In 2007, Mrs. Tirtza Amsel had just put her two-year-old daughter to sleep when she began coughing. In the morning, she was congested and weak. Tirtza took her to the doctor, where her lips turned blue. The doctor tried to resuscitate her. Paramedics came, intubated her, and rushed to the hospital.
Tirtza’s husband, Rabbi Yehuda Amsel, arrived at the hospital. Someone took them to a family room. Before long, two doctors somberly entered. “We’ve been working on her for about 30 minutes,” the senior physician murmured, “and I think what I need to tell you is...we couldn’t bring her back.”
Yehuda wept, then said “Baruch dayan haemes.” Tirtza responded Amen and said the bracha too. They thanked the doctors for their efforts and were left alone. The distraught pediatrician arrived at the hospital. The Amsels tried to comfort him, thanking him for trying to save their daughter’s life.
A few days later, they discovered the impact of their reactions. A frum hospital social worker told them that a week after the incident, the hospital held a staff meeting to review the situation. They concluded that all proper protocols had been followed, but spent most of the meeting discussing how they had been affected by the Amsels. The pediatrician remarked that he had never been thanked when a family lost a child. The room was silent in awe and respect. “The hospital’s experience with you made them more respectful of halacha and those who keep it.”
Even in their grief, the Amsels were consoled by the kiddush Hashem that came about from their loss.
Reproduced from Living Kiddush Hashem by Rabbi Shraga Freedman with permission of the copyright holders, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, Ltd.
