The Remote Fell and a New Jewish Life Began

What are the chances that a TV remote would fall, press two different buttons, and land on channel 97 Hidabroot? What are the chances that a woman who had always been opposed to religion wouldn’t be able to switch the channel in time, and would suddenly hear Rabbi Zamir Cohen’s voice answering questions she had asked her whole life?

And what are the chances that after ten years of infertility, she would be blessed with twins exactly as Rabbi Zamir had blessed her?

For Tal and Nona Or, this is exactly what happened.

When Tal Or was 13, his parents became religious and began keeping Torah and mitzvot. At the time, he was in Mexico, and the sudden change was difficult for him. At age 18, he moved to Israel and joined the army. He began attending shiurim (Torah classes) and asking rabbis for blessings, one to strengthen his own faith, and one to find a wife.

He found his wife soon after. Now only one blessing remained: that his wife would also connect to Judaism.

“My wife had no background in religion,” says Tal, now 39, a businessman who runs Blue Website Building. “She was a smart, educated woman, and she was strongly opposed to religious life. Then one day,” he recalls, “the remote slipped from her hand, hit the floor, and broke apart. The batteries flew out, and the channel changed to 97 Hidabroot. While she was picking up the batteries, Rabbi Zamir Cohen’s voice came on. He was answering the exact questions she had been wondering about for years. That moment began our journey.”

Nona, now 35, works with Tal in their tech company, and they live in Holon. “I always believed there was something higher,” she says, “because it didn’t make sense that the world was created and runs so perfectly on its own.”

But her belief was vague and undefined. “I used to call it the ‘cosmic kitchen,’ or life energy, or positive vibes,” she explains. “I didn’t think there was a need to follow religious commandments. I thought they made no sense. I had so many hard questions, and I felt no one could answer them.”

The few times she spoke to religious people, they suggested she attend seminars or learn the laws of Judaism. “I thought they were trying to brainwash me. I didn’t want to do a bunch of things I didn’t understand, just because someone told me to.”

But everything changed that day the remote fell.

“I was alone at home, there was nothing to watch on TV. I picked up the remote and it slipped out of my hand. It hit the floor and broke, and the channel suddenly switched to 97. I still don’t understand how. Usually, when you accidentally press buttons, it switches to a single-digit channel or maybe something like 22. But not 97.”

What was Rabbi Zamir talking about?

“He was explaining how eating meat and milk together causes spiritual damage, and how things like shellfish are like cockroaches, they damage both the body and the soul. These were things I had never understood before. As I was putting the remote back together, I couldn’t stop listening. By the time I got the batteries back in, I was already completely focused on the lecture.”

From then on, Nona started watching Hidabroot regularly. “We went to a seminar, I bought Rabbi Zamir Cohen’s books, and I read them. Of course, there were ups and downs, but we kept growing step by step. Looking back, I realize how arrogant I was. I thought I knew everything, but I really didn’t. Today I believe that when someone judges something without understanding it, it comes from ignorance.”

She continued, “Eventually I realized the rabbis weren’t avoiding my questions because they didn’t have answers. They just saw I wasn’t ready for a real conversation. It’s like a physics professor wouldn’t debate quantum theory with someone who hasn’t even studied the basics. I started reading books about self-growth, positive thinking, and the laws of nature and I discovered that although those books had good points, Judaism had much more depth and truth.”

Tal adds, “After ten years of trying to have children, Rabbi Zamir Cohen came to lecture in Holon. My wife and I decided to go and ask for a blessing. At the event, they were selling a framed picture of the Hebrew letters arranged inside a Magen David. When we came up, the emcee started giving us a blessing. I stopped him and asked specifically for children. He said, ‘With a strong Amen like that, you’ll have twins in a year.’ And that’s exactly what happened. Just over a year later, we had twins named Jonathan and Emily.”

During the pregnancy, Nona didn’t feel well and went to the emergency room. There, she met a woman who had become religious after moving from Russia. “She was so full of light and joy,” says Tal, “and it turned out she was placed in the bed right next to my wife. She answered Nona’s questions with such love and strength. That encounter brought even more spiritual growth.”

Today, Tal and Nona are fully religious. They keep Shabbat, Nona covers her hair, and they see Hashem’s hand in everything.

“I remember being at the Kinneret Hotel for Simchat Torah and Shabbat Bereshit with Hidabroot,” says Nona. “That weekend, I decided to take on the mitzvah of modesty and start covering my hair. I figured if I could start during those four days, it would be easier to keep going. Thank God, I’ve continued even when it’s been difficult or when people ask questions. I tell myself that if today is hard, tomorrow will be easier because I know deep in my heart that I’m doing the right thing.”

She concludes, “I think the biggest mistake people make when they grow up in a secular world is not knowing that the whole purpose of creation is to do good for humanity. Once you understand that, everything looks different. That’s what happened to me.”