On Erev Shabbos, Shaare Tzedek’s posek, HaGaon HaRav Asher Weiss, the hospital’s Rav, HaRav Moshe Peleg, and Shaare Tzedek’s director, Prof. Ofer Marin, visited the victims of last week’s Jerusalem bombing attacks.
One of the patients they visited was Chaim Nochum ben Feiga Rivka, 62, who was seriously wounded in the attack. He is now Baruch Hashem, recovering after a series of surgical procedures to remove shrapnel from his body.
During the visit, he surprised his visitors when he showed them a Sefer Tehillim he was holding close to his chest at the time of the attack. That fateful morning, he was on the way from his home to Kever Rashbi in Meron.
A sharp piece of shrapnel hit the back cover of the Sefer Tehillim, entered the sefer and penetrated the pages of the sefer until it stopped precisely at the words in Perek 124: נַפְשֵׁ֗נוּ כְּצִפּ֥וֹר נִמְלְטָה֘ מִפַּ֪ח יֽ֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים הַפַּ֥ח נִ֜שְׁבָּ֗ר וַֽאֲנַ֥חְנוּ נִמְלָֽטְנוּ – Our soul escaped like a bird from the hunters’ snare; the snare broke, and we escaped.”
The patient, who requested that his full name not be revealed to the press, agreed to publish the photo of the torn Tehillim, but asked to emphasize three words: “This is what helps.”
The public is asked to continue davening for a refuah sheleimah for Chaim Nochum ben Feiga Rivka b’toch shaar cholei Yisrael.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
2 Responses
I was told by this person’s chevrusa that he was on his way to Tel Aviv for an appointment.
Anyway there’s no practical way to get to Kever Rashbi via bus from כניסת העיר where he was standing.
He is my Cousin and he was on the way to Meron to daven because it was erev rosh chodesh!!