Story of the week (By Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
His remedy had to pass through Warsaw but not the way anybody thought.
Rav Yekel of Prampol was a close follower of Rav Mordechai of Kuzmir. Rav Mordechai was the son of Rav Avraham, the Trisker Magid and the son-in-law of the second Rav Asher of Stolin, son of Rav Aharon, the Bais Aron.
He would often talk about how the holy Kuzmirer Rebbe helped him when he was very sick. He started to feel sick, but the doctor couldn't find anything wrong and said he would get better. Yekel felt better after hearing this. But he got sicker and felt weaker, and started to have really bad pain. He asked an older doctor for help, and after checking him over, the doctor had some upsetting news. "I'm sorry to say that there is a serious growth in your kidneys. " I can't help you anymore, but there's a really good kidney doctor in Warsaw who might be able to make you better. But you would need a difficult and expensive surgery. Warsaw was the top medical center back then.
Yekel sighed and may have said, "Where will I get help from." He told his wife that the doctor said he needs to go to Warsaw. She said, "If the doctor said you have to go, then go." Yekel worried about the cost of the operation, but his wife said, "Your life is priceless, so let's not talk about money." I do have an idea. We need to go through Lublin on our way to Warsaw. The Kuzmir Rebbe is currently there. Everyone knows about the amazing things he does for Yidden. "If we see him as Hashem's messenger, he can save you without needing surgery at all."
The couple rented a big wagon to go to Lublin because Yekel was very weak and had to lie down when traveling. They found the Rebbe's home, where Yekel's wife told the Rebbe about the situation. The Rebbe used to start by writing a Kvitel to ask for something. He told Yekel to do the same, by writing a Kvitel with his mother's name and the request. The Rebbe looked closely at the note and turned pale. There is nothing else to talk about. The doctor said you should go to Warsaw, so that's where you need to go. This was more than Yekel could bear, since he had been hoping for an alternative path to his salvation. Being a good deal older than the Rebbe, he felt he could speak his mind straight out. “Rebbe, with all due respect, I heard first-hand from Reb Mottele of Chelm, who himself heard from Rav Yochanan of Rachmistrivka, that his holy father the Maggid of Trisk had eight sons, the least distinguished of whom had the power of techiyas hameisim, (Reviving the Dead). I am 100% sure that the Rebbe, as a son of the Trisker Maggid, has the power to heal me without resorting to a complicated operation. I'm not going to Warsaw and I'm not even leaving this room before the Rebbe promises a full recovery for me without surgery -- which should be much easier than raising the dead!”
Upon hearing this reply, the Rebbe became very thoughtful and entered a deep state of meditation, feeling like he was in a different world. Yekel and his wife were scared, but all they could do was hold their Tehilim and pray to Hashem. They prayed that the Rebbe would be the faithful messenger they needed. The Rebbe got better and his face looked happy again with a big smile.
"I have some advice for you, Yekel, that I believe will help you get better." Like I said before, you really need to go to Warsaw for treatment, but you won't need surgery. I don't have a problem with going to Warsaw. I just want things to go well. The Rebbe said to find Doctor Orenstein's office. Let him know that I recommended you for treatment. Everything will be okay and you won't need surgery. Yekel and his wife felt very relieved and happy, and they left for Warsaw right away.
They scheduled a meeting with Doctor Orenstein, who welcomed them inside when they mentioned the Kuzmir Rebbe. The doctor said he was very close with the Rebbe and wanted to know how he was doing. Yekel shared his medical history and talked about meeting with the Rebbe, which is why he was at the doctor's office for an examination. The doctor looked at him all over and found something surprising. He said, "Yekel, your other doctors were right." You have a growth in your kidneys. But what I've noticed is that it's small, not in a risky area, and doesn't put your life in danger. I am giving you medicine to take, but you need to avoid eating any dairy products for six months. Do what I say and everything will be fine. "When you go through Lublin on your way back home, please say hello to the Rebbe for me and give him this Kvitel."
I went to the pharmacy and bought some medicine for only 20 groschen, which is a small amount of money. In Lublin, the Kuzmir Rebbe was very happy that his blessing had worked, which was expected by everyone. For the next 30 years, Yekel enjoyed telling everyone about how great the Kuzmir Rebbe was and how he helped him. "It was meant for me to be saved in Warsaw, but not in the way everyone thought it would happen." The Rebbe prayed and the tumor that could have killed someone turned into a small problem that can be fixed easily. It happened in a place called "Warsaw" for reasons we don't understand.
