Choosing Life with Every Breath: A Hero’s Quiet Strength

“Hillel obligates the poor. Rabbi Elazar ben Charsom obligates the rich. Joseph obligates the wicked.” These are the timeless words of the Gemara in Tractate Yoma (35b). And then there’s Dr. Rahamim Melamed Cohen — a man whose life obligates all of us.

Dr. Melamed Cohen passed away on the 16th of Cheshvan 5781 (October 3, 2020), after an extraordinary 26-year journey living with ALS, one of the most devastating illnesses known. But he didn’t just endure it — he transformed it into a source of strength, creativity, and inspiration. His story isn’t only about pain or perseverance. It’s about choosing life, again and again, with grace, with faith, and with purpose.

At 57, just when many people begin to slow down, Dr. Melamed Cohen received the crushing diagnosis: ALS. A disease that robs a person of movement, speech, and even the ability to breathe — while leaving the mind fully intact. Most people live only 3–5 years after diagnosis. He was fully aware of this reality.

Doctors warned that the illness might bring on depression, hopelessness, and even suicidal thoughts. But he went in the opposite direction. With strength and willpower, he set out to show the world that even a paralyzed man could live a deeply meaningful life. He became a role model not only to other patients, but also to doctors, caregivers, and countless people who simply needed hope.

Though he could no longer speak, he found his voice through technology. Using a text-to-speech software called Kol’an, he gave lectures to audiences of doctors, nurses, and the general public. His email inbox was always full. He stayed in touch with thousands of people, offering support, advice, and encouragement. “I don’t say this out of pride,” he once wrote, “but to prove that so much depends on a person’s will — with help from society, and from Heaven.”

After a medical crisis in 1999, he was left completely paralyzed and reliant on a respirator. He could no longer move, except for his eyes and eyelids. And yet, that small window of ability became his gateway to the world. Using an eye-tracking camera, two sensors, and virtual keyboard software, he wrote — and wrote — and wrote. Over the years, he authored 18 books, including “Know Your Students,” “The Exceptional Child,” “And You Chose Life,” “Once,” “As Good in My Eyes” and others. His works spanned educational theories, Torah commentary, poetry, riddles, autobiographical reflections, and even a dialogue between a religious and secular Jew on a flight.

Even after losing nearly all physical function, he discovered new ways to express himself. A former amateur photographer, he turned to digital painting using Photoshop — again, controlled only by his eyes. His pieces, like “Eyes in the Bible” and “Colors in the Bible,” were displayed in exhibitions both in Israel and the United States.

He didn’t shy away from public discourse either. He was interviewed in newspapers, on radio and television, and online. He worked with the ALS organization “Atlas,” where he was part of the leadership team. And when the topic of euthanasia came up, he made his stance clear: Life, even in the hardest circumstances, has value.

“When I was diagnosed,” he recalled, “the doctor told me: ‘Rahamim, mercy upon you — this is the most terrible disease. You’ll be completely paralyzed. A fly will land on your nose, and you won’t be able to move it.’ He was hinting that maybe I should consider ending my life.” But that wasn’t his way.

He explained his view with firmness and clarity. “When society sends a message to the terminally ill that ‘it’s better to die than to live,’ people absorb that message. They think it’s brave to give up. But I believe the opposite. Positive thinking, hope, love, and faith — these are powerful forces. They can bring life, meaning, and even joy. Why give up on the body so quickly?”

He once recounted how Professor Avinoam Reches, chairman of the Ethics Bureau, asked him: “When will you decide to end your life?” Dr. Melamed Cohen responded: “That’s not a decision. But if I ever lose all ability to communicate or become unconscious, I ask that my life not be extended artificially — but never take my life. That’s murder.” He believed life was a gift from the Creator, given on deposit. “We’re born without choosing, and we leave this world without choosing. Life belongs to Hashem.”

And then, he said something truly astonishing. “People don’t believe me when I say this — but these are the best years of my life. I’ve written 18 books, created 8 art exhibits, and composed 10 songs — all with just my eyes. The satisfaction is enormous. I miss hugging my loved ones, eating normally, walking in nature. But the doctors said I’d live 3–5 years. I’m alive. And I’m thankful.”

He added: “I breathe with a machine. I do suction every few minutes. And still, I say in my heart: ‘How great are Your works, Hashem.’ I know it sounds irrational — but this is my truth. It comes from faith, from love, from the education I received, from joy, from the Rock of Israel.”

Someone once asked him: “What helps you choose life every single day?” His answer: “Faith in Hashem. Faith in myself. Hope. Love. Joy.”

In a moving poem published in his book For Him, he wrote:

“My body is paralyzed, bound,
But my thumb will move,
My breath flows through a machine.
Why, Hashem, did You place a soul in me?
Maybe, Hashem, You sent me to inspire others —
To show that even when a sharp sword rests at the neck,
Life is still worth living.
My lips don’t move, my voice is silent,
But I will create, I will give,
I will bring light to others.
Every living soul will praise You —
And I, in my life, will praise You too.”