A Blessing That Heals: The Power of “Asher Yatzar”

Alex had waited almost 20 years for a kidney transplant. Thanks to the help of the late Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Haber and the Gift of Life organization he founded, a matching donor was finally found, and the surgery was performed.

After the operation, while Alex was still recovering in the hospital, Rabbi Haber and his wife came to visit, just as they did for all kidney donors and recipients.

Rabbi Haber’s wife later shared what happened during that visit.

“We were planning to combine our visit with a family simchah, a nephew’s wedding in a nearby city. We left early in the afternoon and arrived at the hospital around four o’clock. Alex was already sitting up in bed, still weak from the surgery but beaming with happiness. I sat down and chatted with his daughter, who was staying with him, while my husband spoke with Alex.

'Your new kidney needs protection...'

“After about half an hour, we got up to leave. The drive to the wedding would take a few hours, and we didn’t want to be late. But just as we pulled out of the hospital parking lot, I remembered something. We had forgotten to give Alex the magnet with the ‘Asher Yatzar’ blessing on it, the blessing we say after using the bathroom to thank Hashem for our bodies working properly. And we hadn’t yet explained to them how spiritually powerful that blessing is.

“My husband glanced at his watch and sighed. ‘If we don’t leave now, we’ll get stuck in traffic and probably miss the chuppah (wedding ceremony),’ he said. But then he added, ‘I’m not officiating at the wedding. And no one’s going to cancel the simchah if we arrive a bit late.’

“We both agreed. I would go back upstairs to see Alex and speak with him. It felt more important to give him this spiritual protection than to be perfectly on time to a family celebration.”

She hurried back into the hospital and knocked on Alex’s door.

“Did you forget something?” he asked, surprised.

“I came to give you a gift,” she said.

“A gift? We already received the greatest gift from you, a kidney! How could I take anything more?” Alex and his daughter were touched.

“It wasn’t us who gave you the kidney,” she explained gently. “It was Hashem, the Creator of the world. He’s the One who arranged everything. And now, I’ve brought you the wrapping that protects the gift. It’s a spiritual tool for health and long life, a blessing we say to thank Hashem for the amazing way our bodies work.”

Even though it was getting late, she sat down and explained the brachah (blessing) of Asher Yatzar. It’s a beautiful and meaningful prayer, thanking Hashem for keeping our bodies open in the right places, closed in the right places, and working smoothly.

Alex and his daughter listened politely, but she could sense they weren’t particularly moved. She was a little disappointed, but didn’t press the issue. She and her husband had taken it upon themselves to share this blessing with others. What people did with it was their own choice.

They thanked her, and she headed back to the car. As expected, they missed the chuppah, but they arrived in time to join the meal and dance with joy for the chatan and kallah, the groom and bride.

'We didn’t thank Hashem for this gift'

Two days passed. On the third day, when she returned from work, her husband was waiting.

“Alex called,” he said. “And it’s quite a story.”

Alex had admitted he really hadn’t paid much attention to the conversation about blessings. He wasn’t religious, and didn’t feel that brachot had any place in his life.

“Rabbi Haber, I’ll be honest,” he told her husband. “After your wife left, I put the magnet in a drawer and forgot about it.”

But the next morning, the head doctor came into the room and his face said it all.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” he said seriously. “There are signs your body is rejecting the kidney.”

Alex was devastated. After two decades of waiting, after finally undergoing surgery, the nightmare was returning.

The doctor explained they would continue to monitor him, but he needed to prepare for the possibility that the transplant might fail.

After the doctor left, Alex turned to his daughter.

“This is happening because we didn’t say the blessing,” he told her. “Hashem gave me such a huge gift and we didn’t say thank you.”

His daughter turned pale. “You’re right,” she said.

Right then and there, they made a promise. From that moment on, both of them would say the Asher Yatzar blessing, slowly and with deep kavanah (intent), every single time.

One day passed. Then another. The doctors said nothing, and the family didn’t dare ask.

Then, on the third day, the head doctor and a team of specialists burst into the room.

“Alex! This is unbelievable,” the doctor said. “All the tests are stabilizing. The kidney is functioning properly again.”

Alex was stunned.

He listened as the team told him he would probably be discharged after Shabbat. The first thing he did afterward was call Rabbi Haber.

“I had to tell you,” Alex said. “It’s a miracle. And it happened because of that blessing.”