"The Enlighteners": Yair Kraif's Heartfelt Account of Donating a Kidney

The streets of the first Hebrew city were accustomed to various scenes, but not to the one unfolding before them – a young man, with an ultra-Orthodox appearance, marching briskly with his gaze set towards the country's famous plaza, "Kikar HaMedina".

The hour is 4:30 in the early morning. The veil of darkness slightly obscures his face, both draped with a glow of supreme illumination. Above him, a dense network of thousands of stars twinkles, as if encouraging him, saying: "Go up, rise higher, for you have immense strength to fulfill the great mission of your life." Only a few hours remain before his great day sanctifies upon him, perhaps the greatest day on Earth. He feels a deep spiritual need to sanctify and purify himself, like the high priest from his brothers, entering once a year the innermost chamber, yet for him, it would be a 'once in a lifetime' entry, with no second chance.

His feet carried him to the lower floor, in the nearby Sadigura Synagogue, to the purification mikveh. "For the sake of the unity of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah," his lips murmured, "I hereby take upon myself, and with my body, the positive commandment of 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' and I am ready and prepared to bind myself on the operating table, like the binding of our father Isaac, may his merit protect us, in donating a kidney to a Jew unknown to me, whom I have never seen, and whom I might never see again." In his mind echoed the saying of the Baal Shem Tov: "Sometimes seventy or eighty years in the world are destined for one purpose – to do good for a Jew."

And so he immersed in holiness and purity, with this immersion being a presence of supreme purity. As preparation for reaching the pinnacle of pinnacles tomorrow morning, when the surgeon's scalpel will cut into living flesh, and one of his kidneys will bid farewell to his body and embark on its mission to a new place, to grant new life to a Jew hovering between life and death. Now his life will be saved, and he will merit longevity and years.

The analogy to Isaac's binding captivated him especially, and in his mind reverberated the words of the liturgical poem sung before the Shofar blowing on Rosh Hashanah:

"When the gates of will open, the day I shall stretch out my hands to God, please remember me favorably on the day of rebuke, the binder and the bound and the altar."

Please! "My merciful Father, grant me the merit and open for me the gates of mercy and favor, by virtue of kidney donation, answer me Father, answer me."

Who Is Like Your People, Israel

The last morning prayer in life with two kidneys. This is it, it's happening, you can still back out, no that's not an option, it's not even a consideration! The heart flutters with excitement, preparations of over a year come to an end at these moments, and new life will dawn in the operating room. Tears flow like water, the parting from family members is oh so moving, and the tears, tears of joy mixed with great awe, and acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven with complete love toward the Creator, blessed be He.

A nurse in a white coat gently rolls the bed before him. The donor's eyes are closed, his face radiating light from a hidden and exalted realm. His eyes are moist, and his lips whisper a soft prayer. His body rests on a white bed, and his soul wanders in the heights. The moment is one of grace, and every second is precious; in a few moments, the curtain of anesthesia will fall, and a chapter of self-sacrifice and Jewish heroism will be inscribed in golden letters in the Book of Compassion.

They knocked on the gates of mercy to open, the son to be sacrificed and the father to sacrifice, hoping to trust in God and His mercy.

He had never been there, but the bed seemed to him like the altar of our father Isaac, as if our first father Abraham was standing above him in the toughest test of all, from which his sons and sons' sons have drawn buckets of self-sacrifice and dedication for His great name until this very moment.

And there in the heavenly realms, the Creator of all worlds turns to His angels, seraphim, and ofanim, and all those in His company, wondering what a child of flesh and blood is doing among them? What is a mere mortal doing among you? For from the dawn of time, there has not been caused before Him a pleasing satisfaction of such marvelous proportions, and the act of donation was as a sacrificial offering breathed in as a sweet fragrance to the One who spoke and the world came into being.

Remember Your covenant, dweller of the Habitation, and remember the oath to the stormy and afflicted congregation...

And by the merit of kidney donation – Say to Zion, the time of salvation has come, I send Yinnon and Elijah.

"Blessed are You, Hashem, who has chosen us from all nations and exalted us from all tongues and sanctified us with His commandments." Sovereign of the universe, who is like Your people Israel, one nation on Earth, a people whose children desire to do Your will, clinging to Your attributes and striving with all their heart to fulfill "and you shall walk in His ways"—as He is merciful, so should you be merciful. And exalted us from all peoples and tongues, to be able to rise above selfishness, to see the other, to feel his pain, to mourn over his distress and to be ready to sacrifice everything for him..

In days when vile murderers and cruel people take the lives of Israel and sanctify the war of the sword and evil, hundreds of kidney donors stand against them, sanctifying the value of life and devoting themselves to bringing new life, thereby bringing healing and redemption to the whole world.

Just to Thank

Master of the world,

I thank You with all my heart and soul for the exalted and wonderful privilege, for the rare mitzvah You brought to my hands in pure grace truly from Your good treasure, not at all according to my deeds. For from the days of yore, this incredible opportunity was not given, which our orphaned generation has been privileged – kidney donation. And among millions upon millions, You chose me and graced me with this mitzvah. And even if I sing and praise You every moment, I will never suffice to thank You and bless Your name for this great privilege!

May Your mercy be stirred for Your people, and heal all their pain, and by the merit of kidney donation pour upon us from above the abundance of Your light and mercy. And there we will ascend and appear and bow before You, in eternal joy, by virtue of the gift of life – a true kindness with the living, amen, may it be Your will!

For the month of Kislev, Hidabroot is collecting stories of light and splendor about people who illuminate the way. Do you know such people? You are invited to send their details to the emaildebi@htv.co.il, or write about them yourself. Let's spread the great light together!