The Blessing of Self-Sacrifice
When a person is willing to sacrifice of himself to help others, it brings blessing and salvation. The following story, which took place about five years ago, was told by Rav Chaim Zayad from Yeshivat Nachalat Shelomo in Bnei Brak and was printed in a magazine called Sha'ah Tova.
One of the Rabbi's students, whose name is Uriel, was diagnosed at the age of 22 with a brain tumor,לא עלינו. Uriel was sent to France for treatment, but the doctors there were unable to control the disease. They told the family that there is nothing left to do.
Nevertheless, the family did not give up. They consulted with many people and eventually got in touch with a bikur cholim society in a major city in the United States. They were given the name of a "Professor Rich" who was swiftly gaining a reputation for a unique treatment that offered hope to patients who other experts had already given up on.
The treatment involved an operation, and his fee was a staggering $130,000. The family had no way of coming up with that kind of money. Also, it was determined that the patient was too weak to travel; that meant that Professor Rich would have to be flown in, housed, and provided with a rented operating room in a private hospital. All this added another $30,000 to the bill. They turned to several charity funds, but none could commit to such large sums. They inquired about private donors, but couldn't find any. There was no sign of help from any angle. They felt helpless as they watched Uriel's condition worsening.
Rabbi Zayad, who was heavily involved from the beginning, said that shortly thereafter, he received a phone call from a woman, Michal Abitbol, who introduced herself as Uriel's sister. She said, "Tell the doctor we're going through with the surgery. We decided to sell our apartment." Her husband was a Rabbi who didn't have a high income, and they had six children. Rabbi Zayad urged her to think this over, but she was adamant, saying, "We have to do our part and Hashem will help with the rest." She immediately put her apartment in Ramat Beit Shemesh on the market. She asked for a discounted price of $130,000, on condition that full payment was made upfront. A buyer quickly materialized, eager to snatch up this bargain, and the deal was finalized. The doctor was contacted and the surgery was scheduled.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Zayad went into action to raise the remaining $30,000. He turned to all of his former students and asked each one to pledge 1000 shekel. A couple of days later, a few of the students hired a driver to take them around to collect that money. That afternoon, Yehuda, one of the students, called the Rabbi and said that the driver is asking them to deliver a suitcase to a certain address; should they do it? The Rabbi was concerned that something illegal was going on. He told them to refuse. A few minutes later, Yehuda called back to say that the driver was pleading with them. The Rabbi said, "Tell him to stop by the yeshiva and I'll speak with him directly."
When they arrived, the driver explained that earlier that morning, he picked up a very distinguished looking man from the airport and drove him to his hotel. After he dropped him off, he discovered that the man had left a small valise behind. By the time he noticed, a few hours had already passed. He opened it up to see what was inside, hoping it would be filled with money, but instead, all he saw were some strange instruments. So much time had already passed that he was embarrassed to go back. That is why he is asking the students to do it.
Rabbi Zayad was intrigued and looked at the name tag on the valise. His face turned white. It belonged to none other than Professor Rich, who was supposed to be arriving that day. They contacted him, and he came down to meet them in his hotel lobby. Professor Rich's mouth dropped when he saw the valise. He had despaired of ever finding it. He said, "This case contains all of my surgical equipment for an operation that I came to perform here. The contents are worth as much as $40,000. But, it's not just the money. These items are irreplaceable. I designed many of them myself after months of research and effort."
The Rabbi then told the doctor, "I want you to realize that something incredible just happened. You are here to operate on one of my students and your equipment was found in a car that was being used by his friends to raise money to pay for it. Surely, you see the Divine Providence. And another thing, you probably don't know that this operation was made possible by my student's sister, who sold her apartment to pay for it. Now, she and her six children have no roof over their heads."
The professor was taken aback by the self-sacrifice of the family. He wasn't a Jew, but he was very touched by Mrs. Abitbol's selfless action. After a moment of silence, the professor said he was going to forgive the payment of $130,000. It was like a dream. That week, the surgery took place at a private hospital in Herzliya and B"H, it was a success.
While Uriel was recuperating, his sister was faced with a dilemma. She had her money back, but it was too late to reclaim her apartment. She and her husband decided, "If we are going to move, let us pursue our dream of living in Jerusalem." They went to see some real estate agents who all told them that they'll never be able to find anything for $130,000. As they were walking through the streets of Jerusalem, they saw a "For Sale" sign and decided to take a chance. It was a five room apartment in excellent condition. They loved the apartment, but when they asked the price, they were disappointed to find out it was $310,000.
The owner asked how much they could pay, and he was agitated when he found out that they had less than half. "Please don't waste my time here," he said.
They started to tell him the story of how they sold their apartment to pay for a surgery, and he stopped them right away. He asked, "Are you Mrs. Abitbol, by any chance?" "Yes," she said. "I can't believe it," the man replied. "I am the driver who found the valise of the doctor. I was so impressed to hear of your self-sacrifice." He told them that he was selling this apartment because he just received an inheritance from his mother, as well as a nice villa in a quiet settlement to which he was moving. With tremendous generosity, he offered to give them their dream apartment for whatever they had.
The Hashgacha of Hashem here was so clear. The Abitbols were willing to sacrifice their house to help someone in need. Not only did Hashem bring the healing, but He worked it out that they got it for free and even gained their dream apartment. Yes, mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) brings miracles!!!
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