Hisbodedus Without Danger

One of the most wondrous miracle stories is the following account. In the story before you, the protagonist, Rabbi David Ben Naim shlit"a from Modi'in Illit, shares an incident that provides tremendous strengthening, showing how the tzaddik protects whoever mentions his name, in a miraculous way that defies all laws of nature.

Rabbi Berland once said: "Whoever thinks of me, I think of him. Whoever prays for me, I pray for him. And whoever calls out to me, I am right beside him." This is exactly how Rabbi David Ben Naim felt when the terrifying dog ran toward him. Here is his wondrous story.

"I live in Modi'in Illit in the Brachfeld neighborhood, and thank God, I am accustomed to doing Hisbodedus (secluded prayer) in the fields between Rabbi Akiva Street in Brachfeld and the nearby Arab village of Deir Qaddis. There is a fence between Brachfeld and the Arab village, but up until the fence, there is a large area where one can do Hisbodedus peacefully, and very few residents of the settlement walk around there.

"One time, I advanced toward the fence, and suddenly a frightening man came toward me and told me to get out of there, threatening that if I didn't, he would release his large dog, which was dangerous and could tear people apart. This man emerged from a small hut at the edge of the field. I had never approached that area before; some said that shady individuals lived in that hut, but this time I broke through my fear and approached the place. In response to his threats and intimidation, I told him that this was public property and not his private land. Therefore, I was allowed to walk around here as I pleased, whereas he was forbidden to release a dangerous animal.

"He took a phone out of his pocket and told me he was recording me, and that every word I said could get me into trouble. I told him that I was not afraid of his threats or his recordings, and that if he made one more little mistake, I would be forced to call the police on him, and then his recordings truly wouldn't help him.

"He told me that he was now releasing the dog to tear me apart, God forbid, and I quickly dialed the police. The dispatcher at the police station told me that he knew this man and that he was known to them as a troublemaker, but they still sent a patrol car to calm him down so he wouldn't harm me. When the patrol car arrived, the police officer gently explained to him that he was forbidden to release a dangerous animal here, and that any damage caused, heaven forbid, would lead to indictments against him. Afterward, the officer turned to me and said that although I was legally right, in life, you shouldn't just be right, you should be smart. And the smart thing to do with this dangerous man was to keep my distance. I got the message and walked away.

"The next evening, I went to do Hisbodedus (secluded prayer) in the area again, and from a distance, I saw that the man's hut was empty and no one was there. I decided to get closer, mainly to break through my fear and shatter my fallen, irrational fears, but apparently, I got too close. The giant dog heard my footsteps and ran rapidly toward me, leaping and fully intending to charge at me and tear me to shreds.

"I realized that I needed a miracle. A police car wasn't going to save me anymore, and who knew if I would stay alive after the cruel dog's feast. In my mind's eye, I already imagined ZAKA volunteers arriving to collect pieces and remains of my body. I understood that the danger was twofold because the dog's owner wasn't in the area; if he had been around, perhaps he would have taken pity on me and stopped the dog.

"In the seconds I had left, trembling like a leaf with my teeth chattering, I managed to say, 'Master of the Universe, save me in the merit of Rabbi Eliezer ben Etia.' At that moment, I witnessed a miracle similar to that of the guard during the time of Rabbi Meir Ba'al HaNes, who, when he said, 'God of Meir, answer me!' was saved from the vicious dogs.

"The giant dog froze in its tracks just a few meters away from me, backed up two meters, and sat down gently while looking at me. Its eyes had a look that said, 'I could have swallowed you, but you did something stronger than all the forces of evil within me.' This situation lasted for long minutes. I sat down on a nearby rock, and the dog sat a few meters away from me, both of us silent. I managed to regulate my breathing and compose myself, and right then, none other than the dog's owner appeared.

"He approached his hut and was astonished to discover the dog crouching next to me while I sat calmly looking at it. He told me that I had experienced a miracle, because this was a guard dog of the most dangerous kind. Several police files had already been opened against him due to the rampages of the dog, which was specially trained to attack uninvited guests.

"I told him that we had been sitting and smiling at each other for a whole hour. He couldn't believe it; he probably thought I was some hidden tzaddik from the stories of the Baal Shem Tov. If he only knew, he would have understood that I am a student of a tzaddik among the tzaddikim of the generations, whose name alone is enough to bring salvation and reveal miracles beyond the laws of nature."

From the book "Pele Elyon, Part 3"