Almost Lynch: Yeshiva students escaped murder

The following story took place just two weeks ago, and it is first published in Behadrey Haredim:

A group of four yeshiva students from central Israel arrived on Friday night at the Western Wall to pray. On their way back, the students decided to hike back to the center of the city, and they turned towards the road leading to the Damascus Gate.

It was already after midnight, when near the Damascus Gate, a gang of bloodthirsty Arab rioters spotted them. The Yeshiva students realized that their fate was sealed, and the head of the gang even ordered them not to try to move or escape, otherwise they would be dead. When the boys realized that the Arabs intend to lynch them, the eldest boy turned to the head gang leader and tried to tempt him with money: "Look, we are ready to give you all our money, just let us alone please."

The latter agreed to the request, and ordered them to remove their money from their pockets. But unfortunately, they did not find a penny. The young terrorist realized that the boy just wanted to buy time, and he ordered his colleagues to keep the boys and left to get an ax to chop off their heads.

Needless to describe the panic and deep anxiety which the boys experienced, at those moments which seemed like an eternity, they already began to whisper Viduy and realized that they were about to leave the world.

The gang leader returned to the place within minutes with an ax in his hands. Seconds before performing the 'sentence', an idea flashed through the older boy's head. He recovered, caught the killer's hands and said, "You know we're cousins?"

Something must have permeated the heart of stone, and the Arab responded with surprise: "How exactly?"

"You know who it is, Ibrahim the Arab?" (Avraham Avinu) asked the student.

"Sure," the killer said, "This is our father, the father of Ismail (Yishmael)."

"Well," the boy continued the dialogue, "We are descendants of his son Ischak (Yitzchak) and if so, we are cousins. Now, what will come of it if you kill us and what would grandfather Ibrahim say? That you murdered his grandchildren?"

Even if a sharp sword is lying on a person's neck, he should not prevent himself from mercy...

The killer smiled. It seems that the winning answer, captured him: "Look, what you said I like that, now I'll walk up to the highway and watch over you so no one will hurt you."

"Layehudim haisa ora vesimcha". On the Shabbos close to the great rescue, the boys went up to the Torah and benched Hagomel.

"We urge the public and in particular yeshiva students not to be tempted to go alone in such dark areas, especially during hours which are not secured by the security forces. This time it ended by miracle. It might have ended differently," pointed out the yeshiva students after the event.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!