DREAMING ABOUT A LETTER FROM BROOKLYN

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

She was forced to leave the home of her non-observant parents. She was raised in an ultra-Orthodox dormitory in Meia Sh’arim, but she abandoned everything and went out to explore the world. However, G-d eventually brought her back to the leader of the generation, and she received an abundance of blessings and spiritual guidance from him. It’s no wonder that when she gave birth to her daughter at a relatively advanced age, she added a “Hey” to her name as a sign of thanks to the Creator. This is the story of Mrs. Rachel Kolevsky from Kiryat Ata.

Each year, when registration begins for the daycare centers and kindergartens, parents rush to their respective municipalities and local councils. Mrs. Rachel Kolevsky from Kiryat Ata has been the registrar at the city’s department of education for many years. “While I am not a municipal employee,” she explains, “I get a telephone call each year from the city government just before the start of the registration period, asking me to accept the position.”

This year, as Rachel was walking through the hallways of the local community center where the registration takes place, she met Mrs. Shoshana Chazan, the person in charge of registering children for the city’s Chabad kindergartens. While there are often days when there’s a heavy workload, as many parents come to register their children, there are other times when things are a bit quieter, and the employees have a chance to exchange a few stories. One of the stories that Rachel told to her Chabad co-worker was an incredibly revealed miracle that she personally experienced with the Rebbe’s bracha. Rachel Kolevsky later told this story again to us, and we present it here to our readers.

SHE NEVER LOST HER BELIEF IN TZADDIKIM

“I was born in Yerushalayim to my non-Torah observant parents,” Mrs. Kolevsky began. “When I was still a young girl, they divorced, and for some reason, they chose to send me to an ultra-Orthodox dormitory operating in the city’s Meia Sh’arim neighborhood. I later heard from my father that the place had been recommended by a close friend of his. This drastic change was very difficult for me – transitioning from a life where everything was apparently permissible to one filled with laws and regulations. But what did I know anyway? I was only a little girl, and I tried to adapt to the situation as best I could.

“The biggest absurdity was what happened when my parents came to visit. There we were, girls dressed from head to toe, davening and studying about Yiras Shamayim and belief in tzaddikim, while my parents, coming from the outside world, brought an entirely different atmosphere with them. This conflict was one of the reasons why I eventually left a life of Torah and mitzvos, opting instead for the type of lifestyle and education that my parents truly wanted for me. Another factor that led to this decision was the inflexibility of the dormitory staff. They simply couldn’t understand our feelings and failed to recognize the emotional and spiritual conflict we were experiencing.

“I left the religious program, completely removed the yoke of Torah and mitzvos, and joined the army. Today, I realize that as much as I tried to run away from the path of Torah, I still adhered to certain modes of conduct and viewpoints based on emunas tzaddikim and other fundamentals of religious observance. When I was already in my mid-thirties, I finally got married to a man from Kiryat Ata, and I left Yerushalayim to make my home in the north.

“We were a very happy couple. Within a year of our wedding, our eldest daughter was born. Our joy knew no bounds, particularly in light of my relatively advanced age.

“Not long after the birth, I began to feel sharp abdominal pains. After a series of tests, the doctors discovered that I had a growth of an undetermined nature that had to be removed surgically. The hope was that everything would be restored to normal after the operation, but this was not the case. Months and even years passed, and we hadn’t been blessed with more children. I underwent several fertility treatments without success, and the doctors were rather pessimistic about my chances for conceiving again. When the surgeons had removed the cyst, an infection developed that created certain complications. As a result, the doctors explained, there was no possibility that I could ever become pregnant again.

“I’ll never forget the words of Dr. Pe’er, who told me that there was no chance whatsoever and I should simply forget about having more children. After a few more unsuccessful treatments, my husband and I were resigned to our fate of having only one biological child. We were naturally very upset, but we felt that there was nothing more anyone could do.

“Around this time, I met an acquaintance of mine, who saw my downcast expression and asked to know what the problem was. I proceeded to tell her about the doctors’ diagnosis and how I was having a hard time accepting their conclusion. She gave me a few words of encouragement, and told me not to give up so fast. She then recommended that I seek the advice of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

“While I had left the life of Torah and mitzvos in my youth, I still had a strong belief in tzaddikim. In addition, we had heard a great deal over the years about the Rebbe, his brachos, and his unique spiritual powers. Encouraged by my friend’s suggestion, I told her that I agreed to write a letter to the Rebbe. We decided not to waste any valuable time and immediately drove together to the home of the Rebbe’s shliach in Kiryat Ata, Rabbi Chaim Shlomo Diskin, to meet with his wife, Rochel. My friend explained that after we wrote the letter, Rebbetzin Diskin could send it via fax to the Rebbe’s office in Brooklyn. I happily consented.

“Rebbetzin Diskin greeted us warmly. After I told her about what I had gone through, my advanced age (thirty-six), and the doctors’ analysis, she told us to sit down and compose a letter to the Rebbe detailing the chain of events, and so we did.

“I left the Diskins’ home filled with confidence and a feeling that only good would come from this encounter. Without even waiting for a reply from the Rebbe, I headed straight for Rothschild Hospital and asked to begin another fertility treatment. Dr. Ivschitz, a prominent physician in the field, administered the treatment.

“A few days later, the Rebbe’s blessing arrived: ‘Bracha v’hatzlacha (blessing and success).’

“Shortly after receiving the Rebbe’s answer, I was informed that the treatment had been successful… I was positively overjoyed. Just a few weeks earlier, I was sure that I had about as much chance of conceiving again as I did to grow bananas out of the palm of my hand. Yet, the hospital had just told me quite clearly that I was pregnant. Four months later, while Dr. Ivschitz was conducting a follow-up examination, he raised the issue of a certain procedure that many medical experts recommended that I should do. He added, however, that he was personally inclined to oppose this procedure.

“He left me in a state of serious uncertainty, but he said that I had to decide what course to take. Now I knew whom to ask. I returned to the Diskins’ home and told the Rebbetzin about the new situation. We again wrote a letter to the Rebbe, and within a few days, I received a reply. The Rebbe said that despite the fact that numerous practitioners supported using this procedure, since the doctor in charge of my case does not share this view, it would be preferable if I took his advice. I decided to follow the Rebbe’s instructions, asking for a bracha to have an easy and normal birth. Needless to say, the Rebbe’s brachos accompanied me every step of the way.”

A FATHER WHO CARES ABOUT US

“Three months passed, and when I was already in my seventh month, I had a most amazing dream. To this day, I have no way to explain it. In my dream, I was leaving my house and heading towards my mailbox, when I saw that I had received a letter from the United States. I asked my husband, Eli, ‘Who would be sending us a letter from America? We have no family or friends there.’ I took the envelope and noticed that the letter was addressed to Rachel Kolevsky, but there was no name of the person who had sent it. We spent a while trying to think who could have sent us a letter from overseas, but we came up with nothing.

“When I woke up, I told my husband the whole story, but we both agreed that it was just some meaningless dream. Just two weeks later, I realized that we had been mistaken. In fact, we did have family in America, or to be more precise, a spiritual father who truly cares about us. I went down to check the mail, and I discovered that the Rebbe had sent me the following letter, dated the 20^th of Kislev, 5752: In reply to the notification about her condition, G-d Alm-ghty will properly complete the days of her pregnancy, and she shall have a proper and easy birth to a healthy child in its correct time. The Pan in the letter will be read at an auspicious time at the Tziyon of my holy and revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, of holy and righteous memory, whose soul rests in the treasures of Heaven, may his merit protect us.

“This letter really strengthened my faith. I felt that the Rebbe would be with me for the duration of the pregnancy. Every time that some problem arose, I would request and receive a bracha, and everything would work itself out.

“Towards the end of the eighth month, there was yet another amazing occurrence. The telephone in our house rang, and when I answered it, I realized that I was speaking with none other than the personal secretary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He informed me that the Rebbe had given me a bracha and there was nothing to worry about. He then suggested that when I go to the hospital, I should take the Rebbe’s letter with me as a segula for an easy birth.

“Less than twenty-four hours later, I was rushed to the delivery room. I lay there for a whole day as a long and complex process ensued. It was only then that I understood why the secretary had called to inform me that the Rebbe had said, ‘Everything will be all right.’ The letter was naturally in my bag, and everyone around me knew about my strong connection with the Rebbe. As the long day came to an end, our younger daughter was born, and we gave her the name Talia. At first, we were considering calling her Tal or Tali, but after all the brachos we had received, we added a letter ‘Hey’ to her name as a sign of thanks to the Creator.”

ALIVE IN 
THE REBBE’S MERIT

Mrs. Rachel Kolevsky concluded her story with much emotion. While it had been nearly twenty years since the events took place, they remain forever emblazoned in her memory. “Talia knows well how pivotal a role the Rebbe’s bracha played in her birth. When she became a bit older, we told her the whole story in great detail, and she is very proud of it. We recently traveled to Thailand and met with the Rebbe’s shluchim on Phuket Island. Despite the fact that she is not religious, she told them most proudly about her special connection with the Rebbe, in whose merit she was born and lives to this day.”