Torah in Ten: Noach
Universal Mission
David Chase, a Holocaust survivor, businessman and philanthropist who led many important charitable efforts for Jewish communities around the globe, once shared an inspiring episode.
Chase maintained the practice of praying in Tallit and Tefillin daily—even aboard airplanes and his personal yacht. In following the Talmudic dictum to face towards Jerusalem while praying, Chase regularly asked his captain, a non-Jew named Nick Winters, of the ship’s position and projected route.
After a few days, Winters was perplexed by Chase’s repeated questions and asked if his employer had been learning the principles of marine navigation. “Oh no,” Chase replied, explaining that he needed to know the information for religious purposes.
Sources: www.chabad.org, www.sie.org, Kehot Chumash, Sefaria.org