A Mother's Hope: A Halla Separation Miracle

"Our son had a high fever, and the doctor said he was probably developing strep throat," recounts Ortal Yitzhakov, the mother of a sweet little boy nearing 5, as she shares her miraculous story. "They did a throat culture, and even before the results, we started him on antibiotics. Despite this, the fever persisted for 3 days. Even when he went to kindergarten, he was very lethargic. When he got home, he was exhausted and went straight to sleep. When he woke up, he ate something, said he didn't feel well, and fell asleep again until 7 PM. We woke him up to take his antibiotic—and he fell back asleep until 7 AM the next morning."

"By Thursday, we saw he was extremely lethargic and decided to call for emergency care. In the ambulance, he began having seizures. We arrived at the hospital and started a series of tests, which ultimately showed everything was normal. But on Friday morning, his condition worsened, and the seizures increased."

"That evening, we held our first halla separation. It was an evening of breaking through the gates of heaven, filled with many tears. During the evening, I received calls from the hospital saying they were sedating and ventilating him to check that everything was okay. My boy, just 4 years and 7 months old, was in intensive care for nearly a week."

"After a week, precisely on Lag B'Omer, during the celebration of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, he finally woke up—but he only held my hand and didn't speak. From this, we learned to be grateful for everything, as nothing is to be taken for granted. Then everything happened again—seizures for another week, and we went through repeated testing. It's not easy seeing your child transported on a bed with oxygen, still not knowing the issue, only that he's in danger," says Ortal, with tears in her eyes."

"After two days, with him having 40 seizures a day, I felt we were on the verge of an emotional breakdown. The doctors could only suggest it might be an epileptic syndrome, but they still didn't know the right medication."

At this point, Ortal realized she needed to do something beyond medical intervention. Something spiritual to add merit for her son. "I called a friend who advised me to contact Hidabroot and arrange an evening with a Rabbanit. I decided it was indeed a suitable idea, hoping this evening would bring us divine help. We invited Rabbanit Esther Limor, and as guests arrived, I went into her car and couldn't stop crying. We've already done several halla separations before, and I asked myself—would this be where my salvation comes? What could possibly be different this time? The Rabbanit didn't stop encouraging me and shared miracles that have happened here at Hidabroot."

"During the event, the Rabbanit sang, danced, and encouraged everyone, and she told me, 'Be happy! Hashem doesn't like sadness.' She gave me so much strength and confidence, and I found myself telling Hashem—I believe my child will be healthy!"

The following morning, Ortal decided to take another step to bring merit for her son and set up a standing donation order with Hidabroot."

"Shortly after, my husband called me from the hospital to say that there were no seizures all night, nor in the morning. Our son was moved to intermediate intensive care and then to a regular ward. We were blessed that on the night of Shavuot, he was already speaking and later even remembered all the family and friends. The doctors couldn't believe the miracle that happened to us. Our son simply recovered."

"We were also blessed to thank Hashem at a thanksgiving party, even before our son returned home. During the break period, we welcomed him back home. Today, after 7 Shabbats in the hospital, every Shabbat is a renewed gift."

For home gatherings and halla separation events – to arrange a home gathering and halla separation: Call 073-2221290, Email aviva@htv.co.il