"The Rebbe Said: 'Find 50 Women Who Will Sign That They Grant Your Wife a Year of Life'"

Many have already heard of the famous Segulah at the gravesite of Rabbi Gedaliah Moshe Goldman of Zvahill, of blessed memory. It is a unique Segulah—visitors come to pray at his grave on consecutive Mondays, Thursdays, and Mondays, ask for one blessing, and witness miracles. The stories and accounts emerging from this practice are deeply moving, but some experience it firsthand every single day.

Such is R' Eliezer Deutch, one of the directors of the Zvahill institutions, who visits the holy site almost daily. "As Zvahill Hasidim, we were raised with the knowledge that the gravesite of the Rebbe, Rabbi Gedaliah Moshe, holds special sanctity and is uniquely powerful for receiving prayers," he says, revealing touching stories about the goings-on at the sacred site and the mystery behind the Segulah.

"A Holy Place Seen"

"It all started when a well-known Zvahill Hasid—Rabbi Pinchas Blank, a Baal Tefillah very close to the Zvahill Rebbes, fell severely ill and was on his deathbed," Deutch recounts. "He was hospitalized in critical condition at Shaare Zedek Hospital, with doctors offering no hope. Then, during the night, the righteous Rabbi Gedaliah appeared to him in a dream and asked, 'Why don’t you come to pray at my site? I can help you.' The next day, Rabbi Blank instructed his son, R' Isaac, to pray at the Rabbi's grave. Back then, the old Shaare Zedek Hospital was located on Jaffa Street, close to the burial site of the Zvahill sage. He also gave his son 50 coins because the Rebbe asked him to donate to the institutions, urging him to go. R' Isaac Blank asked the Zvahill Rebbe to accompany him, and together they prayed for the father’s recovery at the grave. When they returned to the hospital, they were stunned to see the father sitting up in bed, surrounded by doctors proclaiming, 'We don't know what happened here; it's a medical miracle.'

"I personally heard this story from R' Isaac Blank," Deutch notes, "This story continues to resonate among the people of Israel, and today everyone knows that the grave of R' Gedaliah of Zvahill is a place auspicious for accepting prayers. Incidentally, there was another interesting event before Rabbi Gedaliah Moshe was buried there. This was when the Rebbe of Belz arrived in the Agripas area, lifted his eyes toward the cemetery where the Zvahill Rebbe would later be buried, and informed his personal attendant, ‘I see a holy place there.’ No one understood his words, as the structure of a Knesset had just been established there, and it was unclear what special sanctity was present. Only many years later, when the site became the Zvahill Rebbe's holy location, did the meanings become clearer."

But what is the source of the Monday-Thursday-Monday Segulah?

"I do not know the answer, nor do any other Hasidim," he admits. "It's known that the grandson of our previous Rebbe asked the Rebbe, who was essentially the son of Rabbi Gedaliah, about the source of the Segulah, and he replied, 'I do not know, but the greatest source is that everyone who performs this Segulah tells afterward that they were helped, proof that the prayers indeed work. What does the source matter? If you need something, go there and pray. Thus, over the past 15 years, the Segulah has become known and famous, with thousands of visitors arriving daily."

By the way, Deutch mentions that in the Hasidic tradition, it is told that the burial site of the Rebbe was in Sheikh Jarrah due to the conflicts at the time, preventing burial on the Mount of Olives. However, after the conflict ended, his son, Rabbi Mordechai, posed a dream question asking if he should move his father to the Mount of Olives, as he was initially buried there on condition. In the dream, his father responded that for hidden reasons, he wished not to be moved. Now, over 30 years after his passing, as thousands of worshipers arrive every Monday, Thursday, and Monday, those reasons become more apparent."

50 Signatures, 50 Years

How exactly is the Segulah performed? What should visitors do at the grave?

"The practice is to recite chapters of Psalms, the letters of chapter 119 according to the name of the righteous and the letters Neshamah, then each person can make their personal request, and it is important that it be just one request. This is also something taught in the Talmud, unrelated to the Segulah, from the guidance that ‘If a person has multiple important requests, they should focus on the most crucial one.’ After salvation is granted, it is important to publicize it.

"I feel incredibly moved seeing the many people who arrive on Mondays, Thursdays, and Mondays, and hearing the stories that accompany them. These are not exaggerations but reality. Everyone who approaches the burial site sees how many blessed notes are there, how many stories are told there, how blessings beyond the natural order occur. There are so many people who have been helped, singles who got engaged, long-time seekers of blessings who were granted with offspring, and financial problems being resolved. It is unprecedented. But I personally, as a close Zvahill Hasid, do not wait for Mondays, Thursdays, and Mondays to pray there, but do so continuously. It is such a special place for prayer, and it cannot be missed."

In conclusion, Rabbi Deutch wishes to share a wondrous story that occurred during the sage’s lifetime: "A Jew named Rabbi Chaim Brim was with his wife in the hospital when her condition was dire, and the doctors clarified that she had very little time left. Rabbi Brim broke into tears and visited the residence of the Rebbe of Dushinsky, who was the Rav of Jerusalem. The Rebbe looked at him and said, ‘There is a great sage, Rabbi Gedaliah Moshe Goldman, known as the Zvahill Rebbe, approach him and tell him that the Rav of Jerusalem instructed him to decree life for your wife, for he has the power to do so.’ And so it was, when Rabbi Brim reached the Sage, Rabbi Gedaliah Moshe closed his eyes, and after about two minutes, he said something incredible: ‘There are many righteous women here. Ask each one to sign that she grants a year of her life for your wife,’ and he further added, ‘Tell them that each signer, I promise her she will survive the war safely and no harm will befall her.’ Rabbi Chaim Brim left immediately with a paper and started collecting signatures from women, and when he reached the fiftieth signature, the Rebbe commanded him to stop. Upon returning to the hospital, the doctors informed him that his wife, who was hours away from the next world, was now out of danger. In the end, his wife lived for exactly fifty more years. This is just one of many miracle stories that occurred with Rabbi Gedaliah Moshe of Zvahill, and as is known, the great sages of generations influence us even after their passing. We hope he continues to advocate for us all."