Rabbi Shaya Aharon Lee of Beitar Ilit experienced a most awe-inspiring miracle after receiving a puzzling bracha from the Rebbe during a private audience at the end of Tishrei 5739. “As I went through the yechidus in my mind, I recalled those moments when the Rebbe was immersed in his thoughts, speaking to himself as it were. I realized that the Rebbe was in another world, and he did what he did in order to nullify the Heavenly decree that hung over me.”
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry
Rabbi Shaya Aharon Lee of Beitar Ilit, member of the local Anash community, is one of the older baalei t’shuva who found his way back to his Jewish roots, thanks to the Chabad outreach activities in England. He grew up in a home that observed minimal kashrus standards, received a leftist-Communist education, and Judaism was absolutely the last thing on his mind. He later enrolled at the University of Manchester, where he was accepted to the Department of Physics, seemingly reaching the pinnacle of his academic aspirations. Yet, it was specifically there, where in 5733 (1973), his pintele yid began to spark.
“During a relatively short time span, several things occurred that led me to conduct a much deeper examination of Yiddishkait,” he recalled. One of the things that led him to look even deeper into his personal opinions was when his Gentile friends who had worshipped the Communist idol began associating with the Arab students on campus, despite the fact that the Arabs were obviously responsible for the outbreak of hostilities during the recent Yom Kippur War. “I realized that although scientists know how to connect things and can explain what happens when they are connected, they don’t understand why things happen.
“I had a professor, a devout Christian, who strengthened me in what I was thinking. ‘When you learn physics,’ he told me, ‘you realize how much we really don’t understand about the Creation and that it is much greater than we are.’ I developed a connection with the Rebbe’s shliach in Manchester. I also participated in a Shabbos on Judaism with Dr. Yitzchak Block of London, Ontario, and Rabbi Shmuel Lew. They amazed me with their approach, making substantive arguments that were music to my ears. As time passed, my knowledge of Judaism grew deeper until I finally decided to abandon my academic studies in favor of a life of Torah and mitzvos.”
All this was merely a warm-up for the unique story that Rabbi Lee experienced in 5739, due to the Rebbe’s bracha during an amazing yechidus at the end of Tishrei. “During the yechidus, the Rebbe said something to me that I didn’t understand. The Rebbe didn’t just make a puzzling statement; he even gave a specific timeframe – that year. I believed that if the Rebbe said these things, they must have some significance…”
A CRYPTIC BRACHA
“I came to 770 for the first time in my life in Elul 5738. Tishrei that year was very special indeed. When there was simcha, it was true and genuine, of a kind that I had never experienced before. When there was a need for serious conduct, it was most intense, inner, and sincere. I felt that all this was causing a unique reawakening within me. When Tishrei came to an end, I joined the many guests in making an appointment for yechidus with the Rebbe. I was requested to keep my questions to a minimum, in order not to take up the Rebbe’s time and create delays for others waiting in line.
“Around this time, I had a certain personal problem. I consulted with the shliach in London, Rabbi Nachman Sudak, and asked him if I should raise the issue before the Rebbe. He replied that in his opinion, the Rebbe doesn’t answer questions of this type. Nevertheless, I decided that I would ask the Rebbe about it. As the yechidus began, the Rebbe made reference to this personal problem.
“I remember something amazing when the yechidus started: The Rebbe received my kvittel, but he didn’t look at me. Instead, he looked down at the table and began to speak. The Rebbe spoke, but I didn’t understand a single thing he was saying. But it wasn’t just the language barrier; I felt as if the Rebbe was somewhere else.
“I tried to listen carefully and understand if the Rebbe was speaking Yiddish, English, or some other language I knew, but I couldn’t understand a thing. I realized that the Rebbe was simply on some other spiritual plane. After a long interval, the Rebbe began to speak in plain English, and I understood every word. The Rebbe gave a clear response to all my questions. Before departing, he made a somewhat obscure statement: ‘May all your journeys during this year be successful.’ I had no idea what this meant.
“I left the Rebbe’s room, puzzled and confused. I didn’t ask for a bracha to make any trips, and I’m generally not a big traveler. What exactly did the Rebbe mean?
“At first, I thought that maybe the Rebbe was referring to journeys in connection with shidduchim. But the nature of the bracha was still quite mystifying, particularly since the Rebbe specified a time – ‘during this year.’
“A few days after that yechidus, I left 770 to fly to England and visit my parents, and from there I headed for Kfar Chabad to learn in Yeshivas Ohr T’mimim. Upon my arrival, I asked the rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Gafni, what the Rebbe meant. He inquired about what I had written in my kvittel and what the Rebbe’s exact words were, and he eventually said that he too had no idea. ‘Apparently, you’ll have to understand this yourself during the year,’ he told me.”
A FRIGHTENING EXPLOSION
“It was only that summer that I finally realized what the Rebbe had meant with his amazing foresight.
‘It was a bright summer day when I traveled with a friend by train from Kfar Chabad to Yerushalayim. We got off at Ramleh, and then we waited for about an hour until the train to Yerushalayim arrived. We boarded the train and enjoyed the glorious view of the Jerusalem hills from our window. We passed the time by reviewing the Rebbe’s sichos, and everything seemed quite calm and tranquil.
“But it all changed in an instant. When we were about to pull into the Yerushalayim railway station, near the Malcha neighborhood, there was suddenly a powerful explosion that shook the railroad car. About a minute later, thick smoke began to billow from the car. The train came to a halt, and after a few minutes, we realized the extent of the miracle we had just experienced. Terrorists had placed an explosive charge on the railroad tracks, and it went off right under our car. Yet, incredible as it may seem, the only thing that exploded was the igniter, designed to set off the powerful charge that would have shattered our railroad car. Thank G-d, the terrorists’ plot failed, and the whole country was talking about the great miracle that saved the passengers.
“As we disembarked the train without a scratch, I suddenly remembered what the Rebbe had said to me at the end of that yechidus: ‘May all your journeys during this year be successful.’ As I went through the yechidus in my mind, I recalled those moments when the Rebbe was immersed in his thoughts, speaking to himself as it were. I realized that the Rebbe was in another world, and he did what he did in order to nullify the Heavenly decree that hung over me.
“The Rebbe said ‘this year’ – and that’s exactly when the miracle took place – during that year of 5739.”
* * *
As mentioned above, Rabbi Shaya Aharon Lee is an integral part of the magnificent community in Beitar Ilit, headed by Rabbi Asher Lemil HaKohen. He makes his parnasa working for a hi-tech company that provides electronic services for missile systems.
However, he doesn’t deal just with material matters. In his own home, he established and gives over a longstanding shiur on the Laws of Shabbos, according to the halachic rulings of the Alter Rebbe. Many people participate in this class each week. “I feel that the Rebbe saved my life,” said Rabbi Lee, as he concluded his amazing story.