Recovering Her Faith
Mr. Kimchazi, z”l, once asked that I bless his son with children, in the merit of my ancestors. “Honored Rav,” he said, “my son and daughter-in-law are not Torah-observant. I think that by fulfilling this desire for a child, Hashem will show them His might. Maybe that will bring them back to Him in teshuvah.”
Of course, I blessed them warmly. They merited having a baby girl, but she was very ill and lay in the hospital in critical condition. The mother could not stand by, watching her child so sick, and began speaking derogatorily about Hashem, showing ingratitude for the wonderful gift of a child. When he saw his daughter-in-law speaking this way, Mr. Kimchazi came to see me again.
“It is very painful to hear how she speaks. Had I known that because of this child, my daughter-in-law would deny Hashem like this, I would never have asked for her to have children. Now that she has a baby girl, I ask the Rav to sanctify Hashem’s Name by praying for a miracle. This will surely convince her that there is a living G-d!”
He wept bitter tears, and I truly felt that his sole intention was to glorify Hashem’s Name in the world. I told him, “If it is your only desire to cause a kiddush Hashem, I am certain Hashem will accept your prayers and the girl will be completely cured.”
A medical miracle indeed occurred. The girl recovered completely. Her mother, too, admitted that a hand stronger than her own had brought the girl out of her condition. She strengthened her mitzvah observance. As Mr. Kimchazi had wanted, a great kiddush Hashem ensued.
