A Shabbat Light That Never Went Out

Hello to the editors of Hidabroot,

My name is Sharon Mordechai. I’m 28 years old, married with three children, and I live in Tel Aviv. I regularly read your website and the magazine you send me, and I felt it was time to share my own story. I hope it will inspire others who are searching, like I once was.

I grew up in a traditional-but-secular home, think Kiddush on Friday night while the television was heard in the background. I attended secular schools and all my friends were also secular.

But something in me was always searching. At just 12 years old, I was already thinking deeply about the purpose of life. I had so many questions, and I decided to ask my Orthodox aunt. The world she introduced me to felt rich and meaningful. So, at age 12, I made the decision to start observing Shabbat completely on my own.

Every Shabbat, when the rest of my family would turn on the TV, I’d sit by myself in a dark room. My friends laughed at me. It wasn’t easy for my parents either, since I refused to join family trips on Shabbat if they involved driving. But I held on with strength and conviction.

I never let go of Shabbat, even during my army service. And that was no small challenge.

During my time in the army, I met my amazing husband. We married a year after my release when I was 22.

Like my parents, my husband was traditional in a cultural sense but didn’t observe Shabbat. Thanks to my influence, he started keeping Shabbat too.

At 23, our first daughter, Adel, was born. We raised her with so much love.

But when Adel was around a year and a half, our marriage hit a difficult patch. There was stress from work, rent, and daily life and it all felt like too much.

Back then, I only knew Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger from a light-hearted segment on the TV show HaTzinor. One night, exhausted from meaningless shows and movies, I “accidentally” switched to Channel 97 and saw a full lecture by Rabbi Fanger. I was immediately drawn in and wanted to hear more.

The next day at work, I searched for more content and found the Hidabroot website with all of Rabbi Fanger’s lectures, neatly organized by topic. It felt like a gift from Heaven. I have a desk job where I input data all day, so I started listening to Torah lectures for hours, five lectures in the morning and two more at night. Seven hours a day of Torah learning! This went on for three months straight.

Slowly, my faith grew stronger. I became more observant with Shabbat, I began wearing skirts, and eventually covered my hair which was the hardest step for me.

The hardest part, though, was that I was doing this alone. I didn’t stop to ask my husband how he felt. I rushed toward the light that had opened before me, but in doing so, I left my husband behind, confused and overwhelmed by his wife’s sudden spiritual transformation.

This caused a strain in our relationship but thanks to Hidabroot’s incredible advisors, we found a way forward. Today, I don’t take any spiritual steps without my husband’s input. And baruch Hashem (thank G-d), after many heartfelt prayers, he’s now on his own path of return. He even prays three times a day and puts in sincere effort.

And now, the reason I’m writing:

When Adel was two and a half, we decided we were ready to bring another child into the world. By then, I was already fully observant and very careful with taharat hamishpacha (family purity) and tefillah (prayer).

Two months before I got pregnant, I had a dream.

In the dream, I walked into an old synagogue to hear a Torah lecture. The place glowed with a soft, peaceful light I still feel in my heart to this day. As I looked for the women’s section, I noticed 6 or 7 tables in the center. Seated at one of them was none other than the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

He was deeply immersed in a large Torah book. Without looking up, he took a set of keys from his pocket, kissed them, tossed them behind him, then picked them up again and kissed them once more. I finally found a seat not far from him and saw that the tables were set beautifully, as if for a celebration: plates in neat arrangements, a white tablecloth, and a glass of champagne.

Then I woke up. And I just knew I was going to become pregnant. I would have a son.

And so it was. Thank G-d, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. We named him Idan-Yosef. Idan means “era” in Hebrew symbolizing the era of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who appeared in my dream.

And here's something incredible: Idan-Yosef was born with a visible blue vein on his forehead, shaped like a Star of David. Yes, really. I know it’s hard to believe, so I’m including a photo. I hope you’ll be able to see it clearly.

This is my story. A journey that began with a young girl keeping Shabbat in the dark, and grew into a home filled with light, love, Torah, and blessing.

Thank you for everything you do at Hidabroot. Your work truly changes lives, mine included.

With gratitude,
Sharon Mordechai