A Life-altering Name
I share a close relationship with Mr. Rosenthal, may Hashem preserve him. He is very helpful in many areas and supports our institutions. May Hashem send him blessing and success in all his endeavors.
Every year, in the month of Elul, I travel with a group to the graves of the tzaddikim in the Ukraine. There, we recite Selichot together, asking for a good new year. After this journey of a few days, we make our way to the grave of the tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a, on the 26th of Elul, in Essaouira, Morocco.
- In the Ukraine, at the grave of the Maggid MiMezritch, zy”a
One year, Mr. Rosenthal joined us. Before we reached our destination in the Ukraine, he turned to me and said, “Baruch Hashem, I merited doing teshuvah, and I am very happy about that, but I would be so grateful if the Rav would pray for a certain relative and her husband, that they, too, merit doing teshuvah.” He added that I should please do all in my power to bring them back to the fold. I immediately blessed them as he asked. I said that when I would meet them, I would be most happy to convince them to come back to their roots. Hashem would put the right words into my mouth, and they would reach their target.
After some time, I was seeing people in this couple’s hometown. Mr. Rosenthal brought the couple to see me.
“Why are you here?” I asked, after they made themselves comfortable across from me.
“We don’t really know. Mr. Rosenthal insisted that we come; that is why we are here.”
I asked if everything was fine in their daily lives, and they responded in the affirmative.
I was at a loss. How should I enter into an in-depth discussion which would result in a life transformation? I offered up a prayer to Hashem to help me say the right thing.
Suddenly, without intention, the name of a woman who had visited earlier that day, asking for a blessing for recovery, came out of my mouth. She had a distinct Spanish name which is very difficult to pronounce, but it came out of my mouth with ease and precision.
The couple turned to one another with shocked looks. What was the Rav’s motive in mentioning this name? I repeated the difficult-to-pronounce name. Then I saw the look of fright on their faces. “Why does this name scare you?” I asked.
“The woman whom you mentioned has been embittering our life for years.” The woman began. “We suffer greatly from her and have untold anguish due to her deeds. How did the Rav know that she causes us so much suffering? How was the Rav able to pronounce her name?”
I immediately realized that siyata di’Shemaya allowed me to crack an opening into their hearts. Now it was up to me to keep my word and bring them back. “I promise you that if you resolve to keep mitzvot such as taharat hamishpachah and Shabbat observance, this woman will never harass you again.”
The couple accepted my instructions. Within a few days, Mr. Rosenthal was at my door. He related with wonder that this couple made a complete turnaround in their lives. Baruch Hashem, they were in the process of teshuvah.
I was extremely happy to hear this and thanked Hashem for the amazing siyata di’Shemaya which was sent to me, causing me to bring them back from their wayward ways.
