Hope
Amongst The Ashes
By Sholom Kramer
Three
girls were involved in a discussion. It was two against one.
"What
for?" asked Orna, "How will it help us?"
"What
do you care," insisted Molly. "It will take just five minutes, and if
it doesn’t help it certainly can’t hurt."
"But
it just doesn’t feel right to me," said Yafit uncomfortably. "All
this mystic mumbo-jumbo doesn’t suit me."
"First
of all, it isn’t mysticism. And second of all, how do you know it doesn’t
suit you? Have you ever tried it?" Molly asked, doing her best to sound
convincing.
"Okay,
let’s go," Yafit conceded. "But I don’t want them to confuse me.
First I want to watch and listen, and only then make a decision."
Molly,
a resident of Rechovot, had been involved with the Chabad House for a few years.
She wrote letters to the Rebbe through the Igros Kodesh, and now she
wanted her friends to write, too. The three girls, who had just graduated
teachers’ college, went to the Borochov’s to write a letter to the Rebbe and
to ask for a bracha for a shidduch.
Mrs.
Borochov warmly greeted the threesome, and after inviting them in, she sat down
and began patiently explaining to the two new girls about the Igros Kodesh and
how one can ask the Rebbe for a bracha.
"I
have a problem," Yafit spoke up hesitantly. "My parents were in a bad
car accident. My father injured his spine and he’s in a wheelchair. He took it
very hard. He can’t understand how G-d could do this to someone. His emuna
is weak and he has stopped observing even basic mitzvos."
"Tell
him what you heard here," suggested Mrs. Borochov. "Tell him about the
Rebbe and about the Igros Kodesh and convince him to write to the Rebbe."
"It
won’t help," said Yafit shaking her head. "Lots of people tried
talking to him, but nothing has worked. He doesn’t even want to listen
anymore."
Mrs.
Borochov thought for a moment and then said, "I have the first article that
was written in the secular newspapers about Igros Kodesh. Give it to him
– maybe that will convince him."
"I
know my parents," sighed Yafit. "They really aren’t open to
listening."
"If
you see that they are unwilling to read the article," said Mrs. Borochov,
"just leave it out on the table. Who knows? Maybe they’ll pick it up and
read it, and be convinced."
Yafit
agreed and took the article.
*
* *
Mrs.
Borochov looked for the happy bride, Molly, in order to bless her. A feeling of
satisfaction and happiness engulfed her. This was the third wedding in half a
year. The three girls who had come to her six months ago asking for a bracha
for a shidduch had found their matches and two of them had married
already. Now it was the turn of the third girl, the one who had convinced the
others to ask the Rebbe for his bracha.
She
caught sight of the kalla sitting in her special chair. One of her
friends was whispering in her ear. The kalla laughed and the friend
picked up her head. Her eyes met Mrs. Borochov’s, who tried to remember how
she knew the girl.
"Hello,
Mrs. Borochov, how are you?" The girl didn’t notice Mrs. Borochov’s
hesitation and went over to her with a big smile.
"Baruch
Hashem, I’m terrific," said Mrs. Borochov, "but maybe you can
remind me..."
"Of
course. I’m Yafit Cohen."
Mrs.
Borochov instantly remembered her and said, "Oh, yes! Is there any good
news about your parents?"
"No,
nothing happened," answered Yafit.
*
* *
But
who would have known what was about to occur.
It
started like an ordinary fire. A field of thorns began to burn, moving on to
some trees and then the news was out that the Karmel forests were burning. The
firemen said there was nothing to worry about. "Within a day it will be
under control," they said. But they were wrong. They underestimated the
power of the blaze.
The
wind quickly fanned the flames, pushing them further and further. The fire
spread to forests, fields, vineyards, and even to yishuvim in the area.
Tons of water was poured and hundreds of people were called into action. The
firemen used helicopters, trucks, hoses, and anything that could help them, but
the raging fire seemed to mock their efforts, advancing acre by acre, field by
field.
The
residents of Yishuv A, where Yafit’s parents lived, were not worried. The
firemen explained to them that the fire was not heading in their direction and
that there was no reason for fear. So when they saw the curtain of flames a few
meters away from their yishuv, it was with utter shock. People began
dashing from their houses to their cars, trying to load their vehicles with
whatever they could salvage.
The
fire raged on at a murderous pace to engulf the first house, then the next. The
people were stunned by the destruction. Only a miracle from Heaven could save
them.
Then
the helicopters came. It wasn’t a supernatural miracle, but they did come from
heaven and managed to rescue all 700 people of the yishuv. The fire
persisted the whole day, and only on the following day could the residents
return to their burned homes and try to save what remained.
When
Yafit Cohen’s parents returned to their home, they were in shock. All the
other houses affected by the fire had been partially burned. Even badly burned
homes still had something left. But their home was completely gone! All that
remained was a pile of ashes at their feet.
With
tears of pain and despair blurring her vision, Yafit’s mother tried to sift
through the ashes, hoping that perhaps something remained. Suddenly she noticed
something... her eyes widened in amazement, in utter disbelief. It was a piece
of paper, the article her daughter had given her about the Igros Kodesh,
which she had refused to look at. The article was the sole possession remaining
after the fire. Even the table it had rested on was no more.
She
bent down and with trembling hands she removed the paper from the ashes, shook
it off, and there in the midst of the destruction, she began to read. At first
the tears continued to flow. They dripped on the paper and dampened it. When she
finished reading it her eyes were dry. The pain and anguish had dissipated and a
feeling of excitement overtook her. A ray of hope had broken through.
*
* *
Mrs.
Cohen told Mrs. Borochov about everything that had happened to her and her
husband. When she finished her tale of woe, she said, "The truth is, I wasn’t
so sure whether to call you... I didn’t know what to do and then I remembered
that my daughter had mentioned you, so I decided to give you a call."
"You
did the right thing!" said Mrs. Borochov. "Now go get your husband and
bring him over. We have a lot to talk about."
"What
did you say?"
"Just
get into a car and come over," repeated Mrs. Borochov. When she realized
that Mrs. Cohen was still wavering, she began telling one miracle story after
another that happened through the Igros Kodesh. Mrs. Cohen decided to pay
a visit during Chanuka.
At
the appointed time, the Cohens went to the Borochov’s house, where they met a
woman who had a story of her own. She told them that she recently had been
diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her brain, but after she asked the Rebbe for
a bracha through the Igros Kodesh, the tumor disappeared.
Fortified
by this story, the couple sat down with Rabbi and Mrs. Borochov. When Mr. Cohen
had a better understanding of the Igros Kodesh, he approached the
bookcase, removed volume ten at random, and opened it to two letters on pages
306-307. The second letter was a letter of consolation to the residents of Kfar
Chabad after the terrible tragedy in which five Tmimim had been murdered.
The
Rebbe consoles the settlers by quoting the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, and
the Tzemach Tzedek about the order in the midas ha’rachamim. First
there is the midas ha’din (judgment, severity) and only thereafter is
there rachamim (mercy). All three of the Rebbeim refer to a fire. The
quote from the Alter Rebbe mentions that wealth comes after a fire. The quote
from the Mitteler Rebbe states that although certain people were planning to
move because of a fire, he didn’t think it was a good idea, because in the
place where the fire was Hashem would surely send His blessings. The quote from
the Tzemach Tzedek refers to acquiring wealth after a fire and discusses
rebuilding a house.
Then
Rabbi Borochov read the first letter, which ends on the adjoining page just
before the second letter. Quoting from the page before, which ends, "it is
not right," the next page continues, "to move because of the incident,
because it is specifically there that G-d will command His blessing and mercy,
an inheritance without limitations."
Mr.
Cohen’s jaw dropped. "How can that be?" he mumbled in amazement.
"I didn’t tell a soul! How did he know?"
"What
happened?" asked Rabbi Borochov.
"After
the fire we brought a claim to the administration of the yishuv and asked
them to pay us for the damage we suffered from the fire. But they refused. They
weren’t even willing to listen. After so many years of living and working
together, their outright refusal hurt and angered us. We were planning to leave
the yishuv, but we didn’t discuss our plans with anyone, not even with
our daughter. And here the Rebbe seems to have read our thoughts, and he is
telling us not to move! It’s just incredible!"
"The
Rebbe often said that kosher mezuzos and t’fillin serve as
protection," said Rabbi Borochov, trying to strike while the iron was hot.
"Maybe you should check your t’fillin and mezuzos."
Mr.
Cohen agreed to let Rabbi Borochov check them. Rabbi Borochov went with them to
the temporary dwelling the government had provided for them, and just as he
suspected, the mezuzos and t’fillin were pasul (unfit).
He made another trip to get them kosher t’fillin and mezuzos.
Some
time later, Rabbi Borochov was asked to farbreng in a non-Chabad yeshiva.
He was happy to have the opportunity to do hafatzas ha’maayanos, and farbrenged
with the students for hours, explaining about the Igros Kodesh. Among
other stories, he mentioned this story about the Cohens.
The
rabbanim and talmidim listened intently; but one of the rabbanim
appeared to be indifferent. After the farbrengen that rav approached
him; Rabbi Borochov was sure an argument was brewing. To his pleasant surprise,
the man said: "I know that story about the fire. I hadn’t heard the part
about the Igros Kodesh, but as a neighbor of the Cohens, I can add a few
details to the story.
"The
fact that their house burned down was most unnatural. The fire stopped four
houses away from theirs, and then inexplicably jumped the four houses and landed
on their house. It was as though Hashem wanted to give them a push. As far as
what it said in the Igros Kodesh, everything the Rebbe said was
fulfilled. The director of the yishuv accepted all their claims, down to
the tiniest detail, and they got whatever they claimed!"
(The
real names, other than Borochov, which is genuine, are known to the author.)
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