THE MATZA CAMPAIGN CHANGED THE RESULTS

In a good and auspicious hour, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Harel and his wife Chana from Tzfas were blessed with the birth of a son. While everything appeared normal, the doctors revealed a serious health problem that endangered the child’s life. At the time, R’ Mendy was involved with a “Matza Campaign” among Tzfas children… An amazing and thrilling story with a clear message

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

We didn’t understand what the head doctor wanted. The baby appeared completely healthy: he smiles, eats normally, responds with total alertness. What is the doctor talking about? Was it possible that he had confused our child’s test results with those of another child? However, the words of the chief of the maternity ward were uttered with such clarity and sharpness, they left no room for any doubt or optimism. The matter was clear: The baby needed an operation at the earliest opportunity to save his life, no less than that. It can reasonably be said that this news hit us like a bolt out of the blue.”

We heard about those moments of fear and anxiety that concluded with an awe-inspiring miracle through the brachos of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, from the child’s father, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Harel, Chabad House director in the “Rasco” neighborhood and mashpia at Yeshivas Chassidei Chabad-Lubavitch in the Holy City of Tzfas. The story spread like wildfire and reverberated among the Chabad House supporters and members of the local Tzfas Chabad community.

Rabbi Harel adds a little zest to this fascinating story with a series of amazing cases of Divine Providences that preceded their son’s birth.

THERE IS NO JOY LIKE THE JOY OF ADAR

“This story actually began ten years ago with the answer my wife and I received before our wedding immediately after we became engaged. The wedding was set for Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon, and after the vort we wrote to the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, to inform him and receive his bracha. The answer we received is printed in Igros Kodesh, Vol. 5, Letter #1443. Most amazing was that the letter was dated the first of Adar.

“…There is known the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory, ‘When Adar comes, joy increases,’ and it is discussed at the conclusion of Meseches Taanis that it refers to the concept of structures of joy. Note also there the Mishna on the fulfillment of the task that it should be rebuilt speedily in our days, as this is a joy for the community of Israel below and a joy for Alm-ghty G-d Above, and for the Kohanim who perform quietly and within the hidden desire of the heart, it is thus incumbent upon them to prepare their holy avoda, speedily in our days, at the True and Complete Redemption through our Righteous Moshiach. Amen.”

“The Rebbe cited the Gemara (Taanis 29a), stating that the meaning of ‘When Adar comes, joy increases’ is structures of joy. We read the answer again and again and were deeply moved. We naturally connected this to the structure we were about to build – an everlasting Jewish home.

“In fact, after our first two children were born, we checked the letter again and discovered something amazing. They were born on different dates in the month of Adar, even though our second daughter was due to be born in Nissan. She entered the world ‘prematurely.’ We felt that the Rebbe’s bracha on structures of joy in the month of Adar were apparently connected not just to our marriage, but also to the dates when our children would be born.

“With our third child, the subject of this story, I had a feeling that even though he was due to be born in Nissan, he too would enter the world in Adar, just as his two siblings did. The month of Adar Sheni was almost over. Friday morning, the twenty-ninth of Adar Sheni, seemed like any other normal Erev Shabbos. My wife prepared the house for Shabbos, finished cooking the main dishes, and only then did we head for the hospital maternity ward. This child, our third, ‘snatched’ the final moments of the month of Adar and was born shortly before sundown. We saw this as a realization of the Rebbe’s bracha – ‘structures of joy that will be during the month of Adar.’ Thus, a Jewish soul came into the world – a structure of joy.”

THE PLANS SUDDENLY CHANGE

 “As we scrupulously did in all matters pertaining to our private lives and our shlichus, as soon as Shabbos went out, I immediately sat down and wrote a letter to the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, to give him the good news of our child’s birth and ask for his bracha. The answer appeared in Vol. 2, pg. 13. The letter was addressed to a Jew named Yaakov Katz from Chicago. Needless to say, the addressee’s name was quite exciting for us, as we had considered calling our son ‘Yaakov,’ and we felt that the Rebbe was giving his approval for the name.

“However, what really worried me was the content of the letter: My holy and revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, is getting better, and may Alm-ghty G-d literally give him a complete recovery and there should be fulfilled within him what is written, (T’hillim 55:19) ‘He redeemed my soul with peace, etc., because of the many [people who] were with me.’

“I read each line again and again, trying to understand the underlying meaning. The condition of our newborn child’s health was excellent, as we knew it to be at the time. He underwent all the preliminary examinations after his birth and the results were quite satisfactory. While I hoped that everything would continue in this manner, I had a terribly uneasy feeling in my heart.

“On Sunday, my wife and the baby were due to be sent home, but in accordance with standard procedure, the medical staff did some final routine tests.

“During these days leading up to the Pesach holiday, as we did every year, we initiated a major ‘Matza Campaign’ project in the various kindergartens and educational institutions throughout the neighborhood. Meanwhile, I continued shuttling between the hospital and our house, where I was watching the other children. Each day, I went around to several schools and kindergartens to bake matzos with the children, explaining to them the concept of chametz and matza.

“When a kindergarten teacher called and asked us to come to her school that Thursday, I tried to put her off. I told her that according to the expected schedule, the following morning, Friday, we would be making the bris mila of our newborn son, so I needed to be completely free on Thursday to organize the event. When the teacher tried to pressure me, I told her that if I saw that I could finish the preparations in time, I would update her. The coming days were filled with activities at various schools and kindergartens. When I finished speaking with the kindergarten teacher, I waited for a phone call from my wife, informing me when I should come to take her and the baby home from the hospital.

“While the phone eventually did ring, it was not with the news I had been hoping and longing to hear. Instead, my wife told me that one of the senior doctors in the hospital ward had just come and informed her that one of the routine tests had revealed something was amiss. They wanted her to remain in the hospital for another twenty-four hours while they conducted a more thorough examination of the child. In all honesty, we still didn’t quite understand the seriousness of the situation at that moment. We thought that everything would be all right and my wife could rest for another day without the need to reassume the burdens of the household.

“The following day, the department head himself informed us that a second and more intensive series of tests had supported their fears. However, they still didn’t want to sign off on such a critical diagnosis on their own. They wanted my wife to stay another day while they sent the test reports to another hospital for a second opinion. At this stage, the fear and anxiety began to intensify. I then recalled the content of the Rebbe’s letter on health matters and I realized that we hadn’t received such an answer for nothing. When we asked the doctors to explain the nature of the health problem, they made it clear that our baby’s life was in serious danger.

“What amazed us more than anything else was that while the doctors spoke about the child’s grave health problem, the baby remained active, sleeping and eating normally. I prayed that the second set of tests would produce good results and it would all turn out to be just a huge mistake. At the same time, we also honored our obligations to conduct Matza Campaign activities in local schools. Despite the situation, I simply couldn’t stop everything. I tried to leave my fears and concerns at the hospital and continued my work with Tzfas children, revealing to no one the flood of emotions and apprehension that was engulfing me.

“On Tuesday afternoon, I received a telephone call from my wife as I was surrounded by hundreds of wildly jumping children in the middle of our successful Pesach activities.

“I immediately heard a tinge of concern in her voice. She said that she had just been with the director of the children’s intensive care unit and he gave her the bad report. While he was prepared to authorize her release from the hospital, the baby would have to remain for close follow-up examinations. His condition was quite serious, and he would need a lifesaving operation as soon as possible. According to the head doctor, every day that passed without the child having the surgery increased the danger to his very life.

“I was disconsolate. My remaining hopes that this was all some bad dream seemed to shatter in the face of the head doctor’s declaration.”

MATZA – THE BREAD OF SALVATION

“At a moment of contemplation as I confronted this situation, I recalled a letter in Igros Kodesh that we read in shul, as we do every Shabbos. The message contained in the letter was most interesting. The Rebbe writes to someone who had written that he had difficulty in setting times for Gemara study. In his reply, the Rebbe stated that his hardships in learning would remove the difficulties in matters of parnasa and health.

“The answer was in Vol. 4, Letter #964: I acknowledge that you need to renew regular times for Gemara study, and while the worries and annoyances make the learning and comprehension more difficult, nevertheless, you continue learning because this is G-d’s Wisdom and Will, [thereby] removing the other worries and annoyances about parnasa and health.”

“I then recalled that I had turned down the kindergarten teacher who had asked us to do Matza Campaign activities on Thursday. Now, I saw things from an entirely different perspective. I made the effort to raise myself above all the difficulties and come to the kindergarten to conduct the pre-Pesach activities – despite everything – and in accordance with the standard set by the Rebbe, G-d would remove all worry from me over my infant son’s health. I didn’t waste any valuable time and immediately called the kindergarten teacher. We arranged that I would come to her school on Wednesday.

“On that Tuesday, we were busy distributing shmura matza to the families of Chabad friends and supporters. To become a ‘proper vessel to receive the bracha’, I purchased a large amount of matzos, far more than I had originally planned, and we gave them out to other families. Since I was very troubled by the situation, I called my father and shared with him what the doctors had told me. I asked him to write a letter to the Rebbe on our behalf in request of a bracha, and he soon got back to me with a clear and moving answer. In his reply, the Rebbe spoke about the tremendous merit in distributing shmura matza and its segula in matters of health.

“A meeting was scheduled for us that evening with the medical staff. After they explained the gravity of the situation, I told them that if our child’s condition is so serious, and more than two doctors have given the same diagnosis, they should not wait or postpone the surgery. Furthermore, if there is no date available for an immediate operation or a specialist in Tzfas to perform the procedure, I requested that they refer us to another hospital. One of the doctors spoke about a prominent specialist at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya who treats medical ailments of this type among children, and he suggested that we consult with her. The other staff members agreed with this suggestion and an appointment for an examination with this specialist was made for the following day in Nahariya. The surgery would be scheduled shortly thereafter.

“The next morning, accompanied by a nurse from the maternity ward, my wife traveled to the hospital in Nahariya. Honorable mention goes to its rav, Rabbi Shimon Gorelick, who was extremely helpful in arranging a warm welcome for us and primarily for his efforts in ensuring prompt treatment without the need for a long wait. While my wife waited for the specialist in Nahariya, I conducted activities at the kindergarten in Tzfas out of a deep sense of emuna that the difficulty in running this program would remove all worries and concerns we had regarding our child’s health.

“After an hour-long examination, the doctor informed my wife to her great surprise that she detects no health problem whatsoever. She reviewed the test results from the Sieff Medical Center in Tzfas again and again, and the doctor confirmed that they did show that there was a problem of some kind. However, according to this new test they had just made, they saw no signs of any infirmity. Based on the results of this examination, there was no need to perform an operation and the child could be released from the hospital.

“My wife was in total shock and this quickly turned into great joy and happiness. Needless to say, when my wife gave me the news, my heart was filled with a feeling of deep gratitude towards the Creator for the great miracle He had done for our child. That night, we sat down and wrote a letter to the Rebbe, thanking him for his brachos. The answer appeared in Vol. 12, pgs. 100-101:

“…And to conclude on a good note, in what he writes that they have called their newborn daughter by the name Bracha in a good and auspicious hour, may she be blessed, and may his involvement in the pure and holy education of Jewish children stand in his merit and his wife’s, sh’yichyu, to raise her to Torah, chuppa, and good deeds.”

“We read the answer and understood that there really is a connection between the Matza Campaign activities I fulfilled during the crucial moments of the second series of medical examinations and the positive results they produced. After consulting with two expert physicians who gave their consent for our son’s circumcision, the ceremony took place on that Friday morning as scheduled. The joy at the bris mila was great indeed, and we gave our son the name Yaakov Baruch – ‘Yaakov’ in connection with the Rebbe’s first letter, and ‘Baruch’ in light of the Rebbe’s most recent reply…”

A BLESSING FROM HEAVEN

While a few months have passed since this story took place, the feeling of deep emotion remains with Rabbi Harel. “People who hear the story ask me how I explain what happened. I reply that I really can’t explain it. The doctor in the Nahariya hospital told my wife that the results of the tests made on our child in Tzfas didn’t leave much alternative except for an immediate operation. How did this miracle happen? There is a G-d in the world, and there is a leader in the capital city – the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, whose brachos accompanied us every step of the way.”

Fortunate are we to be Chassidim.