Neta Eiger, an 11th grader from Kibbutz Tirat Zvi, recently traveled abroad for the International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad. Neta is a descendant of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, who was famous for his genius as a Talmud and Halacha scholar.
Israel sent its six best young chemists to the competition, and Neta was one of them. He excelled in the first two stages of the competition but, unfortunately, the third and most important stage, a laboratory examination, was held on Shabbat.
Despite earlier promises to allow him to take the exam on Friday or Saturday night, he was ultimately not allowed to do this.
Ultimately, Neta did not take the exam on Shabbat, but he passed another kind of test. His kibbutz and his school in Sde Eliyahu prepared a world champion’s reception for him. He prepared three entire years for this competition and is an outstanding chemist. He returned to Israel without a trophy but with an abundance of faith and devotion to eternal values.
As a result of journalist Sivan Rahav-Meir’s publication of this, Neta was invited to visit the Kotel and he came on Yom Yerushalayim. The rav of the Kotel, Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, met him and congratulated him on passing the important test of keeping Shabbat after his hard work.
The Rabbi told Neta that the saying, “More than Yirael kept Shabbat, the Shabbat kept Yisrael” is not from a Torah source but is the truth. Shabbat, for which he made such a huge sacrifice at such a young age, would undoubtedly safeguard him and help him succeed and advance and accomplish incredible things throughout his life.
Am Yisrael Chai: Argentine President Mr. Javier Milei Concludes His Visit to Israel
At the end of the moving visit, President Milei was presented with an original coin from the time of the Great Revolt – dated to the year 70 CE – as a symbol of the deep historic connection to the Jewish people and to Jerusalem.
16 Tammuz 5785
June 12, 2025
