Teacher & Master
The Avner Institute presents three stories – one from the gravely ill son of famed author and scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz; two from the Rebbe’s longtime secretary Rabbi Leibl Groner, describing the Rebbe’s endless commitments as leader and behind-the-scene miracles, helping distressed Jews of every stripe through all kinds of crises, be it dreaded disease or Israeli defense.
In loving memory of Hadassah Bas Schneur Zalman
“Your Rebbe must have known!”
Menachem Even-Yisrael relates:
My current family name, Even-Yisrael, is less familiar to most people than the name Steinsaltz, which appears on the many books written by my father, Rabbi Adin Even-Yisrael. We changed our name following an unusual encounter between my father and the Rebbe.
One Sunday morning during Cheshvan 5750/1989, my father joined the usual line to receive a dollar (to be given away for tzedakah) from the Rebbe. The Rebbe gave him a dollar, and as my father was walking away he was called back.
“The name Steinsaltz, which means ‘salt stone,’ is not particularly appropriate,” said the Rebbe. “It suggests bitterness, something from which we should distance ourselves.”
Prognosis
Eight months went by. As my family did not understand what the Rebbe had intended by this request, nothing was done about it. On 12 Tammuz 5750/1990, I underwent medical tests because I had been feeling incredibly weak.
The tests revealed something wrong with my circulation. I had to undergo further tests. To my horror, I was diagnosed with a virulent form of leukemia, which would spread rapidly throughout my entire body.
Immediately we wrote to the Rebbe. The next day we received the following answer:
“A complete recovery. Tefillin and mezuzos should be checked. I will mention this at the gravesite [of the Rebbe Rayatz].”
Around this time my doctors prescribed three sessions of chemotherapy. Powerful chemicals were used to destroy all of the affected cells, whether damaged or not, which left me extremely weak.
Suddenly we wondered if there was any connection between this terrible disease and the Rebbe’s unusual request. Perhaps the Rebbe had foreseen that I would become so ill and had asked my father to change our name in order to bring about the cure before this blow would have a chance to occur.
My father wrote to the Rebbe, asking if we should change our name to Even-Yisrael. The Rebbe replied, “Of course. May there be a complete recovery.”
From Fasting to Rejoicing
As a side-effect of the chemotherapy, my immune system became severely compromised and I developed a high fever. Feeling terrible, I was confined to bed for three weeks until Tisha B’Av [9 Av]. The day before Tisha B’Av my family sent another letter to the Rebbe describing my situation.
On the holiday itself the Rebbe gave us the following answer: “On the tenth day, fasting will become rejoicing and happiness. A complete recovery. I will mention this at the gravesite.”
The next morning the fever miraculously disappeared as if it had never existed. Later that week, I underwent a bone marrow exam to check the progress of the disease. To everyone’s amazement, the tests showed that all the previous signs of disease had also gone away, as if I had never suffered in the first place! A few days later another test yielded a similar result, and I was sent home.
A week went by, however, and once again I came down with a raging fever. I was given antibiotics and told to stay in bed for three weeks. This time, neither the antibiotics nor any other form of medication could bring down my temperature.
One of my relatives, who happened to be staying in Crown Heights, asked the Rebbe for a blessing. The Rebbe gave me a berachah for a “full and imminent recovery.” Once again, the fever disappeared on the following day, along with all the other symptoms.
Diverging Opinions
Unfortunately I fell sick for a third time, and the possibility of a bone marrow transplant was discussed. My father, who has extensive connections around the world, consulted with a wide range of physicians. There was a clear divergence of opinions as far as the best course of action, on which even my own doctors here in Israel differed. My father and I wrote to the Rebbe describing all the available options, as well as the specialists’ opinions.
The Rebbe replied, “It is usually better to follow the opinions of the doctors in the Holy Land. However, in this case it is better not to do it.” In reference to the question of whether I should be treated in Israel or abroad, the Rebbe wrote: “You should stay in the land upon which the eyes of Your G-d are focused from the beginning of the year until the end of the year.”
Soon after I showed this answer to my doctors, they unanimously agreed that a bone marrow transplant should be performed. On the one hand, the Rebbe had said that I should accept the opinions of my Israeli physicians. On the other, these physicians were now recommending a transplant, which was not favored by the Rebbe. So my father and I again wrote to the Rebbe, this time to ask his opinion.
The Rebbe replied, “Since you are staying in the Holy Land, a land upon which the eyes of Your G-d are focused from the beginning of the year until the end of the year, it is better not to do it. A complete recovery. I will mention this at the gravesite.”
Future Glimpse
Thank G-d, eight years later I am alive and well. All the symptoms of this terrible disease have completely vanished. Two years later, the very same doctors who had recommended a bone marrow transplant told me:
“You should know that your Rebbe is a genius! Your Rebbe must have known what was going to happen in the future.” Exactly two years after the Rebbe had told me not to have the transplant, a medical conference in London decided that in a case like mine, carrying out a bone marrow transplant would be absolutely forbidden!
Let me add a word. If the Rebbe was able to know the future in my case, and in thousands of other similar situations, it is clear that when the Rebbe says that Mashiach is on his way, it must be just as true.
May we see the fulfillment of this prophecy very soon!
Close-Ups
Rabbi Leibl Groner OBM relates:
Distant Thoughts
One Motzei Shabbos I received an urgent phone call.
“Please help me,” came a young man’s voice. “My wife is in critical condition, and I must inform the Rebbe.”
I didn’t know what to say. The Rebbe was already quite busy.
“If I am unsuccessful this evening,” I finally said, “I’ll tell the Rebbe Sunday morning.”
Not long after, the Rebbe conveyed to me his blessing for the young man. Then he asked, “Please have Rabbi Hodakov come to my office.”
Rabbi Mordechai Hodakov, the Rebbe’s secretary, entered the Rebbe’s office. Together they engaged in lengthy conversation.
Finally, the secretary emerged. “Please put me in touch with the young man.”
I heard later from the young man himself Rabbi Hodakov’s words:
“You should know that I was summoned unexpectedly to the Rebbe. He told me to inform you as follows:
“‘In the early Shabbos morning hours, at five a.m., your wife was in grave condition. You might perhaps think that she was removed from danger through the medical treatment. You should know that she was saved because someone thought of her.”
We can see from this account that even on Shabbos evening, with no possibility of telephoning him, the Rebbe himself said that he knew the condition of a woman located far from Brooklyn. Only in certain circumstances – for a particular reason – he makes this known to the individual.”
Open Secrets
Once I received a phone call from a senior Israeli official visiting in the U.S.
“I must meet with the Rebbe immediately,” the man urged.
To me surprise, the Rebbe agreed to meet with him Friday afternoon at two. The meeting lasted forty-five minutes; afterwards, the official told me privately:
“You should know that the Rebbe is aware of what’s happening in the government’s innermost sanctums. He spoke of matters discussed secretly between ministers and updated me with the behind-the-scenes action.
“I can’t understand: How does the Rebbe, sitting in his secluded, private space here in Brooklyn, know what goes on in our exclusive sessions?”
He continued with great emotion, “You should know that our administration confronted a very difficult problem which, even with repeated deliberations, we were unable to resolve. We finally decided that the only person who could settle things was the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
“From among my colleagues I was picked to come because of my greater involvement. When I presented the whole entangled matter to the Rebbe, he immediately – literally, without pausing – told me the solution. He analyzed the situation expertly, simplified things in amazing fashion, and resolved everything at once.
“I was stunned: so quickly had he arrived at such an uncomplicated answer for an impasse so complex and so time-consuming!”
To receive to your inbox Email: [email protected]
