I Would Write, Place It in the Drawer, and the Rav Would Answer Me

"One day, they suddenly informed me that my son had fallen ill. They found very large glands near his heart and neck," Michal begins her story without unnecessary introductions. "Because I knew of the greatness of the Rav shlit"a, I tried to contact him immediately upon learning the test results. It was important for me to know what he would say. I called Natan and gave him my son's name for a blessing. Natan returned to me and said: 'I didn't even have to tell the Rav shlit"a what the child had; he knew on his own.' The Rav shlit"a added that a pidyon nefesh (redemption of the soul) needed to be performed for the child."

"Since the Rav shlit"a did not bless the child and did not recommend anything beyond requesting the pidyon, I understood that the child's condition was critical. This also seemed to be the case from the perspective of the doctors, who discovered he had leukemia, and now the reaction of the Rav shlit"a confirmed it. I told Natan to go back to the Rav shlit"a and tell him that I did not have the financial ability to buy even a bottle of cola. 'The Rav said that according to nature you won't be able to pay, but you will have miracles,' Natan returned to me with a surprising answer."

"The moment the Rav said he would perform a pidyon for Shilo, I knew I could be calm. However, I felt ashamed of myself; after all, to save my child I should have done much more, and now I was afraid of the trial of money. After a few days, my niece called, and miraculously, it turned out that she had shared with the whole family the mobilization for performing the pidyon. 'It's a pity you didn't see the joy with which the family participated in performing the pidyon,' my niece informed me."

"Another miracle that happened to me - the moment the entire sum for the pidyon reached my hands, all the funds I was supposed to receive from my workplace were released. I immediately traveled to Uman to thank our Rebbe, and afterwards to France. We went through a difficult period in which my child suffered greatly, but when we returned to Israel and the Rav shlit"a spoke with the child on the phone, Shilo was no longer the same. 'Mom, I prayed Shacharit today,' the child announced to me; I was stunned. A few days passed and I asked him: 'Shilo, did you pray again?' 'Of course, Mom, I pray every day.' From the moment of the blessing, Shilo had already left isolation and the hospital; he began to walk around the house and did not lie in bed. The walk in Paris from the house to the synagogue takes half an hour, and he began to walk it on Shabbat."

"In the tests that were conducted, the doctors said there was a 95% success rate for the chemotherapy treatments, but now we will reveal to you that his condition was much worse than what we told you, they added. Truly critical, only we didn't want to make you despair. It turned out that from head to toe he was full of glands. B"H (with Hashem's help), the child came out of it."

"I have seen the Rav shlit"a on various occasions, such as at the Kotel and Meron, but I never spoke to him. In fact, I speak to him from my heart, and in reality, he answers me. Wonderful things; the Rav said that he reads what is written to him; it is enough to put the letter in a drawer and he knows what was written. In one of the letters, I wrote to the Rav shlit"a that I wanted to pay the money for the pidyon for my son from 'pure money.' As soon as I finished writing the word 'pure,' a friend who is in charge of a mikvah called me and asked if I had work. Indeed, this is called 'pure money,' but even more so. After half an hour of conversation, she suddenly asks me: 'Which Michal am I speaking to?' 'Yitzchak's mother from your son's class,' I answered her. 'What?! I intended to call a different Michal, but since I called you, only you will work with us!'"

"Every time I think about how to phrase a question to the Rav shlit"a and pass it on with Natan, the answer already arrives in my head. Until one time, after I had waited a long time for an answer, I said to myself: 'Michal, if the Rav doesn't want to bless you, bless yourself.' At that very moment, Natan calls me and tells me to get ready because the Rav is calling me. The Rav shlit"a called, blessed, hung up, and I wasn't even able to say a word."

"I lived abroad, and when I would come to Israel, I would pass by the central bus station near the distribution and donation stand of Yeshivat 'Shuvu Banim.' I donated despite the difficulties; life continued, and no harm came to me. Once, I received from my sister-in-law the booklet 'Tefillah LeAni' (Prayer for the Poor) for the holiday of Shavuot. And then I said: 'Rav Berland is not an angel, he is a seraph.' From the prayer, I understood the greatness of the Rav shlit"a."

"I have a friend who needed to give a pidyon and found it difficult. I explained that it is not worth being wiser than the tzaddik; if the Rav requests a pidyon, it is not worth endangering ourselves. And after all, the Rav said that whoever participates in the pidyon is included in the pidyon. Do not steal from your family the possibility of being redeemed as well; share the pidyon with them. She did so, and one of her family members was saved from a disaster that same day."

"Many people were strengthened by the story of Shilo's salvation, which occurred as a result of giving the pidyon. Little by little, I opened a center for 'kiruv rechokim' (bringing the distant closer) in Paris, in the guest house of one of the important families in the community. I distributed leaflets of 'Knishta Chada' and other materials that reveal the greatness of the Rav shlit"a. And then they confessed to me and said: 'It is good that you saved us from falling into the terrible mistake. If we hadn't known this, we could have believed all the lies and lashon hara (evil speech) surrounding him.'"

"My phone number for questions and chizukim (strengthening) is: 0548-439-030"