Powerful Words at the Seudah Hoda'ah (Thanksgiving Meal) of Gabriel Lavi: Watch

After being released from a long hospitalization following the terrible terror attack he endured, and after beginning his rehabilitation period, the Avreich (young married Torah student), Gabriel Lavi shlit"a (may he live long and good days), held a large seudah hoda'ah (thanksgiving meal). During the meal, Lavi spoke and recounted some of the events he has experienced from that difficult day until now. These are his words:

"We have gathered this evening to thank Hashem, may He be blessed, for the miracles He performed for us through His faithful messenger, the Tzaddik (righteous person) of the generation, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a. On the 26th of Iyar—which is the gematria (numerical value) of 'Gabriel Lavi' including the kollel (the word itself)—Friday after the Vatikin (sunrise) prayer at the Kotel (Western Wall), I was stabbed many times on HaGai Street near Sha'ar Shechem (Damascus Gate)."

"I collapsed on the ground, felt that the situation was grave, and recited the Kriat Shema (the 'Hear O Israel' prayer); then I lost consciousness. After several days of being on a ventilator in intensive care, by the grace of Hashem, my condition stabilized. I understood from the medical staff that I had been hanging between life and death. I lost 70% of my blood while lying on the ground for long minutes at Sha'ar Shechem."

Gabriel Lavi tells his story and thanks Hashem and everyone who participated in the miracle of his rescue

[caption id="attachment_19290" align="alignnone" width="482"] Gabriel Lavi speaking at the seudah hoda'ah about the miracle of his rescue[/caption]

"The locals passed by me and did nothing until Mrs. Azizian arrived, the wife of a true friend, and summoned the personnel of MDA (Magen David Adom - Israel's emergency medical service). One of the miracles is that the knife hit the spinal column, yet I am still standing here and speaking with you. There were deep stabbings to the head, the chest, the hands, and the face—about forty stabbings in total, 17 of them deep—and despite this, no internal organs were damaged."

[caption id="attachment_19293" align="alignnone" width="482"] The Avreich Gabriel Lavi from 'Shuvu Banim' who was critically injured in the attack at Sha'ar Shechem and was saved by open miracles, dancing at the seudah hoda'ah he held this week in the Heichal David halls in Jerusalem[/caption]

Among the other expressions of gratitude he offered with a tearful voice, Gabriel Lavi deeply thanked his wife and praised her with warm words: "She left a financially stable home and moved to a life of Torah in Jerusalem. We went through periods together where there wasn't a crust of bread in the house, but she always encouraged me and said that everything is temporary and everything will pass—just sit and learn."

[caption id="attachment_19291" align="alignnone" width="482"] Moshe Cordova, an MDA volunteer and resident of the Old City who was the first to arrive at the scene of the attack, recounts at the seudah hoda'ah the miracle of the 'resurrection of the dead' that happened to Gabriel Lavi![/caption]

"We will continue to walk through Sha'ar Shechem, as per the instruction of our teacher, the Rav (Rabbi Berland). I was in this area many years ago as a soldier in the Magav (Border Police), but even though I was with a weapon and a vest full of grenades and ammunition, I still did not feel as secure as the one time I heard the Rav say to walk through Sha'ar Shechem."

Photos courtesy of Shahar Eliyahu