I had been trying to reach Detective Shimon Abutbual, a Dimona resident serving in the Beer Sheva police department, since I started my work on Chabad of Dimona, and finally got a call back after wrapping up the story. What I learned from Det. Abutbual is though our reporting often summarizes Chabad’s impact in terms of increased Jewish observance, its true impact can be felt even when the tefillin are tucked away.

Abutbual comes face to face with the dark side of human nature on a daily basis. It’s a job that doesn’t bring out the best in you. Shortens your fuse. Makes you suspicious.

For years,  Abutbual passed by Chabad of Dimona in the center of town without stopping in. But like police officers, Chabad keeps odd hours. They’re always open, and there’s always someone there ready to share a Jewish thought. The day Abutbual stepped into Chabad, he wasn’t interested in easy answers. He wasn’t looking for someone to tell him to put on a kippa. What he got was a warm welcome, a conversation, and a glimpse of people who did not have much in terms of success -  no fancy cars, no sharp clothing – but were much happier than he was at that moment, more content.

Studying Tanya, a cornerstone of Chabad philosophy, at Chabad of Dimona changed the way Detective Abutbual looked at people. It has given him eyes to see past the nonsense, the callousness, the braggadocio.

“Tanya has changed the way I look at people. We are all one creation, and that makes you see the positive in people,” he said. “When I bring people into the precinct, I talk to them. Not just about their crime, but about their soul. A lot of them thank me. ‘It’s good we talked about these things,’ they say.”

Recently, the police photographer who shoots every suspect’s photo called Detective. Abutbual to review some pictures. The photographer told the detective that he knows which suspects are Abutbual’s catches. “Your suspects are the only ones who smile.”