Rivka Mor Friedman: "The Diamonds Left in the Car Saved My Life"

"I shouted to the officer, 'The diamonds, the diamonds!' He couldn't understand how I was carrying diamonds in such an old car? But I explained to him that there are diamonds worth much more than money, and those were the Hidabroot brochures."

Rivka Mor Friedman (42), a mother of three from the settlement of Alei Zahav in Samaria, took on the mission of distributing Hidabroot brochures every week. "I feel this is my duty," she shares with excitement, but she says it turned out that these brochures saved her life during a severe car accident in which she was only slightly injured.

When did you start distributing the Hidabroot brochures?

"At my workplace, I noticed that the Hidabroot brochures occasionally arrived. I was intrigued and captivated. My soul desired them, and I also wanted to distribute the brochures and be part of the great Hidabroot project."

"My personal journey began twelve years ago," Rivka recounts. "I was a secular person who was strengthening for a time, then getting confused and falling back. I didn't know peace and calm, life events pursued me until twelve years ago when my brother passed away from cancer. The questions hit me hard, and I decided to return to faith, but again, I wasn't sure how exactly to do it."

Hidabroot brochures

And what was before that?

"I actually grew up traditionally in Bnei Brak, then we moved to Ariel, where secularism deeply penetrated me. From there, I moved to Tel Aviv, and surprisingly, it was in Tel Aviv that I began reconnecting with Judaism."

Strengthened in Secular Tel Aviv

How did that happen in secular Tel Aviv?

"It started with a coworker who insisted on giving Torah lessons to the entire team after work at his house, and thus the teachings seeped in. There were many crises along the way, the biggest one after my aunt passed away from cancer. I completely broke down and left everything. I was angry at Hashem; the questions haunted me and gave me no rest, but sadly, when my brother passed, I began to find answers. I prayed for eight years to Hashem to send me a rabbi to guide me, and thank God, I met Rabbi Baruch Zucker from Kiryat Sefer, who taught me morning and evening how to be whole every day before Hashem."

How did you cope before discovering Rabbi Zucker?

"I was mainly independent in my return to faith. I relied a lot on the Hidabroot channel, but it was hard. Hashem guided me step by step. Seven years ago, I moved to a new home in Alei Zahav. On Friday, during twilight, I heard the melody of 'Lecha Dodi.' I went out to see where the enchanting singing was coming from, and to my excitement, my new house was located right across from a synagogue. I went to the synagogue and joined the prayer. There I found the "Chut Shel Chesed" brochure by Rabbi Arush, which helped me strengthen my faith. I connected with the Torah lessons held there, and I am linked to Hashem every moment and every second of my life, it's a decision to follow His ways. I also have a garden in my yard that allows me to be secluded with Hashem and speak with Him."

Rivka adds that part of getting closer to Hashem also involves bringing back His lost children. "A year ago, I started distributing Hidabroot brochures. I love the entire brochure and the strengthening content in it, and I wait all week for the packet of brochures to arrive so I can distribute them," Rivka shares, adding that one packet was not enough. "At first, I ordered one packet of brochures, but they were grabbed so quickly, so I ordered two packets, each containing fifty brochures."

Where do you distribute them?

"Of course, I first distribute them in the settlement where I live, Alei Zahav. Then, I distribute them in seven synagogues in Ariel and also in the settlement of Ofarim. Additionally, I send a packet to Kiryat Sefer to my rabbi, and also to Guy Hanania's 'Hodaya' bakery, where he works and lives. Incidentally, he also distributes brochures in his bakery; everyone who buys challah receives a brochure."

"During the lockdowns in the coronavirus period, I didn't give up, I went out to the streets and called people, 'Hidabroot, Hidabroot, come and take in honor of Shabbat joy,' and people came and took."

The Car Was Totaled, but I Was Saved Thanks to Hidabroot

Rivka begins to get emotional as she recalls what happened last week: "On Monday last week, I was on my way to the second shift at work, and through a challenging road, I found myself in a severe car accident where a commercial vehicle hit my car," Rivka recounts, tears in her eyes. "I checked myself and felt that I was alive," she trembles and continues to tell with great emotion. "I couldn't believe it, I said okay, I'll try to move, and I saw that I could move. I decided to try to get out of the car, and I managed to get out of the car, which was completely totaled. I got out and started dancing for joy, shouting to Hashem, 'Thank you so much for keeping me safe!'"

The car was totaled and you weren't injured?

"I wasn't directly injured, but I was affected by the seatbelt's force. My entire front turned purple due to the impact. Another miracle in all this was that there was an ambulance right behind me that immediately assisted and calmed me. But I wasn't calm; a police officer came to me and asked, 'What happened?' I started shouting at him, 'The diamonds, the diamonds.' He didn't understand what diamonds I was talking about. I told him to go to the front of the car and bring me all the Hidabroot brochures I distribute every week. I got into the ambulance and remembered that today happened to be the Yahrzeit of the righteous Nachum Ish Gam Zu, who would say about everything that happened to him: 'This too is for the best,' and so I said, if this is what Hashem wants, then this too is for the best, we must not complain. Currently, I'm lying at home, but Hashem sent me my friends to help me at home and with the children who got their mom back as a gift thanks to the diamonds, the Hidabroot brochures."