DVAR TORAH: Tisha B'Av

On Tisha B'Av we mourn the destruction of the Temple, which was due to sinas chinam - unwarranted hatred. We also mourn the hatred itself and the disunity and isolation which it causes. When Jews are united, amazing things can happen as the following true story, related by Rabbi Dovid Horwitz and submitted by Rabbi Mayer Waxman, illustrates:

 

A three-year-old girl in Ranaana Israel, fell from a balcony, landing headfirst on the concrete sidewalk below. She was immediately taken to the Schneider Children's Hospital, where the best of doctors could do little to alleviate the pressure in her brain, putting her into a coma that continued to deepen for several weeks until finally, the doctors relinquished all hope of saving her life. Indeed, the neurosurgeons deemed her to be brain dead, clinging to life only by a life-support machine.

Two days later, on Shabbos Behaaloscha, to the total bafflement of the medical staff, this girl began to breathe partially on her own. Admitting that this girl's responses was a medical miracle, the doctors did not know whether this comatose girl would ever be able to regain normal motor and mental function.

Today this girl is a picture of perfect health. There seems to be no trace of any brain damage whatsoever, and she is functioning normally for a child her age.

The first Rashi in parshas Behaaloscha asks why the Torah refers to Aharon's kindling of the menora with the word behaaloscha, "elevating" the lights. The answer is that the Torah is teaching us that Aharon should light the wicks deliberately, making sure to hold the shamash to the wick until the shalhevet, the flame of the wick, is strong enough to "stand up" by itself.

 

Why is this significant? This little girl's name is Shalhevet. That Shabbos, over two hundred Raanana residents engaged in a spiritually uplifting weekend of intense Torah study and prayer. That Shabbos morning, as Shalhevet was lying in a state of suspended death, perhaps Rashi was telling us that just as Aharon would light the wicks so that the shalhevet, the flame, would arise on its own, so too, our little Shalhevet will experience a miracle and will arise on her own. 

It was decided that that Shabbos would be dedicated to the recovery of Shalhevet. After Shabbos, her father revealed that Shalhevet had begun to partially breathe on her own at the very same time that we were reading this verse in the Torah on which Rashi comments.

Perhaps, you will say, it is presumptuous to connect this miracle to the power of Torah study. That's because you don't know the first half of the story. It turns out that while Shalhevet was lying in her coma for three weeks, many visited her father at the hospital to give him much-needed support. He found the strength to concentrate on Torah study during the course of this terrible ordeal. Whenever they would study Torah, the condition in halhevet's brain, measured by means of a pressure gauge, would show a slight improvement, reverting back to its critical state after the Torah study would cease.

This phenomenon occurred not once or twice, but many times over those first three weeks. Apparently, the strength of individual Torah study was not sufficient to pull Shalhevet completely out of her coma. Evidently, the merit and power of communal Torah study and prayers was strong enough to bring Shalhevet out of her coma and allow her to begin her path to recovery.

Shalhevet was released from the hospital still unable to walk, talk or perform the simplest of activities. Once again, the community rallied to her side and provided the necessary stimuli and encouragement, together with continued prayer and Torah study, to help bring her back to health. Shalhevet progressed in her mental and motor abilities, to the utter amazement of the medical community.

Seeing this adorable girl, who is healthy and happy today and pondering the events relating to her miraculous recovery, show that when we all work together, the strength of Hashem (G-d) and His Torah, can make the greatest of miracles happen.

Shalhevet's family was told that they should publicize this story.