12. I heard the following story from the children of Reb Nechemia Becker z"l of Yerushalayim.
When Reb Nechemia’s first child was born, there were complications, and his wife’s life was in danger. The doctors recommended surgery. However – they warned – after the surgery, she won’t be able to bear additional children, but there was no choice; they had to operate to save her.
Reb Nechemia went to the Chazon Ish zt'l, to ask what to do. He arrived just as the Chazon Ish was washing his hands before Minchah. Reb Nechemia said, "I have a question related to pikuach nefesh," so the Chazon Ish immediately gave him his full attention. "The doctors say that my wife needs an operation, and they say it is pikuach nefesh, but then she will not be able to have more children..."
"If it's pikuach nefesh, what's the question?" the Chazon Ish responded.
Then the Chazon Ish asked, "Did you daven Minchah already?"
"No, I haven't."
After Minchah, the Chazon Ish called Reb Nechemia over and asked him to repeat his question. The Chazon Ish listened to the question again, and this time advised him not to do the surgery.
"But the Rav just told me to do the operation because it is pikuach nefesh."
"That's what I answered before Minchah. And this is what I answer after Minchah."
Reb Nechemia returned to Yerushalayim and told the doctors that the Chazon Ish advised against the surgery. The doctors laughed at him and ridiculed the Chazon Ish for mixing into their business. "Is he a doctor? What does he know?" they asked.
A couple of days later, Mrs. Becker came down with an infection. The doctors admitted that had they operated, her life would have been in grave danger.
She lived to be over eighty years old and had eight more children. Everything changed with one Minchah. Such is the power of a Minchah.
A kollel yungerman honored one of his relatives to be the mohel for his son. The inexperienced mohel accidentally cut too deep. The doctors who examined the child said they couldn’t heal the wound. The child would live, but he wouldn't be able to have children. Reb Meilech Firer (renowned for his medical expertise and referrals) told the family of a doctor in America who could help them. “But it will be expensive," he said the family. "You will need $250,000 for the operation.” This sum was way beyond the kollel family's abilities, and they didn’t know how they would raise the money.
The father went to his kollel worried and not knowing what to do. He updated his concerned chavrusah on what was happening and that he needed $250,000.
His friend replied, “Let's go and shray oys a Minchah. (In other words, they would pray Minchah with all their might.) They went into a beis medresh where people didn’t know them (so they wouldn't be embarrassed), and they both davened a forty-five-minute Shemonah Esrei. When they finished, the father received a phone call from Reb Meilech Firer, “Did you do anything yet?”
“I didn’t begin,” the father replied. “I just finished davening Minchah.”
“Good,” Reb Firer said. “You have good mazal. The doctor is coming to Eretz Yisrael to teach his techniques here. If you agree to have your son's operation videotaped and watched by doctors, you can have the operation for free."
This story illustrates the power of an intense and meaningful tefillah, particularly the potential of tefillas Minchah, which is answered immediately.
A non-religious Yid was once in yeshivas Kfar Chasidim when they were davening Minchah. Afterwards, people asked him what he saw. He replied, "I saw bachurim swaying back and forth, but an elderly man was standing near the front wall, and it appeared that he was truly speaking to someone." That man was Reb Elyah Lopian zt'l. He could tell that his tefillos were sincere, that he genuinely believed that Hashem was listening to his tefillos.
People said similar things about Reb Chaim Shmuelevitz zt'l. People wouldn't disturb his davening because it was obvious that he was speaking to some-One. They were certain that if they approached him, he would respond, "Can't you see I’m in the middle of speaking with some-One."
