Seeing the Light
When I was receiving people in the institution Yad Avraham, in New York, I was approached by a man who was in need of eye surgery. This man was most scrupulous in Torah observance and set aside time each morning to learn the Daf Hayomi, a practice he never missed. He asked for a blessing that the operation be successful.
I replied, “One who uses his eyes to learn Gemara every day, prays as he should, and fulfills mitzvot cannot possibly lose his power of sight. He needs his vision to serve Hashem properly.” I placed my hands over his eyes and told him he had nothing to be afraid of.
A few months passed, and I met the man again. He asked if I remembered his situation.
I answered yes, and he continued, “Does the Rav remember placing his hands over my eyes?”
Again, I replied yes. Then he related, with evident excitement, “Immediately before the surgery, the doctor checked me again. To my utter surprise, he notified me that my eyes are completely healthy, and there was no need for an operation. The doctor was in a state of shock and asked how I cured myself.”
This man’s words moved me. I said to him, “It was not my hands which delivered your salvation, but the pages of Gemara which you cherish and learn consistently. Hashem alone healed your eyes. I, too, like the doctor, have no rational explanation for what occurred. I have no doubt that the holy Torah is what brought about your complete recovery.”
