R’ Farkash is a posek in Yerushalayim and an author of an important series of halacha books. A few months ago, R’ Yekusiel Farkash’s story was publicized in a number of places, including a JEM video
In recent days, there has been a sequel to the story which shows how much heavenly assistance the shluchim are privy to, and the incredible divine providence that they have in their holy work of drawing Jews close to their Father in heaven.
In order to understand the sequel, we need to go back to the beginning of the story which took place forty years ago, in 5736.
PART I
R’ Farkash’s seven-year-old daughter passed away after a lengthy illness. In the last period of her life she was hospitalized in the pediatric ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem in Yerushalayim. The hospital staff did what they could to save her life. One doctor in particular stood out for his exceptional devotion to her.
After the Shiva, R’ Farkash wanted to meet the doctor personally to thank him for his devoted care of his daughter.
When he went to the doctor’s office, he hugged him and said, “I cannot pay you for everything you did for my daughter, because all the money in the world would not be adequate, but I can give you from what Hashem gifted me. I can learn Torah with you.”
R’ Farkash knew exactly who he was dealing with. He knew that the doctor had moved from South Africa to Eretz Yisroel, having grown up all his life in a community that wasn’t religious, and that he too was not religious. He was actually a third generation irreligious person.
Despite this background, R’ Farkash did not have to work hard to convince the doctor to agree to his offer. After a short discussion, they decided to learn Tanya together.
Every week, at six o’clock on Monday nights, R’ Farkash would go to the doctor’s nice house in the Rassco neighborhood of Yerushalayim. After some pleasantries they would sit down and learn.
The doctor, who was opinionated and deep, did not accept every word as though it was given at Sinai. He would often argue about various ideas. This led to discussions on other areas of Torah and mitzvos.
Tanya has a light which can penetrate a man’s soul and illuminate it. Not long afterward, the doctor asked R’ Farkash to buy him a pair of t’fillin and he began putting them on daily. With the greater passage of time, the doctor committed to doing even more mitzvos.
It did not all go easily. When he started making progress, his wife strongly opposed the changes. When she finally consented to accept the changes, she insisted that they belong to her husband alone and that he not impose them on the rest of the family. All attempts to convince her, failed. She refused to change her way of life.
PART II
Two years went by. It was the eve of 5738 when R’ Farkash went, as usual, to the doctor’s house. He knocked on the door and felt, even before it opened, that something was amiss. He was surprised to see that the house was dark with the shutters closed, which was not the norm all the previous times he had visited. After a long wait, the door opened and he could see the doctor standing there bent over with eyes lowered. The feeling was one of tension and sadness.
R’ Farkash went in and sat down and looked questioningly at the doctor. “A nightmare,” he mumbled.
“What happened?” asked R’ Farkash.
The doctor began to tell him that something strange was going on with his wife the past few days. Every night, when she tried to sleep, she experienced muscle contractions which caused terrible pain so she was unable to sleep. For days now she was awake and it was only when she just couldn’t anymore that she dozed briefly. “No wonder her body is weakening rapidly.”
The doctor went on to tell him that his wife had all the tests done. “I used my connections with my fellow doctors who did every possible test but have yet to figure out the reason for this mysterious ailment.”
R’ Farkash listened and said, “If this is so rare and the doctors don’t know what it is, I think that the one to turn to is the Lubavitcher Rebbe. You need his blessing.”
The doctor shook his head worriedly. “I don’t think I can do that without my wife’s consent, but as you know, I’m quite sure she will refuse.”
R’ Farkash did not give up. He asked to speak to the wife. He began by explaining the Rebbe’s great spiritual abilities, about his blessings that brought about miracles. As expected, at first she refused.
“Does the Rebbe know my medical file that he can tell me what treatment course to follow?” she asked dismissively.
R’ Farkash continued to urge her and told her stories about happy endings that resulted from the Rebbe’s brachos. She finally gave into his pleading and gave him permission to write to the Rebbe.
That same night, when he went home, he wrote a letter and called the Rebbe’s office. He read the letter to the secretary.
The Rebbe’s answer was, “Kashrus of food and drink, I will mention it at the tziyun.”
R’ Farkash knew what a struggle it would be to convince the woman to commit to kashrus. He knew that she was opposed to any religious observance. Nevertheless, that same night he went to their house. He knocked at the door late at night and did his best to explain the Rebbe’s answer and the importance of doing the mitzva, in the merit of which she would be healed. The exhaustion she felt after so many nights, as well as the pains, made his appeal easier than he expected and she agreed.
A team of Lubavitcher Chassidim went to their house the very next day equipped with blow torches and kashered the kitchen.
The next day, R’ Farkash called the doctor’s house and the wife picked up the phone. “R’ Farkash,” she exclaimed, “there are no more muscle contractions. Last night I slept eight hours in a row without pain!”
In later conversations she said, “The Rebbe is a wise man. He did not tell me to become religious; he just said to keep kashrus.” But R’ Farkash did not accept that. He patiently explained to her that the Rebbe doesn’t simply “invent” mitzvos as a cure, but gives advice that will help physically and spiritually. He encouraged her to keep kashrus despite the difficult beginning.
Her mysterious illness disappeared.
“The family became fully observant. Their children and grandchildren today are religious,” concluded R’ Farkash.
PART III
His son, R’ Shneur Zalman, shliach in Buenos Aires, continues the story:
I recently went to the grocery store to buy some things for the house.
“How are you Rabbi Farkash?” said the owner.
“Boruch Hashem, fine,” I replied.
Someone suddenly came off the line near the register and came over to me and said excitedly, “You are Rabbi Farkash?”
“No, no, I’m his brother (referring to R’ Asher Farkash, menahel and mashpia in the Chabad yeshiva in Argentina).”
But the excited man continued, “I mean the Rabbi Farkash that I saw in a video where he tells the story of a miracle from the Rebbe about kashrus in a doctor’s house.”
“Yes, that’s my father,” and I tried explaining our family tree and who was who.
“Then I must tell you a story and please tell it to your father.”
I stood off in a corner of the grocery store with the man as he told me the following:
“My name is Yisroel Rhine,” the man introduced himself, “but in Spanish my name is Miguel. I live in Asuncion, Paraguay. Last year I was seriously sick and my condition deteriorated rapidly until the doctors gave up.
“I was surfing on YouTube and came across a video of R’ Farkash who told the story about how the woman recovered by listening to the Rebbe’s instruction about kashrus. I was very touched by this story and watched the video again and again. It got me to thinking that maybe this would help me too.
“I decided to keep kosher and spoke to the shliach in my city so he would come and kasher my kitchen. My house was kashered and we began eating only kosher.
“A short while later my health drastically improved. Now, here I am in Buenos Aires, taking the opportunity to fill up my suitcase with kosher products which I will take home.”
Yisroel-Miguel told his story while warmly holding R’ Shneur Zalman’s hand, and he begged him, “Please tell your father … I have no words with which to thank him.”