By Binyomin Pruzansky
Rabbi Binyomin Pruzanaky Rav Karlinstein shared a story in Bnei Brak about an incident that occurred thousands of years ago, and a modern-day event that mirrored it.
The Zohar tells the story of how Rav Eliezer visited the home of Rav Yossi after he passed away. Rav Eliezer came with the Chevra Kadisha (burial society) and knocked on the door, but the family didn’t want to let him in. A young girl at the door said, “You can’t come in; my brother won’t allow it.”
Rav Eliezer insisted, saying, “I must come in; I’m with the Chevra Kadisha.” Eventually, they let him in. When Rav Eliezer entered the room, he saw Rav Yossi lying there, having passed away. His son was standing by his side, crying out, “Abba, Abba (Father, Father), I need you! You can’t leave me. You’re the only father I have!”
When Rav Eliezer saw the depth of the son’s grief, he sensed that a miracle was about to happen—the power of this boy’s tefillah was so great that it couldn’t be ignored. Sure enough, a miracle occurred: t'chiyas hamesim (resurrection of the dead), and Rav Yossi came back to life.
Years later, Rav Karlinstein shared this story in a shul, and afterward, a young man approached him. “Rebbe, you told a story that happened 2,000 years ago, but such things still happen today. I’m an Hatzalah (emergency medical responder) member in Eretz Yisrael, and I witnessed a modern miracle. We received a call about an overturned vehicle on a highway. I raced to the scene, pulled a 10-year-old boy from the car, but it looked like his mother hadn’t survived the crash.
“I put the boy in my car next to my young daughter. He wasn’t religious, but he turned to my daughter and asked, ‘Do you have a yarmulke? I want to pray.’ She didn’t have one, but she handed him a towel. He placed it on his head, ran back to the car, and stood there saying, ‘Ima, Ima, I need you! Hashem, I need my mother! She’s the only one I have in this world.’”
The Hatzalah member worked tirelessly on the mother, and after some time, he felt a pulse. They rushed her to the hospital, and after a few days, she emerged from intensive care. The young man’s tefillah had saved his mother’s life.
Sometimes we don’t realize the power of our tefillos. But there are moments, like now, when we look around at the world’s challenges, the fears on people’s faces, and we understand what is at stake. Each one of us is fighting for Klal Yisrael. Each one of us has the ability to say, “It’s up to me. My tefillah can make a difference.” Whether it’s for hostages or enemies approaching, our tefillos have the power to alter the situation.
We must believe in the power of our tefillos. If we enter Yom Kippur with this mindset—knowing it’s really up to us—our tefillos will be different. They will be elevated, helping us reach the level of complete teshuva in our hearts. Hashem will hear our prayers, just as He heard the young boy’s plea, and miracles will happen in our days as well.
May Hashem grant us a year of bracha (blessing), geula (redemption), and hatzlacha (success) in everything we do. Through unity and achdus, may we bring about the ultimate redemption
Reprinted from the Yom Kippur 5785 edition of the TorahAnytimes Newsletter.
