Weekly Chasidic Story #1322 (5783-29) 19 Nissan 5783 (April 10, 2023) Last Week

"Children of Silence"

The best doctors in Israel all agreed that the problem was not physical, but psychological. Their son's death had been so traumatic that her body had shut down in response.

Connection: The main part of the story takes place on the festival of "Seventh Day of Passover

Story in PDF file for more convenient printing

Children of Silence

Ten years had passed since that fateful night, yet barely a day went by that Reuven Attias didn't vividly recall the events, if only for a moment. Sitting at the dinner table with his four children, his wife serving their favorite dish - hot dogs and fries with ketchup. Suddenly, in the middle of the meal, Reuven's four-year old son, Yaakov froze. His eyes bulged, his hands shot out, knocking over his cup of water, his throat emitted gaging sounds as his face turned white, then blue. He was choking on a piece of hot dog!

Neither Reuven nor his wife knew what to do. Reuven grabbed the phone and dialed 102, the emergency number in Israel, while his wife screamed and grabbed their son, shaking him violently. She opened his mouth, she slapped him on his back-to no avail. Within minutes, the child had collapsed in her arms.

It seemed like an infinity passed before the emergency medical workers [Hatzalah] burst through their front door with their life-saving equipment. But, to the family's shock, the paramedics, too, were helpless. There was nothing they could do but wait even longer for the ambulance to arrive.

Yaakov was rushed to the Poriya Medical Center, just outside Tiberias, yet to the family's profound distress, even the emergency room workers couldn't save him. Shortly after he reached the hospital, little Yaakov passed away.

The tragedy poured over the Attias family like molten lead, plunging them into deep depression for years. And even when the cloud of grief finally lifted, its dark shadow remained. Reuven's wife, Esther, had become barren, leaving them bereft of the hope of having more children. The best doctors in Israel all agreed that the problem was not physical, but psychological. Yaakov's death had been so traumatic that her body had simply shut down in response. She could not conceive, nor was it clear if she would ever be able to do so again.

"Friends! " The voice of the speaker jarred Reuven Attias out of his thoughts. He looked around the synagogue, and then to the front of the room. Rabbi David Ohana, Rabbi of the Heichal Aharon Synagogue in Tiberias, was delivering a drasha [sermon] between the afternoon and evening prayers.

"Gentlemen! Today is Shevi'i Shel Pesach- the seventh and last day of Passover [in Israel] . In another few minutes, the holiday will be over and we will be entering the period when we focus on the mitzvah of Sefirat ha'Omer . [1] This is a propitious time to work on our ourselves. To learn Pirkei Avot [2] and improve our midot [character traits]."

Rabbi Ohana continued his drasha. He spoke of the importance of good manners, of being patient and forbearing, of speaking gently and not responding angrily when insulted.

"Let me tell you an amazing story that I recently heard. There was a young couple who had been married for many years, but were unable to have children. They went to every doctor in Israel, they got blessings from Rabbis, visited kivrei Tzaddikim [gravesites of pure, righteous Jews], but nothing helped."

Reuven Attias's ears suddenly perked up as the rabbi continued the tale.

"Finally, they went to a leading sage in Bnei Brak, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. 'I give you my blessing,' R. Chaim told them. 'But it may not help. If you want a truly effective blessing, then take my advice. Chazal [our sages] say, "kol hama'avir al midotav ma'avirin lo al kol pisha'av"-' if a person forgives insults directed at him, the heavenly court overlooks his own transgressions.'

"'That is, if you see a person who has been insulted but doesn't respond, who keeps silent though he has been wrongly shamed, ask him for a blessing. That person has been forgiven for all his sins. He is a tzaddik in G-d's eyes and is a channel of blessing in the world.'

"The couple wanted to take R. Chaim's advice," R. Ohana continued. "But, really, friends, how often does that happen? Have you ever come across an argument in which one side doesn't respond, even a little? Not only that, such a thing can't be planned. You can't tell your friend, 'Let me insult you and you keep quiet so that you can bless me.'"

"So, while the couple appreciated R. Chaim's words, they couldn't imagine how they would fulfill them. "Two weeks later, however, the husband was at a wedding of an old acquaintance when an argument broke out at one of the tables. Several people ganged up on one of the guests with real vindictiveness. They cursed him, they insulted him, they degraded him before the entire wedding party. And that man-he didn't say anything. His face was red with shame, but he kept his mouth shut.

"When the husband saw what was happening, he immediately recalled R. Chaim's words. He ran to the man's side and whispered to him. 'I'm sorry for what just happened, but, please, please, give me a blessing for a child. My wife and I have never had children.'

"The man, who was obviously a humble person to begin with and doubtless felt even worse now, at first declined. 'Who am I to give blessings?' he replied. 'I'm not a tzaddik…'

"But the husband persisted. 'Please, I beg of you, bless me to have a son!'

"Finally, the man relented. 'Alright. G-d should bless you with a son and fulfill all of your deepest wishes for the good.'

"'Amen!' the husband declared loudly.

"Friends! Can you believe it?" concluded R. Ohana. "Exactly one year later, that young man made a brit mila [circumcision ceremony] for his first child. That is the power of keeping silent in the face of insults!"

R. Ohana had barely finished his sentence, when the door of the beit knesset [shul] swung open wide and a young Chabad chasid burst into the room. Full of joy and enthusiasm, he held up a box of matzaoh and a bottle of wine.

"Gentlemen!" he declared with excitement. "Pesach is almost over. There's still time to eat some matzah while it's still a mitzvah! Come, everyone, let's wash and make a l'chaim! It's Seudat HaMoshiach- the 'Meal of the Messiah!'"

His enthusiasm, sadly, was not contagious. While several members of the congregation murmured disapprovingly, one of them jumped to his feet and started yelling at him:

"Chutzpan, Rasha! You're interrupting the Rabbi's drasha. How dare you barge in here with your nonsense! Who needs you? Get out of here! You're disgusting!"

The young man fell silent. He turned white, then red. He had meant well and now his face burned with shame. But without saying a word, he lowered his head and turned and left the synagogue.

Reuven Attias watched the scene unfold in disbelief. "Did you see what just happened?" he whispered excitedly to his friend, Chananya Lugasi. "That boy didn't respond. It's just like the story the Rav told us! I don't believe it! I'm going out there to get a blessing."

Reuven rose and quickly left the synagogue. The young chasid was still standing outside. His eyes were red with tears.

"Please," Reuven implored the boy, "Give me a blessing for a son."

"A blessing?" he repeated. "I can't give blessings. I'm not anybody special. Only the Rebbe can give blessings."

"Please," Reuven Attias begged again. "My wife has not had a child in years."

The young man was silent. Then, taking one of Reuven's hands in his own, he said warmly, "May Hashem bless you with all good things, and may he bless you with a son."

"Amen!" answered Reuven, fervently.

"Amen," said the boy, who then turned and walked away into the growing darkness.

Reuven Attias reentered the beit knesset. "I got a blessing," he whispered to Chanaya. "B'ezrat Hashem [with G-d's help]," his friend whispered back.

One year later, on the Seventh day of Pesach, Reuven Attias and his wife brought their newborn son into the brit of Avraham Aveinu. They named him David, after Rabbi David Ohana, whose speech Reuven had heard that same day, exactly one year before.
~~~~~~~~~~
Source : "Meeting Elijah" by R. Eliezer Shore. (Slightly modified by Yerachmiel Tilles.)
Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore currently lives in Jerusalem, where he works as an author, Torah teacher and storyteller. The above story, which he heard from R. Chananya Lugasi [who is mentioned in the story], appears in his book, Meeting Elijah: True Tales of Eliyahu Hanavi, available from Amazon. To receive more of Shore's stories through email, please go to: Meeting Elijah Sign-up) .

Connection: The main part of the story takes place on the festival of "Seventh Day of Passover."

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[1] Counting each night with a blessing the fifty days from the second night of Passover until the festival of Shavuot.
[2] The only one of the 63 tractates of the Mishna devoted solely to ethical considerations.

Yerachmiel Tilles is co-founder and associate director of Ascent-of-Safed, and chief editor of this website (and of KabbalaOnline.org). He has hundreds of published stories to his credit, and many have been translated into other languages. He tells them live at Ascent nearly every Saturday night.

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