"Do You Honor Your Parents?" Asked Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, and the Patient Burst Into Tears

In the newspaper 'Yated Neeman,' there are several chilling stories of divine providence recounted by Dr. Meshulam Hart, the personal physician of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, Rabbi Chananya Cholak, who had the merit to serve the great sages of Israel, and Dr. Chaim Israel Stroh.

"Do You Work on Chol Hamoed?" Asked Rabbi Kanievsky

Several bank clerks suddenly experienced severe leg pain and consulted a doctor who could not find the cause, and thus could not find an appropriate remedy. It was puzzling, both regarding the pain with no known cause and how several employees suffered the same pain. In their distress, they turned to Rabbi Kanievsky for guidance and he asked them: "Do you work on Chol Hamoed?" – "Yes," they replied. He said: "Chol Hamoed is called 'Regel' (festival), and during 'Regel' one must not work; therefore, you were punished in your legs." Naturally, the pain subsided when they accepted not to work during Chol Hamoed.

"Do You Honor Your Parents?" and the Woman Burst Into Tears

The doctor, who is Rabbi Kanievsky's personal physician, also tells of a woman who arrived at the clinic with severe abdominal pain and was sent for hospital treatment. After all tests in the hospital found nothing, she remained under observation. Still, finding no cause for the pain, she brought her concerns to Rabbi Kanievsky. When he heard of her plight, he asked: "Do you honor your parents?" The woman burst into tears and confessed that she was unable to honor them for various reasons. He told her: "Honor them, and you will be healthy," and so it was.

"Learn the Laws of Chol Hamoed"

Dr. Hart also recounts being present in Rabbi Kanievsky's room when a young man from abroad came and reported a dangerous tumor in his chest. The Rabbi advised him, "Learn the laws of Chol Hamoed." The young man studied diligently and even published a booklet of Torah novelties on these laws, resulting in the tumor's regression. Some years later, when the tumor returned, he revisited Rabbi Kanievsky, who instructed him to print another edition of the booklet, and thank God, since then, the tumor ceased.

"Tell Rabbi Gershonowitz to Come Here and Heal the Department"

Rabbi Chananya Cholak, who served Rabbi Shach, among other great sages, tells the following miraculous story about Rabbi Reuven Yosef Gershonowitz, of blessed memory:

A happy couple had twins, but their joy was short-lived. A checkup at 'Schneider' Hospital revealed a dangerous tumor in one of them, God forbid. The distressed father went to Netivot to Rabbi Gershonowitz to pour out his heart and seek advice. After hearing the troubling news, the Rabbi told him assuredly: "The child is healthy. You have nothing to fear." The father left encouraged, with faith in the sages brimming in his heart. However, there was a problem: The child was hospitalized, and the hospital would not release him nor refrain from starting treatment. What could be done? Naturally, he approached Rabbi Cholak for help. Rabbi Cholak spoke to the department head, informing her that the parents wished to withdraw the child.

Upon hearing the request, the department head said to Rabbi Cholak: "Until today, I thought you were an educated and wise person. I don't like hearing nonsense." Rabbi Cholak responded, "Distinguished professor, we have a concept, 'Righteous ordains,' and we believe in it. Maybe I'm talking nonsense, but a righteous person said this. I am asking not that they refrain from treating the child but conduct another 'CT.' If I'm talking nonsense, I'll retract." She replied, "I'll agree to another 'CT' out of respect for you."

After the 'CT,' the professor called Rabbi Cholak and said: "There are two scans here, the first clearly shows the tumor, and in the second, it is gone!" She asked Rabbi Cholak: "Tell Rabbi Gershonowitz to come here and heal the department. I'm going home. Why waste our hard work if the Rabbi can make tumors disappear?" Rabbi Cholak answered: "It doesn't work that way. 'Righteous ordains' depends on prayers and merits, and not everyone receives it!"

Rabbi Cholak added: "One must know that the prayers of the people of Israel have immense power to overturn nature. I saw this with my own eyes when accompanying the Gross family after they were harmed by pesticide inhalation. They were transferred to 'Schneider' Hospital with an 'ECMO heart-lung' machine in a situation where there was almost no hope for recovery. Yet, the Jewish people tore open the gates of Heaven with prayer and were healed against the natural order, aided by prayers and spiritual fortification."

The Experienced Doctor's Midnight Tears

Dr. Chaim Israel Stroh, deputy director of the internal medicine department at 'Maayanei Hayeshua' Medical Center, tells of a great salvation beyond the natural order:

"A patient, about fifty years old, came to me with a year-long history of back pain. Despite countless consultations, all referred him for a spine scan, which showed everything as normal. Painkillers weren't helping. When he came to me, certain details in his story were particularly troubling; it didn't sound like normal back pain but a problem at the tailbone beneath the spine, where nerves affect the entire lower body. We sent him for a 'CT,' and my diagnosis was confirmed: a severe tumor was present. His life could be saved only by removing the bone surgically, but at a cost. Mobility and control over the lower body would be severely affected."

In the meantime, we sent letters to leading medical centers worldwide for opinions, and uniformly received responses recommending removal of the bone, despite the severe implications. "The family then approached me," Dr. Stroh recounts, "saying: 'You diagnosed the problem, you must decide whether to proceed with surgery.'"

At this point, the doctor choked up recounting the event: "I sat late at night in the clinic, my mind in turmoil. I didn't feel I could recommend surgical intervention that could severely impact movement, yet time was of the essence to avoid metastasis. How could I make such a consequential decision?

I was in utter despair and from the depths of my soul cried out to Hashem, in tears and supplications, saying, 'Master of the Universe, this patient trusts me, and I cannot decide. Help me, Master of the Universe, guide me.' Minutes passed in intense prayer when the patient's wife informed me of a renowned specialist in Italy who was fortuitously in a Tel Aviv hotel before flying back that very night.

"I urged her, 'Go show the scans to the doctor.' She rushed to the hotel lobby and caught him before leaving. The doctor glanced at the scans, asking what the doctors had advised. When told of the surgical recommendation, he disagreed emphatically: 'Surgery? You can't! It will leave nothing of the man! There's a medical center in Japan with a special treatment.' He then departed.

"We contacted the Japanese center and were informed of their success in a few rare cases like this worldwide. Thus, a path was opened to a German facility using this method. The patient underwent fourteen treatments, and the miracle occurred. He recovered fully and is functioning in every part of his body," concluded Dr. Stroh. "The miracle was thanks to that heartfelt cry to Hashem in the clinic that night, sparing him a crippling operation, revealing the perfect treatment path."

Concluding with Rabbi Kanievsky's words, as quoted by his personal physician: "Rabbi Kanievsky always says this is not healing through 'miracle,' but rather Hashem desires to heal a person. He waits for us to take an unconventional step, then sends salvation in an extraordinary manner." Just as the Mishna indicates, illness does not kill, nor does medicine heal, but when one's heart is directed towards their Father in Heaven, healing occurs.

May it be His will that we merit to fulfill our Father's will in Heaven and enjoy health of body and soul for many long years.