Chilling: What Lies Behind the Story of the Tombstone Stirring the Orthodox Community?

An exceptionally exciting and chilling story of divine providence spread throughout Jerusalem and its surroundings in recent days, leading to an indescribable spiritual strengthening.

R' David Kletskin is a cherished Jew employed by the Chevra Kadisha in Jerusalem. At the intermediary days of Pesach about a month ago, while attending a funeral on Har HaMenuchot, an advertisement for a company involved in refurbishing tombstones caught his eye. He picked up the flyer and put it in his pocket, continuing with his burial duties.

That evening, the 26th of Nisan 5778, upon returning from the funeral, he changed his clothes and placed the contents of his pockets on the dresser.

The following day, just before heading out for the Shacharit prayer, he returned the items from the dresser to his pockets, intending to discard the advertisement. "Instinctively, I glanced at the ad and saw a picture of two tombstones. On the right, a dusty old tombstone with the caption 'Before,' and to the left, the same tombstone cleaned up after refurbishment with the caption 'After.' I strained to read the small lettering on the stone, which read: Here lies the esteemed woman Atka Toyba, of blessed memory, daughter of Rabbi David Shakhar, of blessed memory."

It turns out the righteous woman was buried near her ancestors, "a privilege not granted to her sisters who were martyred for Kiddush Hashem. I deduced she was likely a Holocaust survivor who never married. Realizing that today marked the 47th anniversary of the lonesome woman's passing, I saw it as a rare instance of divine providence that after many days of the note being in my pocket, I read it precisely on her yahrzeit."

"The Ground that Burned Beneath Their Feet Caused Them to Leave Russia"

With this feeling, R' Kletskin decided to say Kaddish for the elevation of her soul during the Shacharit prayer, and after the prayer, he shared the story with the congregation. Many resolved to study Mishnayot and light candles for the elevation of her soul.

Seeing how the story touched and motivated the prayers towards good deeds, he decided to disseminate it through various channels until it quickly went viral. "It reached thousands of people I don't know, who also did good deeds for the elevation of the aforementioned lonely woman," he recounted. "Subsequently, I phoned the advertiser and inquired about the tombstone details. In response, he mentioned that he's been in the industry for years, and occasionally asked clients for permission to print a picture of their relative's tombstone for advertising purposes, but most declined out of respect for the family."

Until one day, Rabbi Binyamin Rimer from the Chebin Yeshiva in Jerusalem (the son-in-law of the late Rabbi Eliashev of blessed memory) approached him, requesting to refurbish the tombstone of a relative. "I figured that in this case, there wasn't close family who might be offended, maybe it was an opportunity, and fortunately, the rabbi agreed, even suggesting that it might benefit the soul in the future. Thus, the advertisement has been circulating for over 12 years."

When the cherished Jew heard the story behind the advertisement, he shared the miracle of the providence that occurred to him – reading the ad precisely on the yahrzeit. The tombstone renovator then contacted Rabbi Rimer to relate the miracle and gather more details about the deceased. "He explained that she immigrated to Israel in 5694, several years before World War II. Initially, they lived in Minsk, Russia, and when the father got into trouble with the tax authorities, the KGB came one night to arrest him."

The young woman yelled at the policemen, 'Leave him be. It's I who committed the tax offenses, and my father has nothing to do with the business.' So persistent was she in her claims that, by sheer miracle, the Russian officers left the house as they came, empty-handed. This temporarily saved the father's life, but the ground burning beneath their feet led them to leave Russia and immigrate to the Holy Land.

This woman, named Tova Shahar, remained childless all her days but dedicated her life to charity and supporting educational institutions.

"Apply this Salve to Your Children, Not Me"

But the story doesn't end there. On Monday, the 8th of Iyar, R' Kletskin received a surprising call from an anonymous Jewish man named Aaron. That Aaron met Mrs. Tova Shahar some fifty years ago when he needed a certain ointment and went to a pharmacy in Tel Aviv to purchase it. Shahar, then the pharmacist, assisted him, but there was some mistake in the sale, and Aaron returned to the pharmacy the following day, angry, and snapped at Shahar: "Apply this salve to your children, not me."

The ad that led to a request for forgiveness from the deceased

Naturally, this created significant embarrassment in the pharmacy. The staff present didn't know how to console the lonely Shahar, who remained engulfed in silent pain without responding. Aaron didn't understand why he received such a reaction, but the words were already said, and he left the pharmacy in a storm, forgetting about the whole thing.

Years passed. Aaron married and hoped for children of his own, but wasn't blessed with them for many long years. Then he recalled the pharmacist and the words he had uttered, beginning to search for her to apologize, only to find out it was too late. When he finally traced her to a nursing home in Gedera where she spent her final days, he was informed that Mrs. Shahar had passed away.

Overcome with a terrible sense of missed opportunity, Aaron continued with his life until one chilling morning, about 15 years ago. According to him, a horrifying scream escaped his mouth when he looked in the mirror and saw a distorted image looking back at him. It was his own face, altered beyond recognition, and even his pleasant voice, which helped in his livelihood as a cantor and Torah reader, disappeared completely.

Removed His Shoes, Cried Bitterly and Asked for the Deceased's Forgiveness

Almost immediately, he realized there are no coincidences in this world and concluded that his affliction was directly related to the pain he caused Mrs. Shahar. Seeking counsel from the wise of the generation, Aaron decided to search for Mrs. Shahar's grave to ask for forgiveness, but he encountered insurmountable difficulties.

None of the cemeteries in the central area had records of a woman named Tova Shahar being interred at any of their sites, and nobody could assist in his plight. His pain grew, until the heavens opened and Hashem's mercy was revealed upon him. It happened on the 2nd of Iyar, when Aaron heard the divine providence story of R' David Kletskin, which had already become famous throughout Jerusalem and beyond.

Without wasting any precious time, he took a taxi and ascended to the cemetery on the Mount of Olives with a minyan from the Mir Yeshiva.

Upon reaching Mrs. Shahar's grave, he removed his shoes and began to cry bitterly, seeking the deceased's forgiveness. No eye remained dry at the sight of his pain as the young men replied three times, 'You are forgiven,' 'You are forgiven,' 'You are forgiven.' According to Aaron, despite feeling some relief after begging for the deceased's forgiveness, he felt compelled to also ask for Hashem's forgiveness and continued to the Western Wall, where he poured out his heart in tears, pleading for Hashem's absolution.

And lo and behold, the miracle wasn't long in coming: a week later, on Shabbat of the portion Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, Aaron looked in the mirror and was terrified once more – this time out of immense joy that engulfed him. His distorted face had returned to its normal form, and his familiar voice was restored. A true miracle.

On the evening after Shabbat, he shared his story publicly at the synagogue where he prays, astonishing, reinforcing, and inspiring the audience to return to complete repentance and take on more and more virtuous resolutions. "Dear Jews, my brothers and friends," Aaron pleaded with the people of Israel. "If you have wronged someone, don't wait years until it's too late. Seek forgiveness even if you think you were in the right, so you won't have to endure the horrific suffering I did."