I was a ten-year-old child when I sat down on my chair in the classroom, but instead of landing on the seat, I crashed onto the floor with great force. It hurt terribly, but more than the physical pain, my soul ached because the boy who had pulled the chair out from under me stood above me, laughing in delight at his prank. The incident repeated itself once more, and this time, I was seriously injured, sustaining lifelong damage to my back.
In the hospital, the doctors said that surgery was too risky, and ever since, I have suffered from constant pain. Thirty-two years passed. Chanukah arrived. I lit the candles, and during the first half-hour after the lighting, I sat there, feeling my usual back pain intensify, leaving me no rest or peace of mind. I remembered that this was a time of divine favor, and I prayed from the depths of my heart that HaKadosh Baruch Hu would remove this pain that had burdened me my entire life.
The next day, I went out to the city streets and stumbled over a bump in the sidewalk. I was thrown forward, trying to break my fall, and instinctively started running while bent over. With divine assistance, I managed to stop and straighten up at the very last second. Because my attempt to stop was so strong and effective, instead of flying forward and landing flat on my face, I fell backward onto my back. My vertebrae cracked loudly with frightening sounds. I thought my body had completely shattered! On top of everything, I landed directly on a sharp stone that pressed into the center of my back. I found myself lying on the sidewalk, injured and bruised—but I felt no pain.
I assumed that my body was in shock and that my condition might actually be severe. I knew I shouldn’t move in case I caused further damage. But since no one was passing by to help me, and because I wasn’t feeling any pain, I decided to try and get up. (To be honest, I’ll quietly admit—I wasn’t even sure if I was alive or dead.) Slowly, I got up and began to move my limbs, which, to my astonishment and deep emotion, responded to the commands my brain was sending.
I thanked Hashem and walked home in awe, overwhelmed with gratitude that I could still walk at all. Two days after the incident, I began to feel the pain of deep bruising, but after a month and a half, it completely disappeared. And here is where the true miracle begins: along with the pain from the bruises fading, the chronic pain that had tormented me for thirty-two years also vanished entirely. The sharp stone that stabbed into my back during the fall had pressed into exactly the spot where my pain had been—healing it completely, as if it had never existed!
Now, two months later, I am living a new life. I want to publicize this story to thank Hashem in front of everyone!
י.א.
