A Viable Vessel
A woman came to me numerous times, each time relating a different problem which troubled her. She constantly asked for my blessings to be spared from her difficulties. I wondered to myself: “What is causing her so many problems?” I began investigating this woman’s lifestyle and discovered that she was steeped in sin, rachmana litzlan. […]
A Prayer in Purity
The following incident happened to me on Yom Kippur, the awesome Day of Atonement. It taught me an invaluable lesson about the wonderful gift of teshuvah. On Yom Kippur Eve, a man joined our prayers at the yeshivah in Lyon. Throughout the day, he stood in devout prayer before Hashem. Toward the end of the […]
Teshuvah
“When you are in distress and all these things have befallen you, at the end of days, you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and hearken to His voice” ^(Devarim 4:30) &“You will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and listen to His voice, according to everything that I command you today, you and your children, […]
Shackled to Mitzvot
SThe following touching letter arrived at our office in Tishrei 2011, about one week after the incident described: To Moreinu v’Rabbeinu, Hagaon Hatzaddik, shlita, peace unto you! Baruch Hashem, I am filled with thanks to Hashem, Who has done and continues to do miracles for me. The statement “Hashem’s salvation is in the blink of […]
In the Heat of the Moment
One extremely hot morning in the Beit Hakeneset named after Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a, in Los Angeles, the air-conditioning suddenly came to a halt. The heat began spreading through my body, and I felt the air leave my lungs. I decided to step outside to inhale some fresh air. Suddenly, a man passed by on […]
Soaring above Nature at the Airport
A man related that when traveling abroad, he once forgot his bag at the airport, and with it, his tefillin. As soon as he realized he was missing his tefillin, he hurried to retrace his steps. But he was too late. The abandoned bag aroused the suspicion of the security personnel. They summoned the police, […]
Ties of Thanksgiving
Venezuela, the land of tropical rainforests and hurricanes. Countless accidents result from the frequent storms and avalanches. Homes and trees are entirely uprooted. Tornadoes rip apart anything in their way, wreaking complete destruction. It is life-threatening to be found in the eye of a storm. A man once related that he was miraculously spared twice […]
Arming Himself with Tefillin
A man once told me he had dreamed an unnerving dream. He dreamed that his left arm was amputated and he remained with only one arm. It crossed my mind that this man was not strict with the mitzvah of tefillin, which one is commanded to wear on his left arm. I asked him about […]
The Protective Shield of Tefillin
My personal doctor, Dr. Eliyahu Bismuth, told me that he once met a fellow physician who confided in him that he had been diagnosed with an unusual and serious case of cancer. Dr. Bismuth realized that nothing short of prayer would bring this man salvation. He therefore asked him, “Do you wear tefillin each morning?” […]
With Bonds of Love
During a trip to New York, Mr. Diamond approached me and related that he suffered a serious eye disease, which had no known cure. It left him blind in both eyes. “Do you lay tefillin daily?” I asked. He replied in the negative. I then quoted to him the pesukim which discuss tzitzit and tefillin. […]
Tefillin
“And it shall be for you a sign on your arm and a reminder between your eyes – in order that Hashem’s Torah may be in your mouth – for with a strong hand Hashem took you out of Egypt” ^(Shemot 13:9) “Bind them as a sign upon your arm and they shall be ornaments […]
A Fine Time for Prayer
The account of the following incident made its way to our office in France and caused tremendous chizuk among all who read it: My name is Jonathan A. I am thirty years old and live in Drancy, Paris. I work for a huge firm called Generali, which is divided up into various departments. Altogether, this […]
