a Torah to be sent to a community in need. Through local shluchim, she was connected with Rabbi Hershel Spalter, head shliach to Central America, who knew of a budding Jewish community in Nicaragua that lacked a Torah. The Torah was sent there, and a festive Hachnasat Sefer Torah took place.
But political turmoil in Nicaragua caused the expat community to dissolve and the shul eventually shut its doors. Around that same time, Santa Teresa—a tiny fishing village—was just beginning to attract young Israeli families and wandering Jewish tourists, mostly surfers. Rabbi Spalter decided to send the Torah to this jungle town. It was lovingly placed in a room generously lent by community founder Mali Tal, which served as the first shul.
Not long after that, a bochur named Menachem Shapiro chanced upon this beach town in search of a surf (or so he thought). The locals convinced him to stay for a couple of months which turned into 14 years (!) servicing the community’s every Jewish need in collaboration with Rabbi Spalter.
After a while the Torah became pasul, and b’hashgacha pratis, not long after that, the Sefardi Torah was donated. The community decided to try and read the Torah regularly. Each Monday and Thursday, some community members gathered to hear the Torah read. In recent years, after my wife Chani and I established Chabad of Santa Teresa in 2022, that “gathering” turned into a well-attended full-on minyan followed by a lavish breakfast and Torah class.
All the while the “other” Torah sat on the side, waiting to be repaired.
After the Sefardi Torah was returned to the Aron, I paused the davening and shared this story. The community was amazed at the hashgacha pratis, and one member—Maor—said that when he relocated here to Santa Teresa, it was the first time he saw an Ashkenazi Sefer Torah. At first, he felt a bit indifferent—it wasn’t the Torah he was familiar with. But as time went on, he began to realize that it was this Torah that anchored them as Jews in this distant place. He shared how deeply connected he had grown to it over the years and how he had always hoped it would one day be repaired.
Up until that Shavuot, I hadn’t paid much attention to the “other” Torah—let alone the dedications on it. But now, three years into our shlichus here, we’ve decided to invest in restoring it.
It’s time to bring this Torah back to life.
As Mrs. Sorhagen said at the Torah’s original dedication:
“If you open your eyes, you will see the hand of God is in this. My wish for you is that this Holy Scripture inspires you to live a Jewish life.”
We are inviting you—dear reader—to take part in this beautiful journey. To help us repair this Torah that has traveled thousands of miles, changed countless lives, and now awaits your help to shine again.
Donate HERE to repair “the other” Torah
This is an incredible story! My Tante Chana Sorhagen was an incredible woman. She was my Zaidy’s sister and I remember when she donated the Torah to Nicaragua. Mrs. Chana Sorhagen has great nieces and nephews who are shluchim and shluchos around the world. I’m so happy that the Torah will be restored and used!
Brocho V”Hatzlacho on The Rebbe’s Shlichus, May we celebrate “Beha’alotcha” this Shabbat in The Bais Hamikdosh in Yerushalayim
Great personal story: Me and my cousin yitsi would go on Mivtsoim to Dover, New Jersey every week. On our Mivtsoim route we used to go to an antique furniture store (“Harry loorys furniture” I think) Gerald grosslicht worked there. He said that his mother In Law, chana sorhagen obm once got a Rebbe dollar (in the late 80’s maybe early 90’s?) She wrote on the dollar the Brocho the Rebbe gave her while giving her the dollar. A while later She had to spend that Rebbe dollar (for whatever reason) and was very sad about losing that dollar. Gerald… Read more »