“It is written that Moshe Rabbeinu corresponds to the six hundred thousand Jews of his generation. I saw clearly the appearance of Moshe Rabbeinu in our generation.” A wide-ranging miracle story, as told personally by Rabbi Shlomo Darahin, a well-known lecturer and rav in Kfar Saba
Rabbi Shlomo Darahin has served for many years as the rav for the residents of the Mizrachi neighborhoods in Kfar Saba. Anyone acquainted with Rabbi Darahin knows that he’s a rav of the old-fashioned variety: He is a pleasant and learned man who can explain Torah concepts to anyone. He is known and loved by his community and by local residents in general as an inspiring Torah lecturer.
Prior to his arrival in Kfar Saba, Rabbi Darahin was an emissary with the “Arachim” outreach organization in Los Angeles and the rav of the “Torah Ohr” community in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in the City of Angels. Many Jews came to his door and they loved his fascinating lectures. As a result, he succeeded in getting many within the younger generation to return to the path of Torah and mitzvos by his stirring public speaking and gentle demeanor.
Rabbi Darahin did not study in Chabad institutions and his external appearance is more closely associated with the Litvishe world where he was raised and educated. For this very reason, it’s quite amazing to hear his oratorical style and rhetoric when he is asked to talk about the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. His tone becomes filled with admiration, respect, and great reverence.
When you hear about the incredible and extraordinary miracle he and his wife experienced from with the Rebbe’s bracha and the unique encounter he was privileged to have at a Sunday dollars distribution in 5747, you can understand why. Since then, his connection to Lubavitch and the Rebbe has intensified and grown deeper.
Rabbi Darahin is a good friend of the Rebbe’s shliach in Kfar Saba, Rabbi Yoel Yemini, and he even comes periodically to the farbrengens held within the Chabad community.
A MEETING IN LOS ANGELES BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE
“During the eighties, I left Eretz Yisroel and flew to the United States, where I served as a rav and teacher with the ‘Torah Ohr’ community in Los Angeles, California. My appointment to this position came via the “Arachim” organization in B’nei Brak and Los Angeles, which paid my salary. In addition to my rabbinical responsibilities within the community, I would periodically go to kasher kitchens for newly observant Jews throughout California, participate in Torah seminars, and organize group activities in the homes of our friends and supporters. During each event, I would give a lecture on Judaism and the need to strengthen our observance of Torah and mitzvos. I came to know many people through these lectures, and with G-d’s help, I encountered much success.
“However, a serious problem with my wife’s eyesight cast a cloud over my rabbinical work. While she had previously suffered from vision problems in one eye, after five years of numerous painful treatments, the ailment began to affect her other eye as well. When she went for an examination, the doctors told her that she is suffering from a serious eye infection, requiring a series of urgent operations. They advised us to travel to a prestigious eye institute in Boston, which had some of the country’s best experts in ophthalmologic surgery, and so we did.
“After coordinating our travel plans and transferring the necessary medical information to Massachusetts, surgery was scheduled for the 17th of Tammuz. A few days before this appointment, we landed in Boston and my wife underwent a series of preparatory tests and examinations. She went in for surgery as planned, however to our great regret, after an operation lasting several hours, the doctors came out and said that her eye had rejected the implant. They suggested that we wait about three weeks after which they would schedule a second operation, hoping that the implant would be accepted this time. In the meantime, we had to stay in Boston for follow-up tests.
“During the second week after the operation, I had to go back to Los Angeles for a few days. ‘Arachim’ had arranged for me to visit a family living in the S. Fernando Valley. This had been scheduled in response to a request by a Jewish woman whose sister had joined a Christian cult and planned to ‘convert’ r”l. The organization wanted me to meet with the woman and her sister, speak to the girl’s heart, and convince her to reconsider her decision. The plan was for a personal meeting with her at her sister’s house, and then to give a lecture there on current events from a Jewish viewpoint, attended by friends and acquaintances of the family who had been expressly invited for this purpose.
“Since this was such an important matter – a Jewish woman planning ch”v to abandon her faith, my wife agreed that I should make the flight. Within a few hours, I was on my way back to L.A.
“When I arrived at the address I had been given and entered the house, I was very surprised. As soon as I came in, I saw a huge picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe hanging on the wall. This was actually an oil painting of amazing detail in its portrayal of the Rebbe’s image. Anyone entering the house came face-to-face with this portrait and was left totally speechless. I immediately realized that there must be a story here, and after chatting briefly with my hostess, I asked if she could explain the meaning behind this picture.
“When she heard my question, she said with undisguised emotion, ‘I owe my life to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.’ She spoke with utmost simplicity, and I asked if she could tell me exactly what she meant. I never imagined how much her story would affect me.”
EVERYTHING
BEGINS FROM THE HEAD
“She told me as follows. One day, she unexpectedly began to feel serious headaches. At first, the pains came and went, but with each passing day, they became far more frequent. It eventually reached the point that she couldn’t move because the pain was so intense. She realized that these weren’t just pains that would disappear over time, and she immediately went to the famed Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for a check-up.
“The Lebanese doctor who examined her determined in light of the test results that there was a dangerous tumor that had already spread throughout her brain and she had just three months to live. He told her that the only available option was surgery; however, he openly admitted that there was no more than a twenty percent chance of success. (Parenthetically, I knew this doctor well. After he had started a relationship with one of his Jewish patients from Eretz Yisroel, I asked him to break it off. With G-d’s help, I managed to convince him with a discussion on the Rambam, whom he greatly respected. He broke off the relationship, and when my hostess told me about him, I remembered him favorably.)
“You can just imagine the shock and anguish this woman and her family felt upon receiving the bitter news. As she told me this story, despite the fact that she had told it countless times, I could see how the events of those days continued to have a powerful effect upon her. She became very emotional as she couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.
“Left with little alternative, she made an appointment for surgery with this doctor, as she spent the final days before the procedure contemplating on what she had accomplished during her life. She parted from her friends and loved ones, and then she made final preparations out of the knowledge that her days were numbered. Since she had been born into a traditional faith-filled Moroccan home, she prayed to the Creator and begged for her life.
“A few days before the scheduled surgery, as she was walking down one of the city’s streets, she suddenly met a Lubavitcher chassid with a long beard and a cheerful expression. Impressed by his appearance, she immediately went up to him and told him the whole story of her illness, adding that the doctors had told her that she probably wouldn’t last more than a few more months. She then pleaded that he should pray to G-d that He should make a miracle for her.
“This Chabad rabbi, who apparently was one of the Rebbe’s shluchim, listened attentively. He then told her that while he is a rabbi, he has his own spiritual leader, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and he can give wondrous brachos that can help solve her problem.
“He handed her a calling card, which she keeps to this day, bearing the address and phone number of the Rebbe’s secretariat in Brooklyn, New York. The Chassid urged her not to settle for just sending a letter to the Rebbe; she should travel there personally and go in for yechidus. The Chassid’s enthusiastic words about the Rebbe and his amazing spiritual abilities proved most convincing. She decided that she wouldn’t have the operation before receiving the Rebbe’s bracha.
“Her husband imported flowers grown in Los Angeles, and Shabbos and Sunday were his busiest days. He didn’t grow up in a traditional home as she had; he had been taught to hate and distance himself from Judaism. She became worried that if she would tell him about her plans, he wouldn’t let her go. Therefore, she took matters into her own hands. She asked her husband if she could travel to the big city – New York – and have one last pleasure trip before she goes in for her fateful surgery with its uncertain results. Only her sister would be joining her.
“The husband readily agreed and gave her a large sum of money for herself and her sister to spend on their trip.
“Upon their arrival at LaGuardia Airport, the sisters made their way straight to the guest house in Crown Heights they had heard about from that Chassid. They came to 770 on Friday, four days before the date of the operation, scheduled for the following Monday night. When the woman contacted Rabbi Groner, he informed her that the closest possible appointment for a yechidus wouldn’t be for another six months. However, when she cried bitterly as she explained that her medical condition would not permit her to wait such a long time, Rabbi Groner agreed to ‘squeeze her in’ between appointments.
“The yechidus was scheduled for very late on Sunday night. She went in to speak with the Rebbe, whom she described as ‘a man with the face of an angel,’ and she laid her sad situation before him. While the Rebbe heard her say that ‘her days were numbered,’ he refused to accept the medical prognosis. The Rebbe told her that not only was there no reason for worry, he also didn’t believe that there was a need for an operation. He wished her a ‘complete recovery’ and then gave her a bracha that her home would become a house of Torah and good deeds.
“She left the yechidus in a state of confusion. The Rebbe wasn’t a doctor, and he didn’t even see the x-rays. How did he possibly have the confidence to reject the doctor’s conclusions?
“She was in total shock and she simply didn’t know what to do. However, based on the fact that she was raised in a home rooted in the principle of emunas tzaddikim, the Rebbe’s clear and sure words filled her with pure faith. She told me with a smile that she was more optimistic about a miraculous improvement in her health condition than the possibility of her atheistic non-believing husband becoming a baal t’shuva, as the Rebbe had said regarding their home becoming a house of Torah and good deeds.
“Yet, this is what the Rebbe said, and now all she had to do was to see how things developed. Naturally, she didn’t say anything to her husband about meeting with the Rebbe. As far as he was concerned, she was returning from an enjoyable visit to New York City.
“After the yechidus, she made her way back to the airport and boarded a flight for her return trip to Los Angeles. She had only a few hours to rest before going straight to the hospital together with her husband and a worried group of friends and family members. The doctors prepared her for surgery with one final series of x-rays. After the pictures were taken, the surgeon called her over and said that the x-ray machine was apparently broken, as it failed to pick up any sign of a brain tumor. He suggested that she go to a nearby institute and take a new set of pictures. He would call them himself to say that she’s coming.
“Following the doctor’s advice, she went to this institute and made the necessary x-rays. She came back to the surgeon with the results, and he looked at the pictures from top to bottom in a state of incredulity. He examined them for several long minutes, comparing them to the original x-rays. His eyes were frozen open in astonishment. ‘I have to be honest with you,’ he told her, ‘according to the new x-rays we did here at the hospital and at the private institute, you don’t need to have an operation. Our machine is working fine, and there is no doubt that you had a growth in your head. However, it has disappeared on its own…’
“The doctor explained that this was an incredible medical miracle, the likes of which he had neither seen nor even heard of in all his years of practicing medicine. The mere possibility of such a phenomenon seemed inconceivable.
“After the woman listened to the doctor, she jumped from her seat and cried out in sheer ecstasy, as she turned to her husband and family. She then told them all about her meeting with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, during which the Rebbe told her that in his estimation, there was no need whatsoever for her to have an operation. ‘I wasn’t in New York for a pleasure trip,’ she confessed, and her sister, who was in the Rebbe’s room with her, confirmed the story.
“Her husband was so shocked to hear about this amazing miracle and see the results before his very eyes, he immediately declared, ‘If there’s a person in this world who can do such things, I must meet him myself…’ Wasting no valuable time, he ordered airline tickets to New York for himself and his wife. On the following Tuesday, they were on a flight to see the Rebbe.
“Rabbi Groner, who knew the woman and the reason why she had come, was happy to hear about the tremendous miracle that she experienced in the merit of the Rebbe’s bracha. After explaining that they had come solely for the purpose of thanking the Rebbe, Rabbi Groner again deviated from normal custom and agreed to let them go in for yechidus that same day, after all the late night appointments had finished. When the husband asked the Rebbe how he could repay him for saving his wife’s life, the Rebbe replied that he should make certain to put a charity box in his place of business. In addition, he should place pairs of t’fillin in an open and visible location, giving any Jew who wanted to put on t’fillin the opportunity to do so. The man immediately agreed to the Rebbe’s request, and he left that yechidus a totally different person from the one who came in.
“To the amazement of his wife and in accordance with the Rebbe’s bracha, the husband resolved to begin wearing tzitzis and keeping Shabbos, and he returned to Los Angeles as a true believer. Their home underwent a complete change. They began to host Torah classes and other events for Jews becoming stronger in their Torah observance, including seminars with the ‘Arachim’ organization where I worked.”
A HEAVENLY INSPIRED MEETING WITH THE REBBE
“When I heard this amazing story, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I told my hostess about my wife and her hospitalization in Boston due to a serious problem with her eyes, and she encouraged me to travel to the Rebbe, pass by him for Sunday dollars, and ask for his bracha. She didn’t just say it; she gave me a sum of money for the trip to New York. I promised myself after hearing such a powerful and incredibly miraculous story first-hand, and from someone who was not a Chabad Chassid, that I would go to meet with the Lubavitcher Rebbe and bear witness to the amazing greatness I had heard so much about.
“That night, I spoke at length with the woman’s sister, and I succeeded in convincing her to leave the dangerous cult. This was followed by a most successful outreach event at the house, lasting until four o’clock in the morning, and it had a very positive effect upon all the participants.
“After I packed my suitcase, I arranged for a stopover in New York en route to Boston, as I prepared myself for an encounter with the Lubavitcher Rebbe at the famous weekly Sunday dollars distribution.
“I arrived at 770 very early that Sunday morning. They explained to me what I already knew: The Rebbe no longer gave private audiences, rather people passed by him to receive a dollar and a bracha. Similarly, they told me where I should stand, so I was one of the first in line. It was seven o’clock in the morning. As soon as I got on line, I started reciting T’hillim. During the wait, I managed to complete the entire Book of Psalms. In the meantime, I noticed that more and more people had gathered throughout the morning hours, resulting in a huge line of Jews of all ages and backgrounds.
“At eleven o’clock, the Rebbe came out and the line began to move. When I stood before the Rebbe, since I was unfamiliar with the Chassidic custom not to take the Rebbe’s hand, I took his hand and kissed it in accordance with Sephardic tradition.
“I told the Rebbe about my wife and everything that she was enduring with her eye ailment. In an emotional voice, I added that she had undergone an unsuccessful operation on the 17th of Tammuz and then asked for a bracha. The Rebbe gave me two dollars – one for me and one for my wife – and then asked for my wife’s name and her mother’s name. I replied ‘Ayala bas Saada,’ and the Rebbe then looked at me with his piercing blue eyes and said: ‘Ayala zeh oros g’vohim – Ayala [represents] high [supernal] lights.’ I listened to the Rebbe as shivers went up my spine. Someone who has never been before the Rebbe simply can’t understand the intense emotion at such a moment. You feel that you are standing before someone who knows everything inside and out by reading your mind and your heart.
“The Rebbe continued: ‘Eyes are neither hands nor feet. The blood vessels in the eyes are connected to the heart.’ He then blessed me with a ‘Refua Shleima’ and I left, contemplating and digesting this brief, albeit intense, encounter.
“A few hours later, I was already on a plane to Boston to see my wife. The first thing I told her about was the bracha she had been privileged to receive from the Lubavitcher Rebbe a few hours earlier.
“As I mentioned before, the first eye operation had taken place on the 17th of Tammuz. The second operation was scheduled for Tisha B’Av; however, since this was not an auspicious day for the Jewish People, we asked to have the procedure postponed until the 15th of Av. The doctors saw no problem with a delay of six days, and they gave their consent.
“When the day finally came, my wife went into the operating room as scheduled. We were filled with hope that everything would go well, believing in the words of the Rebbe.
“After two hours of surgery, while I was sitting in the waiting room, the surgeon came out and told me: ‘The brightness in her eyes after the implant is good. The implant that the body rejected the previous time has been accepted with a speed we were not expecting in light of her condition.’
“When my wife was moved to the recovery room, the doctor again came to us and said: ‘I have been in this profession for thirty years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. Her eyes rejected the implant the first time, but they accepted it the second time so well and so quickly…” We knew who was responsible for the surgery’s success. We were truly astounded to see how the Rebbe’s bracha had been realized.”
COMPARED TO SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND
Rabbi Shlomo Darahin concluded his story in a voice filled with emotion as he described his great happiness when he came to the Rebbe and gave him the good news. “It is written that Moshe Rabbeinu corresponds to the six hundred thousand Jews of his generation. I saw clearly the appearance of Moshe Rabbeinu in our generation.
“Today, we are privileged to have ‘Igros Kodesh,’ through which people can request brachos from the Rebbe and receive clear answers. You ask me how it works? I don’t know, just as I didn’t know then when I was standing before him. This is the power of the Rebbe,” Rabbi Darahin said ecstatically.