Salvation Comes from Toiling in Torah
The Zohar (vol.3, 216:) writes, "Whoever toils in Torah, his mazal changes." This is important to know. Some people have a mazal to be poor, childless, or some other kind of yesurim. Through Torah study, his mazal can improve.
Eighty years ago in Yerushalayim, someone had a kameya (קמיע) (amulet) that was written by the Ta"z. He would lend it to the ill and childless women, and there were many salvations.
Once, a person received the kameya, and opened it. He wanted to copy what was written inside to have a kameya of his own. He was wrong for doing this for at least two reasons:
- Even if he copied the Taz's kameya, it wouldn't have healing powers because it isn't only what was written in a kameya that healed, but also who wrote the kameya. The Taz's kameya brought salvations; copying it wouldn’t accomplish anything.
- He also didn’t realize that by opening up the Taz's kameya, it lost its healing powers.
Nevertheless, he opened it, and this is what he found inside the kameya, "I, Dovid ben Shmuel HaLevi, toiled to understand Tosfos (Chulin 96.) and in this merit, may Hashem help that all the barren should have a salvation, and all the ill should be healed."
Generally, a kameiya contains names of malachim, but this time, the kameya only said that he toiled in Torah, and this merit brought salvation.
The Taz had many merits. For example, he could have written that he wrote a leading commentary on Shulchan Aruch. But these merits weren't mentioned, only that he toiled in Torah. That alone is enough to bring salvation.
A bachur asked the Chazon Ish zt'l whether he should follow the doctor's recommendation to undergo surgery. After hearing the details of the situation, the Chazon Ish advised the bachur to proceed with the surgery.
The bachur then said, "Can I speak in learning with the Chazon Ish? I have a question I want to discuss."
The Chazon Ish enjoyed speaking in learning with bachurim, and they discussed a deep topic in Kodshim for about an hour.
The Chazon Ish was impressed by this young man's erudition. As the bachur was about to leave, the Chazon Ish told him, “Regarding the operation, I changed my mind. You don’t need the surgery."
The surprised bachur asked the Chazon Ish why he had changed his mind. The Chazon Ish replied, "When you asked me whether you should have the operation, I didn’t know you are a talmid chacham. But now that I see you are among the עמלי התורה, those who toil in Torah, you don’t need the operation because Hashem deals with עמלי התורה in an entirely different manner (Maaseh Ish vol.1, p.77).
Some years ago, Reb Malkiel Kotler shlita, Rosh yeshiva of Lakewood, repeated this story, and an elderly person stood up and said, "I am the בעל המעשה." The story happened to him.