Growth in Torah
Mr. Avitan once entered our yeshiva in Lyon with a most pained expression on his face. He promised to arrange a seudah in the merit of the tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a. When I asked him to explain, he told me the following frightening story. His baby was suffering from a brain tumor, which necessitated surgery. Since operations on the head are complex, and the tumor was in a sensitive spot, the doctors did not have much faith in the success of the surgery, but since it was the child’s only hope for survival, they agreed to do it.
Mr. Avitan arrived in order to pray and arouse the merit of the tzaddikim, zy”a, so that his son should emerge healthy from this complicated procedure.
I advised Mr. Avitan to add to his daily learning regimen, as a zechut for the well-being of his baby. He should undertake these additional hours even after his son would recover, B’ezrat Hashem, so that he would not need a wake-up call from Heaven. He accepted my words unquestioningly.
On the day of the scheduled surgery, more x-rays were taken to confirm the condition of the growth, but, to everyone’s surprise, there was no growth at all! In shock, the doctors turned to Mr. Avitan, asking him if he had a rational explanation for this. He did not hesitate for a moment in his response: “What you find difficult to do, Hashem accomplishes, in the merit of Torah study and the tzaddikim who are no longer here.”
Mr. Avitan was transformed by this incident. He threw himself completely into the world of Torah and made a name for himself as a notable Rav. In Paris, his daily shiurim have become legendary, and he brings zechut to the public with his Torah knowledge.
