0“… his powers are much greater than mine.”
An original translation by R. Yerachmiel Tilles
Yigal and his wife Nechama, both of whom had grown up on irreligous left-wing kibbutzes, decided to leave Israel and try life in the United States. They settled in Minnesota with their two children, Eitan and Michal.
Several years passed, with them enjoying ordinary, satisfying lives. But then, in the 1970’s, a bizarre problem overshadowed their peaceful existence.
Nechama was seized by hallucinations. They would last for an hour or two at a time, during which her behavior would be unpredictable and wild. Afterwards, it would be as if nothing unusual had happened.
She herself had no idea what was going on with her. When the attacks came, she felt as if a powerful force, an unidentifiable alien being, was possessing her and compelling the wild behaviors, and that she was helpless to resist it.
The couple visited many doctors, but not one could diagnose the cause of the problem.
Their situation deteriorated daily. It was no longer safe for the children to be home alone with their mother when she was under the ‘spell’ of one of her hallucinations. Nechama was constantly tense, never knowing when the next attack would come, and having no idea what to do about them.
It was a difficult time for Yigal as well. In addition to his fulltime job, he now had to be the primary caretaker for Eitan and Michal too.
Despite never having had any significant involvement in Judaism, in her desperation Nechama turned to a local Chabad rabbi, Rabbi Manis Friedman, the well-known teacher and speaker, whom several of her friends had told her about. She begged him to help her.
“I am not a doctor,” he replied to her, “nor do I possess magical powers. However, I can give you some good advice.
“I am a chassid of the Lubavitch Rebbe,” he explained. “The Rebbe lives in Brooklyn, NY. Write a detailed letter to him. Perhaps he can help you remedy this diastrous illness.”
Nechama and Yigal wrote a tearful, imploring lengthy letter to the Rebbe. They soon received an answer.
The Rebbe advised that they should make their kitchen kosher and all the family should commit themselves to eating kosher only. If they would, they could be assured that the hallucinations would cease.
Husband and wife had diametrically opposite reactions. For Nechama, the Rebbe’s words were like a life preserver on a raging sea. She arranged to study the laws with Rabbi Friedman’s wife, Chana. “On the kibbutz, I never heard about keeping kosher,” she told her new friend and teacher.
Mrs. Friedman keep up a constant stream of encouragement for Nechama and accompanied her to shop at local stores where kosher food was available. Soon Nechama started to put into practice her newfound knowledge, doing so with lively enthusiasm. Within a short time, she did what was necessary with her appliances, pots and dishes in order to have a kosher kitchen, and adjusted her food purchasing habits to buy only products with kashrut certification.
Yigal, however, was neither happy or comfortable with this change of lifestyle. He went along with it at home, but not out of the house. Since his wife was ill and the doctors were unable to help her, he accepted that they had to try every reasonable possibility. But this kosher thing—who knew what it would lead to? Nechama might even change so much that she will want to become religious! Then what would be?
One day, seeking a bit of respite from the pressures at home, Yigal went out with a group of friends. As they were sitting and talking, one of them related what he had heard about an elderly gentile woman in their Midwest region who supposedly could work miracles; she was even said to be psychic and able to predict the future.
Yigal became excited. Perhaps this was the solution to his wife’s problems. While his friends heatedly argued about whether or not these stories could be true, Yigal already decided that he would seek to enlist this unusual woman’s aid. After all, what did he have to lose.
The next day, Yigal drove several hours to see her. He described to her in detail about his wife’s hallucinations and their effect on the family, and waited expectantly.
“Aren’t you Jewish?” the gentile woman asked as she stared him in the eyes.
Surprised by the question, Yigal simply nodded his head.
“I thought so. But then, why are you here?” she continued in a firm tone. “You should be getting in touch with the grand rabbi of the Jews who lives in New York. He is dedicated to his people with boundless love. Also, his powers are much greater than mine.”
Yigal was stunned. “I can’t believe this!” he thought. It felt as if he was dreaming. Why should this gentile woman, who admitted she had powers, be trying to direct him to the Lubavitcher Rebbe? He felt very disoriented.
“Well,” he finally replied, “it so happens that we already wrote a long letter to him. He didn’t address the problem directly. He merely said we should follow the Jewish dietary laws and that would help.”
“If so, I don’t understand why you are still searching for answers.” the woman asked. “Do the diet of your religion, like he said. Why do you come to me?”
Yigal wanted to explain. “You don’t understand. The rules are so many and so complicated—special food, problems with dishes and pots, no restaurants, and besides….”
Yigal suddenly stopped speaking. The woman was staring at him in puzzlement.
He gulped. Their lives were being destroyed by his wife’s mysterious ailment. How could he be so resistant to a few inconveniences?
So Yigal joined Nechama in the commitment to keeping kosher, even outside of their home, and soon after the hallucinations ceased completely. Normality in the home was restored.
Time passed. The horrors of those days were barely remembered. All that remains to remind them of the strange episode which altered their lives is the portrait of the Lubavitcher Rebbe adorning the main wall in their living room.
Many are the messengers of G-d!
Source: Translated-adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from Kovetz Bedidi Hava Uvda, p. 14-16, and included in the third volume of his “full Moon Stories” series, By the Light of the Full Moon.
Biographical note:
Rabbi Menachem-Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe [11 Nissan 5662 – 3 Tammuz 5754 (April 1902 – June 1994 C.E.)], became the seventh Rebbe of the Chabad dynasty after his father-in-law’s passing on 10 Shvat 5710 (1950 C.E.). He is widely acknowledged as the greatest Jewish leader of the second half of the 20th century C. E.. Although a dominant scholar in both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah and fluent in many languages and scientific subjects, the Rebbe is best known for his extraordinary love and concern for every Jew on the planet. His emissaries around the globe dedicated to strengthening Judaism number in the thousands. Hundreds of volumes of his teachings have been printed, as well as dozens of English renditions.
To send a letter to the resting place of the Rebbe (the “Ohel”) – www.ohelchabad.org
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Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles is co-founder of Ascent, webmaster and managing editor of KabbalaOnline.org and ascentofsafed.com. He has hundreds of published stories to his credit.
The books of Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles can be purchased at https://www.kabbalaonline-shop.com/searchresults.asp?Search=Tilles&Submit=
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