FROM THE CAVE OF ELIYAHU TO BEIS CHAYEINU

At the end of that rainy night, he left the psychiatric ward and his legs quickly brought him to Ma’arat Eliyahu, on the outskirts of Haifa, to offer his fervent prayers. He was surprised to find the gate closed and even more amazed to meet an elderly woman who suddenly appeared and referred him to the Lubavitcher Rebbe to ask for his bracha. An incredible story as told by Mr. Chaim Yamin

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

LEFT: the Rebbe’s letterThe Yamin family emigrated to Eretz Yisroel from Baghdad at the start of the fifties. As with many immigrants in those days, the Yamin family went through a series of hardships and difficulties in the transit camps and other temporary dwellings until they finally established their permanent home in Kiryat Yam. One family member, Mr. Chaim Yamin, took up residence in nearby Haifa’s ‘Bat Galim’ neighborhood, where his wife’s parents lived. For many years, he has made his living in stage lighting. A few years ago, he completed nearly thirty years with the Haifa Theatre; today he works as an independent contractor.

Chaim is a very warmhearted, modest, and humble Jew, filled with tremendous faith in G-d. He isn’t the type who likes to stand out, nor did he ask for the spotlight – despite the fact that this was his area of expertise… However, if you ask him about the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, he immediately becomes excited as there are enough words he could sing in praise of him.

The shluchim in his neighborhood, Rabbi and Mrs. Yishai Kali, heard the reason for this great appreciation of the Rebbe for the first time when they came to the Yamin home to speak with Chaim and his wife, Dorit, about the Laws of ‘Family Purity.’ It turned out that the head of the family had experienced a Heavenly-inspired story that occurred with the Rebbe’s bracha.

FRAGMENTS OF DEATH EVERYWHERE

When we asked to hear the story from a first-hand source, Chaim happily agreed to take off from his busy schedule and speak with us. His tone of voice was very emotional. Clearly, the events from those days have remained deeply embedded in his memory. Our conversation periodically had to stop as his throat choked with tears.

“My brother Yechezkel enlisted in the army with the Golani Brigade in the mid-fifties. During the brigade’s period of training, a grenade exploded near several of the soldiers, including my brother. The wounds suffered were serious and complex. He was transported to the hospital in serious condition, and he lay there unconscious for several days. There were periods of improvement and decline in his medical condition. Naturally, the family remained at his bedside, praying from the depth of their hearts for a miraculous recovery.

“Finally, through the Divine kindnesses of Alm-ghty G-d, he regained consciousness and began a lengthy and exhausting period of rehabilitation. The grenade had caused injuries to literally every part of his body, from his head to his feet and through his back. Plates were inserted in his legs. Shell fragments had penetrated all of his limbs, and he underwent an extended series of operations to remove them. He was given disability insurance from the Defense Ministry, and even after his release from the hospital he was under constant observation. Periodically, he had to go in for additional surgery to remove more fragments.

“There was one fragment that the doctors advised not to remove. This fragment, slightly more than a centimeter in size, was located behind his eye. The doctors explained that an operation in such a place could pose a serious danger, and they suggested that he could live without removing the fragment. He agreed, and life continued as normal for several years. While the effect of the fragment was apparent to those standing near him, as there was slight swelling around the point of entry, if you didn’t look closely, you wouldn’t notice a thing.

“The years passed, and then one day, it began to bother him. The swelling grew, the foreign object developed an inflammation, and his head began to hurt. After consultation with the doctors, it was decided to perform surgery.

“The operation took place at Haifa’s Rambam Hospital near our home. It was a difficult and complex surgical procedure, but the doctors said it had been a success. The fragment was removed and the wound was bandaged and began to heal. The extended family was happy and relieved. We thought that we had come to the end of the crisis.”

AN UNEXPECTED DECLINE

“Just a week after the operation, our family started to feel that his emotional state was deteriorating, and things were not the way they should be. It got progressively worse, to the point that he didn’t even want to see members of his immediate family. We were seized with terror. If we had thought that his mental condition was in decline but he would soon come back to himself, we were quickly proven wrong. His nerves were shot, and we realized that we had to provide him with professional help. His emotional state kept the whole family in limbo. This was a very difficult situation that I wouldn’t wish upon any family.

“Naturally, when we saw his condition getting worse, as he cried and wailed for us to keep his wife and children away and not let them see him in such a state, we decided to bring him back to the hospital. At first we thought that these were just symptoms connected with a previous surgical procedure. However, after a brief examination, the doctors informed us that he was suffering from a serious nervous breakdown. Apparently, all the events over the past years from his injury until the last operation had taken their toll. He was transferred to the psychiatric ward.

“I spent that first night near his hospital bed. I saw his suffering and felt confused and upset. I didn’t know what to do, where to turn, or how I could possibly help him. Gloomy thoughts flooded my mind about my brother’s future.

“Early that morning, after a sleepless night, I suddenly felt a renewed sense of strength. In an instant, I got up from my place, left the hospital, and began to run to the cave of Eliyahu HaNavi. We had been educated with a deep faith in G-d, and I knew that the only thing I could do for my brother at that moment was to offer a prayer to our Father in Heaven. I remember that day as if it was yesterday; it was a Friday in the month of Teves. Although there was a torrential rainstorm outside, I quickly rushed into the city’s streets.”

A REVOLUTION IN THE CAVE

“I decided to go to Ma’arat Eliyahu, on the outskirts of Haifa, to daven there. I saw nothing around me and I also failed to notice that my clothes were drenched in water. When I finally came to the cave and climbed the steps, I was disappointed to see that the gate was closed and locked. I almost began to cry, when I suddenly caught the sight of an elderly woman with a calm and tranquil expression on her face. She noticed that I was very distressed and asked if she could help. I responded by telling her the whole story of my brother’s injury and deteriorating emotional state.

“The woman thought for a moment, and then she told me that she wanted to give me the address of someone to whom I should write to receive a bracha. She wrote down the address – 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y., and when she told me that it was the address of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, I felt a spark of hope surging within me. I recalled that one of my close friends at the time had once been gravely ill, yet when I met him a few months later, he appeared very happy and quite healthy. When I asked him how he had managed to recover, he told me that he had written to the Lubavitcher Rebbe and had received a blessing that had saved his life. Now, as this woman suggested that I write to the Rebbe, I remembered this friend and was greatly encouraged.

“As soon as I returned home, I composed a letter to the Lubavitcher Rebbe and sent it to him that same day. I still remember the date – the tenth of Teves 5743. Three weeks passed, and on the third of Shvat, we were privileged to receive a reply from the Rebbe. When I opened it, I was gripped by a feeling of intense emotion. The truth is that I didn’t understand a single word written in the letter. I asked a chareidi Jew with whom I was acquainted to translate and explain its contents to me. The Rebbe had written as follows: His PaN from the tenth of Teves was received and will be read in an auspicious hour at the Tziyon of my holy and revered teacher and father-in-law, the Rebbe, of righteous memory, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of Heaven, may his merit protect us.

“I was deeply moved. I remember that while I didn’t delve deeply into what was written, I was very pleased by the mere fact that the Rebbe had replied and my brother had received a bracha from a holy man. My brother was still hospitalized and his condition was not good at all, to say the least.

“For me and the whole family, the subsequent chain of events was no less than a collection of miracles and wonders! It was simply incredible that such things could happen in our generation, and I had been privileged to witness it. Quite often, it seemed that such amazing miracle stories only occur in fairy tales or the tales of tzaddikim from generations past.

“Almost immediately, my brother got up from his sickbed. Within a few days, he was released from the hospital as his condition continued to improve.

“Even the medical staff was amazed by the immediate and drastic change in his condition. He left the hospital completely healthy in body and spirit, calm and happy.

“With great thanks to the Creator, his health has been excellent over the years since then. He is very content, thinks about his family, and constantly progresses forward with his life. I feel that I was a proper shliach to help my brother. This letter has been kept in my wallet ever since and until this very day. It remains with me and accompanies me wherever I go.”

IN THE MERIT OF THE SHLUCHIM

Chaim became deeply emotional as he concluded his story, and it was clear that he was having difficulty finding the words to describe the intensity of the miracle. He was filled with many words of admiration and respect for the shluchim in his neighborhood who had entered his family’s life and created a positive revolution within them.

“As we’re speaking, the shlucha is taking my wife to a Torah class. She agreed to wear a head covering and accepted the fulfillment of numerous mitzvos, as we have become much stronger due to their wonderful activities,” he said as he complimented the Kali family in whose merit the readers of the ‘Beis Moshiach’ have now heard this family story. If it wasn’t for them, the story of this miracle would have remained as a personal secret belonging solely to the Yamin family. And now it belongs to you too, our readers.