Zero Percent Vision, Said the Doctor. We Were Devastated. The Great Miracle Happened on 'Zot Chanukah'

The story began eighteen years ago when Sarah Friedman, a young mother from Boro Park, felt something was wrong with her newborn daughter. Her aunt, Rebbetzin Rivka Schneerson from Jerusalem, tells us the moving story:

"Sarah, my niece, was already an experienced mother when she gave birth to her fourth daughter," she recounts. "In the first days after her daughter was born, she noticed the baby did not respond to differences between light and dark, causing some anxiety. Initially, she told herself it might be too early, the baby was still small and not fully developed, and perhaps she was worried for no reason. However, two weeks passed, then three weeks, and the baby still showed no response to changes in light. Not only that, but it was now clear she wasn't following people with her eyes or reacting to colorful toys placed before her. She didn't focus her gaze, nor did she seem to respond to anything moving or happening in front of her. She tried waiting a little longer to see if there was any development in the baby's vision, but by a month and a half, she realized there was a problem."

Zero Percent Vision

The mother decided to consult a pediatrician with her concerns. The doctor took her worries seriously and examined the baby thoroughly: "He conducted various tests to capture her attention in order to verify if she was recognizing and following, and gradually his expression darkened. At the end of the examination, the doctor regretfully told her that he believed the baby could not see at all. He recommended my niece immediately see a world-renowned eye specialist from Manhattan."

The doctor's response confirmed all the mother's fears, and she understood her worries were not unfounded. At this point, the parents focused all their attention on securing a quick appointment with the specialist. They discovered he was one of the leading experts in the United States, and appointments with him were very far out. They leveraged connections and involved community activists to try to see the specialist as soon as possible. After much effort, they managed to secure an appointment a month and a half later, precisely for the 24th of Kislev, the eve of the first night of Chanukah.

"The days passed, the baby was almost three months old," continues Rebbetzin Schneerson, "and still there was no noticeable change in her vision. She didn't respond to any sight or movement. Then came the day of the decisive examination with the specialist. My niece set out to the doctor with her baby daughter, feeling heavy-hearted. To this day, she remembers wrapping her in coats and blankets appropriate for such a freezing, snowy day. She traveled to Manhattan and anxiously awaited the specialist's examination. The doctor examined the baby for a long time, investigated, and examined, and in the end, told my niece: 'Sorry to tell you, your daughter has zero percent vision. She cannot see at all. She has no active optic nerve'. The clear diagnosis was hard enough, but the doctor wasn't finished: 'I fear there is something in the child's brain blocking the optic nerves. It needs to be checked to ensure it is not a dangerous condition'. He outlined possible diagnoses, alarming in their severity, and included a list of instructions and referrals for an MRI scan.

The mother left the doctor terrified and doubly anxious. She hugged her little daughter, and her tears flowed continuously. Is this it? Will her daughter never see? How will she grow up? How will she cope? And what about all the daunting tests they had to do now? And what indeed, is wrong in the brain of her tiny baby? The snow fell heavily, and her sobbing only increased.

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A Righteous Man's Assurance

Broken and crying, Sarah entered her home and could barely recount to her husband what had happened at the renowned doctor. The husband heard the sharp diagnosis and was shocked. At that moment, without thinking twice, he took the baby from the stroller and ran outside. Wrapped in all the blankets and coats, he hurried into the snow and frost. 'I'm going to Rebbe Naftulcha,' he called out to his wife, who immediately understood his intention. In their neighborhood lived the Baba Rebbe, the righteous Rabbi Naftali, of blessed memory. To him, the father of the baby ran, as if drowning in water.

The father entered the tzaddik's home, held out the child, and cried out to the rabbi from the depths of his heart: "The doctors say she cannot see!"

The rabbi looked at him with love and assured him: "Hashem will see that it will be okay."

The baby's father added anxiously: "The doctors said an MRI is needed."

The rabbi reiterated: "No MRI is needed."

The young father was still not calm: "They said it could be, heaven forbid, from the brain."

And the rabbi persisted: "Nothing needs to be done."

After hearing such a confident answer echoing repeatedly in his ears, the father returned home with his little girl, somewhat more at ease, waiting to see Hashem's salvation. Yet no change was yet visible. The baby's expression remained blank. She did not follow or notice anything, and light seemed farther than ever.

Tears Before the Candles

As evening fell, it was time to light the Chanukah candles. The first candle was lit, and alongside the slender flame, the mother's tears trembled as well.

The mother sat before the burning candles, holding the baby in her arms and directing her tiny face towards the light of the candles. Thus, the two sat, and the mother prayed and cried from the depth of her heart. Within her, torturous thoughts stirred: What will happen to my daughter? How will she manage without the ability to see? The doctor's words echoed sharply in her head: zero percent vision. Her tears continued to trickle onto her daughter's head until the candles extinguished.

The next day, with the lighting of the second candle, Sarah again sat with her baby girl before the candles. Crying and full of prayer for Hashem's salvation. Without planning and naturally, she sat before the holy candles and poured out her pained heart. Not only during the first two days of Chanukah but throughout all the days of Chanukah, she would sit with the baby before the light of the candles, praying with intense tears for salvation. This lasted for a long time, until the last candle extinguished.

One night during Chanukah, Sarah had an extraordinary dream: our righteous grandmother, Chaya Hana, the wife of the saintly Rav Elchanan Halperin, Av Beit Din of London, of blessed memory, appeared to her. The little baby was named after the grandmother, being born on the 30th day after her passing. In the dream, the grandmother approached the mother and said, 'Do not worry. It will be okay.' The mother woke up startled and emotional, and in the morning hurried to see the baby, but no. The disappointment was clear. The baby did not react to the light being turned on in the room or off, nor did she focus her gaze on any object or face."

During the holiday, the children tried to test their little sister's vision. They conducted childish tests and checks to see if she could perceive them. But no change was observed, and the baby did not respond normally.

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Salvation in the Blink of an Eye

On the morning of "Zot Chanukah," the mother entered the room as the baby awoke and casually turned on the light. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the baby move in her place and stopped. Was the mother imagining? She turned off the light and turned it on again, and indeed, she wasn't mistaken. The baby clearly turned her head and blinked! At her excited cries, all the family members gathered into the room and repeatedly tested the three-month-old little one. The response was unequivocal: the baby began to discern light and dark. Their happiness was immense. The baby began to see.

The miraculous improvement continued to grow: day by day, the baby began to focus her gaze, follow large objects, and move her head following others' movements. Each new step was a true and unimaginable announcement.

After a month, the miracle was clear to all: the baby was seeing and responding, following and grasping, and functioning like any other baby her age. The mother returned to the specialist in Manhattan and asked him to re-examine the child. The doctor examined her and could not believe it was the same baby who, only a month ago, had zero vision. 'It can't be. It's a different child,' he claimed, but when it was clear to him that it was the same baby, he couldn't help but admit and say: 'This is a miracle beyond natural ways.'

Later, when Sarah told her aunt how she prayed before the Chanukah candles each night of the holiday, her aunt asked how and why she thought of the idea to sit thus before the candles. Sarah replied simply: ''It is known among us. Chanukah candles are sacred and have a special influence. I wanted the baby to be before the candles, and I couldn't help but cry for her and plead for her salvation.''

18 years have passed since. Little Chaya has grown up and matured. She sees excellently, by Hashem's grace, and even recently got married and established a home in Israel. Her story still echoes in hearts, and speaks of Hashem's grace.