Chilling Discovery: Severe Headaches Lead to a Startling Revelation

What do you do when your son, a yeshiva student, is struck with terrifying headaches that have disturbed his peace for two years, threatening to disrupt his life? His concerned parents never imagined that the cause of the severe headaches was likely the fact that several letters, including the letter 'Reish' in the word "Sh'ar" (letters R.A.Sh), in his 'Tefillin Shel Rosh' (head tefillin) began to fade and even partially erased. The mother says, "After the tefillin were corrected, the headaches stopped."

This is a Torah-observant family committed to a religious lifestyle. "My 15-year-old son has suffered from intense migraines over the past two years," his mother says this week. "The pain started appearing close to his Bar Mitzvah and gradually increased in frequency, leaving him non-functional for long weeks. At one point, he had to miss his yeshiva studies. Severe headaches prevent a normal daily routine, forcing him to lie in bed with the shutters down to avoid disturbing light. We found him, unfortunately, in a situation where for two to three weeks he was bedridden, tormented by pain, and struggling to function properly."

The anxious parents decided to seek medical advice. The mother continues, "Because the pains were frequent and intense, we went to doctors, made every effort, tried to find relief, but nothing helped. At some point, because the pains lasted for months, the doctors feared and even recommended sending him for a series of comprehensive tests to rule out other potential issues."

"The son indeed underwent tests that revealed nothing. We continued rushing between neurologists and doctors, even turning to alternative medicine in an attempt to address the intense pains. Meanwhile, we prayed, hoped for salvation, and tried to cope with the helplessness we found ourselves in. I didn't know what to do, it hurt to see him like this—a young man, a scholar, spending his days in pain."

The Dream of Rabbi Steinman and a Mother's Prayer

The solution came in a terrible coincidence: "My son dreamed three times of Rabbi Steinman, of blessed memory, who blessed him and shook his head. After my son woke up and told about the dream, we cross-checked details and discovered that the third time he dreamed of Rabbi Steinman, at that exact moment, I looked to the heavens and prayed for salvation from Hashem. It was a heartfelt prayer, and I felt like I was entrusting the problem to Hashem. From the terrible distress I felt, a powerful and intense mother's prayer emerged."

"When my son told about the dream, we approached our rabbi, who said that there was indeed a hint to check the tefillin. I didn't delay. We immediately sent the tefillin for inspection by a qualified expert. The inspection uncovered a chilling discovery: In the 'Tefillin Shel Rosh,' several letters were erased, including the letter 'Reish' in the word 'Sh'ar,' whose letters compose the word 'Rosh.' The problem was only in the 'Tefillin Shel Rosh' and not in the 'Tefillin Shel Yad' (hand tefillin).

(Photo: Assaf Mizrachi)

Tefillin are known as sacred objects made from leather, containing parchment inscribed with four sections from the Torah. The tefillin consist of two independent units: 'Tefillin Shel Yad' and 'Tefillin Shel Rosh.'

"From our examination, it turned out that the scribe who wrote them is indeed God-fearing; it was merely an oversight that wasn't accounted for. The head tefillin was pre-written, stored, and when we ordered the tefillin for our son before his Bar Mitzvah, he wrote the hand tefillin and combined them—resulting in only the hand tefillin being written close to the Bar Mitzvah. When the parchments of 'Tefillin Shel Rosh' were folded, it appears that folding caused the letters of 'Tefillin Shel Rosh' to fade to the point where they began to crumble and were partially erased over time.

(Photo: Assaf Mizrachi)

"Of course, the issue was corrected on the spot, and that same day my son laid kosher tefillin according to the law. Needless to say, from that day on, the headaches vanished. The next day he returned to study at the yeshiva as usual. Although about two weeks ago he experienced headaches again, they were much milder than before, and he said they weren't comparable. His previous headaches were extremely intense. Thank Hashem we're glad the son returned to study, and lead a normal life. It was not easy to see him like that."

The mother wishes to convey a message: "First, every mother should know her prayers are highly regarded in heaven. I felt I was answered, especially when I put myself into Hashem's hands and asked for salvation. I felt we did all we could through natural means, and only Hashem could help us. A mother's prayer, especially with tears, is favorably received, and thank Hashem, we received salvation. I usually pray for my children's success all the time, it is clear and understood, but some prayers arise from a broken heart, as written in Psalms: 'From the depths, I called you, Hashem.' Such a prayer pierces the heavens.

(Photo: Assaf Mizrachi)

"Additionally, it is important for us to raise awareness about the importance of tefillin in protecting a person, which underscores how vital it is to lay tefillin. Of course, it's obligatory to check their condition and ensure the tefillin are indeed intact. Some people have not laid tefillin since their Bar Mitzvah and awaken to the mitzvah after decades. They should know it is crucial to send the tefillin for inspection."

Assaf Mizrachi, the scribe and proofreader who inspected the boy's tefillin, explained: "All ink dries and crumbles over the years, also in mezuzot. But it's more common in tefillin, especially in the 'Tefillin Shel Rosh.' Since the sections are rolled and tightly placed inside the boxes, this results in the ink drying and even cracking near the parchments, especially at the end of the section, from where the rolling begins, so the fold is more closely aligned with the writing. The images show several letters began to crumble and even partially erased, like the letter 'B' in the word "Bam" and the letter 'L'. Mizrachi emphasizes: "For this reason, the Shulchan Aruch states that tefillin and mezuzot should be inspected twice in 7 years, meaning every 3.5 years."