Forewarned Is Forearmed
An elderly Jew once came to me with his married daughter. He asked for a blessing in a specific area. During the course of the conversation, I asked the woman if she observed the laws of taharat hamishpachah.
In response to her negative reply, I rebuked her, “A woman who keeps the laws of family purity is protected from cancer of the womb. Even medical experts admit to this.”
“Why is the Rav mentioning this? Is your purpose to scare me?”
When she left my office, she took a quick survey of the women waiting outside my door. “Does the Rav scare all of his petitioners in this way?” she queried.
“The Rav always encourages observance of taharat hamishpachah,” they answered. “But he never talks about cancer of the womb. Why should he mention it unnecessarily?”
Upon hearing that she had been singled out with this warning, the woman became even more afraid than before. She realized that the Rav’s words contained a message especially for her.
She immediately had tests done. To her utter shock, the doctors found the beginning of a growth in her womb.
Needless to say, this woman undertook to keep the halachot of taharat hamishpachah in every detail. Her growth disappeared.
