A thrilling and moving story is stirring up the Chareidi community in Bnei Brak. An anonymous woman, not religious from birth, spoke out of hakoras hatov, and said that in merit of the donation of a kidney she began to observe Shabbos.
A few weeks ago, prominent Vishnitz chossid HaRav HaChossid Nachum Apel Z”L, who was also close to the Brisk community, was niftar in Bnei Brak. During the shiva, a woman who was not familiar with the family arrived to comfort the mourners. But she had a story that amazed them.
The woman entered the room where the women of the family sat and said: “I come to console because I received a kidney from one of the family members of the deceased, who is sitting shiva and in the merit of the donation, I began keeping Shabbos”.
The story continues: The woman told a strange fact that every time she was Mechalel Shabbos, she felt intense pain in her body. “I lit a fire, or did something else, and did not understand why I was in pain,” she said excitedly. “According to medicine, there should not be pain after a short period of time following the transplant.”
She said: “I went to the doctors to ask, but they found nothing, and they said that there is no reason for the terrible pain that is attacking you.” One day I realized that it might be related to my chilul Shabbos. The donor kidney was from a shomer Shabbos individual, and for me, this was a hint from above, instructing me to begin keeping Shabbos.
The lady told the mourners that she had started to observe Shabbos, and suddenly all the pains that attacked her stopped. She noted that she came to be menachem aveil to tell the story as a chizuk and to be MeKadesh Shem Shomayim.
Indeed, the story got around and gave a chizuk to so many, including the family members of the niftar and all who heard it.
The story is first told by Rabbi Moshe Blau, who verified details with the family. According to Rav Blau, as reported by Kikar Shabbos News, “My wife received a kidney from our daughter-in-law who lives in Beit Shemesh, so I was exposed to this awesome story.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Wow Kiddush litvish!
Icemelter; You mean Kiddush Vizhnitz!
All kidding aside, this story is hafleh vafeleh, nora noraos!
Kol atmotzai tomarna Hashem mi kamocha
Even the kidneys
My wife’s cousin is a surgeon and has performed many organ transplants. He doesn’t believe religious kidneys become irritated when transplanted into the bodies of nonreligious people and when they are מחלל שבת. There just hasn’t been enough research done in this area. He thought that the fact that the story happened in Bnei Brak might have something to do with it. He also said it might be that the frum kidney is rejecting the non-frum kidney.
a young rav donated a kidney recently to a jew he did not know. when the jew found out from whom the kidney came he said he would begin wearing tefillin. the rav, who corresponds almost continuously with rav zilberstein, told him what happened. rav zilberstein responded – ask him to be shomer shabbos as well.
Just….WOW! I am so moved by this story, absolutely beautiful & inspiring.
Beautiful story.