An ordinary taxi ride turned into a marathon of miracle stories told by the cab driver who experienced them first-hand.
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry
I got into the taxicab of Avraham Yosef, after the dispatcher at the taxi company I regularly use apologized that he had no available cabs. I never imagined that during the next few minutes I would learn about a chain of amazing miracles that this cabbie had experienced in the court of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach at the start of the nineties. “During those years when I was living in New York, the Rebbe was my whole world. Prior to every step I made in my business affairs, I asked the Rebbe for his bracha. Whenever a friend or family member came to visit us in New York, I would take them to the Rebbe’s beis midrash at 770.”
Mr. Yosef told me about numerous miracles that he and his friends personally experienced. It was clear to him that if a certain matter received the Rebbe’s bracha, it would eventually be realized.
As he shared three of these stories with us, his voice choked with emotion. He fondly recalled those days as he expressed his intense longing for the Rebbe. “We knew that when the Rebbe uttered the two words ‘B’suros tovos,’ it would create tremendous wonders. We saw this every step of the way. I could spend a whole night telling you about amazing miracles that occurred after receiving the Rebbe’s bracha.”
THE ANSWER FROM THE CLINIC
The crown jewel of his experiences with the Rebbe, is connected with the birth of his first-born son, Zohar.
“At the end of the eighties, after a personal crisis I experienced in Eretz HaKodesh, I decided to leave everything behind and try my luck overseas. I chose to travel to New York City. During this period, there was a large influx of Israeli émigrés into the United States. Those who made the move knew about the endless possibilities for economic prosperity, a dream that captivated many of the young people coming from Eretz Yisroel. I packed my suitcase, and although my English was only fair at best, I left my home in Tzfas and flew to New York City.
“Upon my arrival in the great metropolis, I established my residence in the Bronx, where many Israelis lived, including some with whom I was already acquainted. I started working as a salaried employee at an electronics store, and after I had sufficiently learned the trade, I took a chance and opened my own business. My efforts proved successful, and within a short period of time, I was running several stores. At the height of this financial achievement, I met my future wife, and after our wedding, we established our home in uptown Manhattan – on Broadway.
“Despite the financial means I had been accumulating, I never lost my ‘sense of direction,’ unlike what regrettably happened to many other Israelis who immigrated to New York. I always knew where I came from and I observed the Jewish faith and heritage by which I had been raised. A year after we married, when we still had not been blessed with children, I knew that there was one Jew whose blessings would bring us salvation – the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Even before then, whenever I had a question or needed a bracha, I would come to 770 and stand in line for dollars.
“My wife and I came to Crown Heights and stood in the long and twisting line outside the beis midrash at 770 Eastern Parkway. We waited patiently for several long hours to receive the Rebbe’s blessing of ‘Bracha v’hatzlacha.’ We knew that these words possessed the amazing ability to remove all barriers and obstacles with miraculous results. As I stood before the Rebbe, I experienced a feeling of intense excitement of beholding his shining countenance. Nevertheless, I managed to overcome my emotions and asked for his blessing. The Rebbe gave me a dollar and a bracha. When it was my wife’s turn, the Rebbe blessed her with ‘Bracha v’hatzlacha ub’suros tovos.’
“We were extremely happy with the Rebbe’s bracha. We knew that we had exactly what we needed to become parents in the very near future. Yet, another six months passed, two years after our marriage, with no blessed announcement on the horizon. We turned to the doctors, making an appointment with one of the leading specialists in the field. The appointment was scheduled for another three months, and in the meantime, my wife decided to write a letter to the Rebbe, requesting a bracha to conceive without the need for any medical assistance. I remember those moments as she sat and composed her letter. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wrote the words from the depths of her heart.
“Every few days, my wife would check whether she had received a reply from the Rebbe to her letter. When we saw that nothing was coming in the mail, we called the Rebbe’s office and spoke with one of the secretaries. ‘If you’ve already sent a letter,’ he reassured us, ‘you’ve already been blessed, even without receiving an actual response.’ We were filled again with pure faith.
“As the day for the appointment arrived, we made our way to the specialist’s clinic. After he examined my wife, he asked whether she had done a pregnancy test. My wife said that she hadn’t, adding that she didn’t know that she was supposed to have done one before the appointment.
“‘Then, I’m sorry,’ he replied, ‘but I can’t do anything for you until you do the test.’ My wife became quite upset as she tried to argue, explain, justify – but the doctor remained firm that he would not provide any medical treatment without her doing the test first. To make matters worse, the doctor also told my wife that she would have to wait another three months for her next appointment.
“The only thing that the doctor could offer my wife was the opportunity to do the pregnancy test at his clinic, free of charge. As I listened to the give-and-take between my wife and the doctor, while I realized that the doctor was right, I was filled with deep empathy for my wife and her fervent desire to have children. In the end, once my wife was convinced that the doctor would not relent, she did a simple blood test and made an appointment for three months later. That same evening, we flew together to Miami to participate in our niece’s wedding. Family members from Eretz Yisroel and around the world were also coming for the wedding, and I urged my wife not to display any signs of sadness or frustration in order not to spoil the event’s joyous atmosphere.
“My wife maintained her composure throughout the celebration, and a few days later I returned home to New York. I was then running my electronics store and I couldn’t leave things unattended for too long. My wife remained in Miami for another week. As soon as I came in the house, I checked my phone messages. There were three recordings from the medical clinic made over the previous three days. The voice still echoes in my mind: ‘Mr. Avraham, please call me.’ I didn’t waste a moment, although I naively thought that someone had cancelled their appointment, and the secretary simply wanted to give us an earlier slot due to my wife’s impassioned pleas. I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would soon hear some amazing news when I called the clinic.
“The secretary answered the phone and happily informed me that the pregnancy test my wife did had come back positive. ‘Tell her in the doctor’s name that she should thank the Creator for his being so adamant about not starting any medical treatment.’ The doctor also requested that my wife should not take any of the medications or pills that he had recommended, since she had conceived in a completely natural manner. I was stunned. The truth of the matter is that it took me a little time to absorb this wonderful news, and when I had, I immediately called my wife to tell her.
“She was overjoyed, and she immediately asked if I remembered the letter she had written in which she had asked to conceive without the need for any medical intervention. What she asked for, she received.
“Nine months later our son was born. This was on the eve of the Purim holiday. Chabad bachurim came to my wife’s hospital room and read the Megilla for her. Our son’s bris mila was a most unique experience and many people came to participate. Naturally, after the ceremony, when everyone was seated for the festive meal, I told the story of the child’s birth and the amazing bracha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”
IF YOU BUILD A NEW HOME
Avraham Yosef has numerous dollars that he merited to receive from the Rebbe. On many occasions he was privileged to be present for Sunday dollars distribution, receive the Rebbe’s blessing, and experience personal salvation. His regular custom was that whenever he had a guest visiting his home, he would take him on Sunday to ‘Beis Chayeinu.’
“One year, several friends from my childhood in Eretz Yisroel came to see me. They were visiting New York and I hosted them during their stay. At a certain point during their visit, I suggested that they set Sunday aside for an unforgettable spiritual experience: a visit to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe and receive a dollar for a bracha. One member of this group was a pleasant young man named Avi. Back in those days, he was the ‘low man’ of the group. He was never able to hold down a good job and was always living from hand to mouth. He was planning to fly back to Eretz Yisroel the very next day, Monday, several weeks earlier than the others.
“We passed by the Rebbe together and each received a dollar and the blessing of ‘Bracha v’hatzlacha.’ Then, the Rebbe asked his secretary, Rabbi Groner, to call Avi back. The Rebbe gave him another three dollars: one for his father, a second for his mother, and a third for the purchase of a home. All of his friends were in shock by this demonstration of the Rebbe’s ruach ha’kodesh. How did he know that Avi was the only one in the group on his way home? Everyone was simply astounded.
“Furthermore, there was a sense of tremendous amazement regarding the third dollar that the Rebbe had given him for the purchase of a home in Eretz HaKodesh. Some of the group members even joked about it. This fellow didn’t have a spare dime to his name. In those days, he wasn’t the type who could manage in a regular job, and here the Rebbe gives him a bracha for the purchase of a home… Avi returned to Eretz Yisroel the next day, and as time passed, everyone forgot about the whole matter. Life went back to normal for him and his friends as they resumed their busy schedules.
“A few years later, I met Avi on a trip to Eretz Yisroel and he reminded me of the Rebbe’s bracha and the dollar he received. What happened to this young man from the moment he left 770 is no less than amazing. A literal manifestation of the finger of G-d. With a blessing of two words emitted from the Rebbe’s holy lips, his fortune completely changed. He went to learn a profession – central air conditioning installment – and he’s been extremely busy working ever since. He told me that he has a constant flow of job offers, and he often sees that even when he proposes a higher price for his work than his competitors, he still gets the nod. The Rebbe transformed this pauper into an affluent Jew, and he and all his friends know in whose merit this change took place.
“And regarding the purchase of a home – he lives today in a magnificent and spacious house.”
THE SEGULA OF
THE STOLEN CAR
Avraham’s electronics business was quite profitable. The store was filled with customers and he was blessed with ample parnasa.
“Every Friday, students from the central yeshiva in 770 would come and put t’fillin on with me along with the other Jewish employees at the store. I would greet them warmly and give them a donation for their blessed activities. On one such occasion, they presented me with a Chitas.
“The bachurim asked me to put it in my car, noting that the Rebbe had said it is a segula for protection and personal salvation. I was always happy to carry out any of the Rebbe’s instructions – and so I did. However, I didn’t just put the seifer in the glove compartment – I gave it a place of honor above the dashboard. I did this in order that anyone who entered the car would immediately ask about it. In response, I would tell them about the tremendous segulos contained in this seifer, as the bachurim had explained to me.
“One morning several days later, as I left my house on my way to work, I was shocked to see that my car had disappeared from the parking lot. I realized it had been stolen, and I ran to the police station to file a complaint.
“The officer on duty recorded the complaint and promised to get back to me if there were any developments in the case. I called the precinct each morning, but unfortunately, there was never any news for me. At a certain point, when the officer recognized my voice, he gently asked me not to call anymore. ‘If we hear anything about the car, we will let you know,’ he said.
“After an absence of several weeks, the bachurim returned to my store one Friday and noticed my crestfallen expression. When they asked why I was so distressed, I told them about the theft of my car and then dared to ask how it was possible that the auto theft had occurred shortly after I put the Chitas inside.
“The young rabbinical students suggested that I write to the Rebbe about this, and so I did. I composed a letter and they took it with them, promising to submit the letter to the Rebbe’s secretaries. Two days later, early on Sunday morning, I got a phone call from the police informing me that my car had been found intact and I should come to the station to claim it.
“I was in shock. While they had spent weeks unsuccessfully looking for my car, as soon as I wrote my letter to the Rebbe, the police managed to apprehend the auto thieves and retrieve my stolen property before they could disassemble it and resell the parts.
“For all these and many more,” Mr. Avraham Yosef said as he concluded his stories, “I thank the Rebbe every day, and I urge my friends that they too should ask the Rebbe for his holy brachos.”