Community Magazine July - August 2003

I heard the following story of the great, hidden ssadik (righteous sage) Rabbi Naftali Hayyim Horvitz zsvk"l, from his son, Rabbi Eliezer Nissan zs"l as he told it to the holy Rabbi of Barniv zsvk"l. A lthough she was the wife of a very wealthy man, this neighbor of Rabbi Naftali Hayyim, son of the "Imrei Noam" zs"l, in the Old City of Jerusalem, would do very kind favors for him. She pre- pared food for the Rabbi every day and baked for him bread and hallot. She washed his clothes and personally did all types of housework for him, for the sake of Heaven, in order to have the privilege of serving this sacred, saintly man. However, she never entered the ssadik's home; the ssadik's atten- dant would instead bring him everything she prepared from her home. The ssadik would instruct the woman through his attendant of whatever he needed to have done, and she faithfully obeyed all his wishes. Her husband was a scholarly, righteous, God-fearing man, a successful merchant who became among the wealthiest men in all of Jerusalem. But the couple had only one daughter, and it once happened that the daughter took ill and became mentally dis- abled, Heaven forbid. The parents took her to different physicians, they tried many dif- ferent segulot (mystical traditions), but the daughter could not be cured. One can easily imagine the parents' anguish and distress, particularly given the fact that this was their only child. Before this illness, the girl was graced with all the wonderful qualities. She had recently reached marriageable age, and the family had already received word of many offers of matches well deserving of her great qualities and her parents' stature. But now this had all stopped, as the word had spread that the doctors gave up hope of ever finding a cure. As a result of the anguish and despair, the girl's mother took ill, as well. She asked Rabbi Naftali Hayyim's attendant to speak to the ssadik on her behalf and request per- mission for her to come to his home and speak to him about the daughter's illness. Rabbi Naftali Hayyim immediately granted the woman's request. She came before him with tears in her eyes, and amidst her sobs she told him of her only daughter who was blessed with so many wonderful qualities and suddenly became mentally ill. For over a year, no cure or effective segulah could be found. Many worthwhile matches had already been suggested for the girl, and the woman assumed that her future for many generations to come would be built from this extraordinary daughter. The anguish brought on by this entire situation has now driven her to illness, and the doctors cannot cure her, either. Her daughter was her entire life, and now her life was, in fact, no life at all. She mentioned how she served the ssadik for many years purely for the sake of Heaven, no task was too difficult for her, and she always exerted herself tirelessly on his behalf. She now asks and pleads with him for his assistance. He had the power of working miracles, and he could undoubted- ly help her. She asked for compassion on behalf of her daughter and herself, and pleaded that he do whatever he could to save them from this dreadful nightmare. The embittered woman stood and cried incessantly, pouring her heart before the ssadik. His son tells that Rabbi Naftali Hayyim closed his eyes and concentrated very deeply, something that he had never seen him do before. Meanwhile, he inquired as to whether her husband had written to his Rebbe for a blessing. He told her to come back to him with her husband, and then he will see what he could do for them. One day, two days passed, and the woman did not return. Her husband refused to go with her to the ssadik, as he was frightened or perhaps ashamed over the fact that he did not rely on his own Rebbe and instead con- sulted with Rabbi Naftali Hayyim. But time progressed and the daughter's condition saw no improvement. The man's wife began pressuring him. "So many peo- ple want to come before Rav Naftali Hayyim," she pointed out, "and he does not allow them. And we are in such distress and he calls us to see him - why should you hold us back? Perhaps he can save us!" Finally, the husband heeded the wife's plea. After all, this was his only daughter, as well. After his wife's daily pleading, he agreed and came with her before the great ssadik. They sent the attendant to Rav Naftali Hayyim to ask permission for the two of them to come before him. Permission was granted, and they came to the ssadik. Just as they began speaking to him and apologizing for their delay in returning to him, he interrupted them and said, "I knew that it would be very difficult for him to come, and it is good that he did not rush to come here without thinking about it with a clear head first. It is a good sign that you first firmly resolved in your mind that you would come here, because otherwise I would not be able to do anything for your daughter." The ssadik then said: "You should know that in truth, there is no remedy or segulah that can cure your daughter from her illness. But I have one amulet that could work, and I know without any doubt that the moment you will hang it on her she will, with God's help, be totally cured and become like a nor- mal person; there will be no sign of her ever having been mentally ill. But she must carry this amulet with her for her entire life; she may never remove it. And absolutely no one may open it; for if it is opened, its power will be lost and will no longer help her. I agreed to write this amulet only because I cannot bear to see your distress over your only daughter, given all that you have done to help me purely for the sake of Heaven. You are indeed worthy of having this amulet written for your daughter. But let us first speak about what may eventually happen. Realize that the moment you hang this amulet on her, she will be completely cured, and the entire city will be amazed. People will flock to you to ask how this happened. 22 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s ” xc SUPER SEGULOT: The Inscrutable Amulet BY: ALEXANDER RAPPAPORT