Inspiring and Obligatory: IDF Disabled Veteran Fully Heals Thanks to One Commitment. What Was It?

The spiritual power of the holy Tzaddik, Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira (the Baba Sali), continues to guide us with hope, encouragement, and spiritual strength. One of the most astounding stories we have encountered about the miracles the Rabbi achieved was about a young IDF disabled veteran - a young man confined to a wheelchair.

Since his injury in the Yom Kippur War, the soldier was left with one leg that was completely non-functional and even at the point of amputation.

Until that point, the soldier led a secular lifestyle, but after the injury, he began seeking points of light to cling to during the difficult trial, which led him to the Baba Sali, of blessed memory. The young man hoped that through the wondrous stories he heard about Baba Sali, the Rabbi could help him in his distress.

When the young man entered the Rabbi's room, the Rabbi asked him if he puts on tefillin every day, and the young man answered negatively. The Rabbi continued and asked, "Do you observe Shabbat?" Again, receiving a negative response, the holy Rabbi looked directly at him and said, "If so, you need to thank Hashem for having one healthy leg."

"If I Bless You for a Complete Healing and You Will Walk on Your Legs..."

To the young man's amazement, having not expected this answer, the Rabbi agreed to explain, saying, "Everything we have is given to us from the Treasure of Free Gifts, not because Hashem owes us. Since you do not observe Torah and mitzvot, what you do have comes from the Treasure of Free Gifts."

Then, the young man understood that his life was hanging in the balance and burst into tears that moved everyone present. Once he calmed down, the Rabbi gently asked him, "If I bless you for a complete healing and you get up from the wheelchair and walk on your own, will you fully repent and take upon yourself to observe Torah and mitzvot?"

When the young man positively answered, the Rabbi took his hand and blessed him with "a complete healing to serve Him, blessed be He," and in response, the young man kissed the Rabbi's hand.

At this point, those present urged the young man to try to get up from his wheelchair and try to walk – and a miracle occurred. Not only did he manage to immediately stand on his legs, but the young man also began walking in the room unaided. In his enthusiasm, he found himself walking outside, jumping, and even running on the sidewalk among passersby, asking one question: "Where is a public phone around here? It's an urgent matter."

Returned to the Rabbi's House to Thank for the Great Miracle

In those days, public phones were a rare sight, and the nearest phone was 200 meters away at Yeshivat HaNegev. However, this did not deter our acquaintance, who found himself walking the distance effortlessly, as if he was not the young man confined to a wheelchair an hour earlier.

When he reached the public phone, he called his family, and with tears, he told them about the miracle that just occurred at the Rabbi's house - while joyful and excited cries were heard from the other end of the line with unimaginable intensity.

Despite the difficulty of changing his life from one extreme to the other and committing to a lifestyle other than what he had known all his life, the young man did not waver from his decision to fulfill the promise he made to the Baba Sali, and shortly thereafter, he fully repented.

Shortly thereafter, the young man returned to the Rabbi, this time with his joyful family, carrying delicacies and snacks for the thanksgiving meal over the miraculous event that happened to their son. At this moving event, the young man told his story and strengthened those present in faith (the story is fully detailed in the book ‘Shabbat and its Laws’ by Rabbi Aharon Zakai).