"The Famous Greek Actress Was Angry With Me for Not Observing Shabbat"

When Meira Rafaeli, an artist, comedian, and creator, is interviewed by Hidabroot, she doesn't answer questions like a typical interviewee. Each response of hers sounds like a small part of a major performance: she takes you to different realms of her life, colors them with descriptions, and captivates with great interest as she talks about the plot of her life story.

One of the pivotal moments in her life story happened when she was studying acting in New York about 25 years ago. "It all started with a Greek woman studying acting with me." One day, this actress was walking with Meira on the street and said to her in English, "Meira, can I tell you something? Do you know why I am here in America?"

The Greek actress told Meira that she was very famous in Greece, such that she couldn't leave her home without droves of fans and photographers. "She came to America to rest. In the US, no one knows her. Later, on one of the days, I arrived the acting school on Shabbat. The moment that actress saw me, she wagged her finger as if I did something wrong."

"It Sounds Strange and Mystical. Who Can Really Understand It?"

When Meira asked her 'what happened?' the actress replied: "In one of the films I acted in Greece, I portrayed a Jewish woman. For that role, I studied your Torah, and that's why I know what you just did is called 'profaning the Shabbat'". Meira was astounded: "This polite Gentile, a representative of Greek and Roman culture, pointed an accusatory finger at me, without any shame, and told me I did something forbidden, as though I broke the law. The more amazing thing was that from that day on, she never spoke to me again. She was angry forever. When I approached to speak to her, she ignored me, when I entered the class during the break - she left. It was very strange."

(Photo: shutterstock)

This is how Hashem started sending Meira signs. "Baal Teshuva always talk about that day of enlightenment, the pivotal moment when Hashem opens a window for you, and says 'Nice to meet you,' but not all baal teshuva speak about it openly and in detail, because it sounds strange and mystical. Who can really understand it? No one can, but I remember it in detail, that moment when Hashem opened a window for me, and said to me: 'Nice to meet you'."

The Audition for Walt Disney Ended with Elijah the Prophet

"On that day I was at an audition," Meira continues to relate, "which is a test for getting a role in the acting world. The audition was for a very large production company called 'Walt Disney'. Don't be confused, they didn’t call me specifically, 300 other people were there with me, but I was sure they would choose me. I performed a piece I worked on for hours upon hours, but strangely, when I left there and looked at the tall buildings and the huge advertisements of Times Square, after nearly two years of living in New York, I suddenly felt... alien. I began walking the streets, asking myself what am I doing here. I didn't understand where the question came from, as I had dreamt all my life exactly of these moments. I realized something was going on with me, but I didn’t understand what."

At 2 AM, Meira found herself pacing her apartment, feeling overwhelmed by inexplicable happiness she couldn't contain. "At that time I did not understand what exactly was happening to me, but today, about 20 years later, I can define it – basically, all the barriers between this world and the world above were breached, and I felt a divine light that cannot be imagined."

Come meet Meira Rafaeli at a stand-up show, Rabbi Chaim Zaid, and Rabbi and comedian Yaakov Hamo at the Hidabroot events: The World Was Created for You. Modi'in Illit 25 Iyar 16.5 | Jerusalem 26 Iyar 17.5 | Petah Tikva 28 Adar 21.3 | Click here or call 073-222-1240

The Verse Read from the Book with Trembling Hands

"As I walked back and forth in my apartment living room, I asked: 'Master of the Universe, explain to me what is happening to me'. The moment I asked the question, my eyes suddenly landed on a book from my library, a book I agreed to take from someone just out of politeness."

With trembling hands, Meira took the book, because she felt there she would find the answer to her question. "I opened the book in the middle, something I never do with any book, and before my eyes appeared the verse: 'And he shall turn the heart of fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers'. Rashi explains that in the last generation, there will be a transformation: in our secular generation, those who will return to faith will be the children, and they will bring their parents to return."

(Photo: shutterstock)

When Meira read this interpretation, she suddenly felt a powerful presence in her apartment's living room, even though no one was there. "I continued reading: 'Behold, I send you Elijah the Prophet'. I read it, didn’t exactly understand it, but at that moment I felt someone was with me in the room, and I couldn’t explain it. I felt I was not alone. It was an unexplained presence, and then I read 'Behold, I send you Elijah the Prophet', and the Midrash explains that in the end of days Elijah the Prophet will come to the youth of the generation, 'and whisper to them and they will do teshuva, revealed to one and hidden from another'. Even if they are in the same room, they will think it is their own original thought, when it’s not, but the voice of Elijah the Prophet."

Met Her Husband After Three Meetings: "As a Single Woman, I Didn't Plan on Getting Married"

Later, Meira experienced more dramatic, unconventional experiences, which she shares in her performances. "When a person asks questions and tries to understand the story of this world, Hashem throws them various events, the question is whether the person chooses to see them or not."

It was 11 AM during our interview with Meira, and in the middle of the phone conversation, there was a noise in her house. It wasn’t Elijah the Prophet. It was just her 18-year-old son, who came back for an early vacation break, was hungry, and wanted his mother to prepare him soup. Meira changes characters quickly, managing to make her response to him funny without even trying.

What can you share about your life today?

"Today I can say that everything that happened to me was completely unplanned, and unimaginable. As a single woman, you would be surprised to hear, I didn’t even plan on getting married. It was not in my plans at all, but when I returned to Israel and entered a school for higher Torah learning, I got married after three meetings with the happiest man alive. Lucky for me, you can't ask him if it's true in this interview."

(Photo: shutterstock)

"I Want to Tell Women: Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams"

"More than that, I remember holding my first son who screamed all night, and I said: Master of the Universe, I returned to faith, got married after three meetings, but this?! – That’s enough. I don’t think staying up all night with children is for me. So Hashem listened, and gave me six more children... Apparently, there is someone above who knows our abilities better than we do. Today, I am a Haredi mother with six sons and one daughter, and I want to tell women: Don't give up on your dreams. Fulfill them according to Halacha, because Hashem won't let you give up. When I returned to faith, I didn’t think there was such a thing as women on stage in the Haredi world. I thought I was going to lock the dream in a huge chest and throw it into the ocean. With much divine assistance, the Creator led me step by step to this day. Thank Hashem, I have five plays and two solo stand-up shows. I sing, I make people laugh, and most importantly, I bring joy. Is there anything more joyful than that?".

Come meet Meira Rafaeli at a stand-up show, Rabbi Chaim Zaid, and Rabbi and comedian Yaakov Hamo at the Hidabroot events: The World Was Created for You. Modi'in Illit 25 Iyar 16.5 | Jerusalem 26 Iyar 17.5 | Petah Tikva 28 Adar 21.3 | Click here or call 073-222-1240