Release from the Pests
One Friday, when I lived in the Holy Land, I decided to pray at the grave of my friend, the Gaon, Rabbi Nissim Rebibo, zy”a. He is buried in the cemetery in Givat Shaul, Yerushalayim.
Suddenly, my cell phone rang.
Amid copious weeping, a woman from Brazil was frantically relating her terrible plight. Her husband had been kidnapped by Brazilian henchmen, who threatened to kill him if they didn’t come up with an exorbitant ransom. Wailing, she begged me to pray for him.
I blessed her husband that in my fathers’ merit, her husband would emerge safely from the hands of his captors, and I promised to pray for him.
It suddenly occurred to me that I was standing at the gravesite of the tzaddik named Nissim, which is the Hebrew word for miracles. Certainly, Hashem ordained that I should be here just now, as a sign that He would perform miracles on behalf of the captive in Brazil.
- The Torah authority, Maran, HaGaon Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, zt”l, with the dayan, Rabbi Nissim Rebibo, zy”a, in a yeshiva in Paris
Three months later, the man returned home safely.
I had the merit, together with the rabbanim of San Paulo, to take part in a seudat hodayah to celebrate this man’s deliverance. During the course of the meal, the man related the details of his captivity. His story made a strong impact on the listeners.
He said that he had been shoved into a tiny room, together with watchmen who were armed to the teeth. Thoughts of escaping alive did not even enter his mind. The stifling room reeked of a repugnant odor, and swarms of mosquitoes hovered over his head. This man, who had lived the pampered life of the wealthy, could not tolerate his deplorable conditions. But most of all, the mosquitoes drove him to desperation. He fervently prayed to Hashem to protect him from being stung by them.
Wonder of wonders! The mosquitoes buzzed near him, as they did across the entire room, but they did not touch him. Even though he had not showered in a long time, and normally he would have attracted all sorts of vermin, the bugs kept away from him. The others in the room, though, were bitten to pieces.
When the watchmen realized that the Jew was protected from the insects, they asked him about it. He replied, in all simplicity, that he had prayed for protection and was answered.
They, too, prayed for protection from the myriad mosquitoes. But, obviously, Hashem did not accede to the request of these blood-suckers. They continued to be pricked unpityingly.
After his release, the man hurried to publicize his story of hashgachah pratit, in order to cause a kiddush Hashem.
Of course, there will always be naysayers. Cynics heard his story and claimed that he obviously had the type of blood that repels mosquitoes. In order to prove them wrong, he related that the night after he was liberated, he was stung by many mosquitoes.
Everyone finally admitted that it was his simple faith which saved him from being bitten. In the merit of turning directly to Hashem with his request, he received a special dose of Heavenly intervention, which saved him from indescribable suffering.
This story touched me deeply. I told the man the following: It is known that immediately before the Exodus from Egypt, during the Plague of the Firstborn, Hashem skipped over the homes of Bnei Yisrael and killed only the firstborn of the Egyptians. In this manner, He proved to all that He is in charge.
In a similar vein, Hashem showed everyone that He manages everything by allowing the insects to sting only the oppressors, skipping over him. In this manner, He prepared him for his exodus to liberation.
