Torah and Friendship: The Healing That Left Doctors Speechless

This is a story that leaves no eye dry. A group of close friends, businessmen who once studied together in yeshiva (a Torah learning institution) made a decision years ago to continue meeting regularly for Torah study. No matter how busy life got, they set aside time every week to reconnect through learning.

About a year ago, the group was shaken by painful news. One of their own, Rabbi Yair Diamantman, had been diagnosed with a serious and life-threatening illness.

The friends didn’t just offer kind words. They took action.

First, they unanimously agreed to dedicate their weekly Torah study sessions to Yair’s recovery. But they didn’t stop there. They launched something powerful: a special kollel, a full-time Torah study program in Yair’s merit, and named it “Nero Yair,” which means “Yair’s Light.”

This wasn’t a typical kollel. The friends came up with a unique idea they called the Personal Scholar project. Each businessman took on the personal sponsorship of one Torah scholar. This wasn’t just giving tzedakah (charity). It was a true partnership.

In Jewish tradition, the partnership of Issachar and Zebulun refers to two tribes: Issachar devoted themselves to Torah learning, and Zebulun supported them financially. Each received a share in the spiritual reward. That’s what Yair’s friends created. Every scholar knew exactly who their “Zebulun” was, and every supporter knew who their “Issachar” was.

Within just days, the kollel was up and running. Today, dozens of Torah scholars learn there every day with deep dedication for the sake of Yair’s healing.

This week, the group gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of the kollel’s founding. At one powerful moment during the event, Yair himself took the microphone.

His voice trembled with emotion as he addressed his dear friends. He shared the painful journey he’d been on since receiving his diagnosis two years ago, and the ongoing chemotherapy treatments he still faces.

“A year ago,” Yair said, “the doctors had already given up on curative treatment. They told me that from now on, it would only be about comfort and managing symptoms.”

And then he paused.

“That’s when you decided to create the kollel,” he continued, his words filled with feeling. “And I want to tell you something. The doctors can’t explain it, but in the past year, the disease has shrunk by more than fifty percent. They’re baffled. There’s no medical explanation.”

Yair took a deep breath and added, “But I know something the doctors don’t. I know what’s keeping me going. It’s the power of Torah. It’s the Torah being studied by these scholars and it’s all of you, my friends, who made it happen. I can feel it, clearly and deeply. There’s no other reason I’m standing here tonight. I thank you with all my heart. This is because of you.”

The room was silent. The emotions were overwhelming. Tears streamed down the faces of the men who had stood by their friend with love, faith, and action.

Rabbi Chaim Horowitz, the rabbi of the Tzahala neighborhood in Tel Aviv, was the evening’s moderator. After sharing the story, he summed it up with heartfelt clarity.

“What I’ve known since I was a child,” he said, “I saw with my own eyes this week. The power of Torah, to protect, to heal, to give life. Yair ben Esther is living proof. And so are his friends, who showed what real friendship and Jewish unity look like by building this kollel through the Personal Scholar project.”

The public is asked to continue praying for the complete recovery of Yair ben Esther along with all those in need of healing among the Jewish people.