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#493 (s5767-32) 14 Iyar 5767 From Hebron to Meron "Upon whom can we rely? Come, let us rely upon Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai!" (Talmud) From Hebron to Meron
Reb Yedidyah and his wife grew deeply attached to the boy. They enrolled him at the Eitz Chaim Yeshiva, from which blossomed forth many of the great Torah personalities of the next generation. In addition, Reb Yedidyah studied with Shmuel privately for an hour a day and also hired a tutor to sharpen the boy's learning skills. In
one of his letters home, Shmuel wrote: Two years after Shmuel's arrival in Jerusalem, tragedy struck. He became afflicted with a mysterious eye disease which caused his eyesight to grow steadily weaker as time passed. Doctors could not identify the cause of the illness and were at a loss to prescribe medication. They predicted that at the present rate of deterioration, it would not be long before young Shmuel was completely blind. His uncle and aunt were overcome with anguish. They hurried in vain from doctor to doctor hoping to find a cure. They prayed and distributed tzedaka as a source of merit for Shmuel's recovery. As time passed and the situation worsened, Reb Yedidyah took to rising at midnight and would remain awake the remainder of the night praying tearfully. At dawn, he would make his way to the Western Wall and continue to pray that his nephew, who had shown such promise, be granted his full eyesight once again. One winter evening, the dreaded moment arrived. As Shmuel sat learning with his private tutor, Rabbi David Lebel, he was suddenly plunged into darkness. He had become totally blind. Amazingly, Shmuel retained his composure at that tragic moment. After telling his tutor what had happened, he said, "Please say the words slowly from now on and I will repeat them after you, word by word." Meanwhile, Shmuel's aunt ran from the house and summoned the neighbors. One of them brought to the house Professor Sukmeinski, a renowned ophthalmologist who had been sent to Jerusalem by Baron Rothschild to help curb the rash of eye-related ailments which were plaguing the city's residents. After examining Shmuel, the Professor ruled out surgery and declared that there was yet a very slim chance that the boy's eyesight would return. There was nothing left to do but pray. Days passed with no improvement. At night, Yedidyah and his wife would listen as Shmuel would recite the bedtime Shema and then utter his own prayer: "Master of the Universe, is it for earthy pleasures or treats that I am asking? All I desire is that my eyes be illuminated by the light of Your holy Torah. Please, Merciful G-d, heal my eyes so that I may once again see the written word and study it without impediment." Two weeks passed with no change in Shmuel's condition. Reb Yedidyah felt that his nephew was in desperate need of a change of routine, so he arranged for the boy to spend some time at the home of Shimon Hausman in Hebron. Reb Shimon was a highly regarded communal activist, a kindhearted man who never tired of serving his brethren. His heart melted with compassion upon hearing of Shmuel's plight. He readily agreed to take the boy under his charge for an unlimited amount of time. In those days, the city of Hebron was led by two towering Torah personalities. Rabbi Shimon Menasheh Chaikan, a renowned kabbalist, was the city's Ashkenazic Rav, while its Sephardic community was led by Rabbi Chaim Chizkiyahu Medini, author of the Sdei Chemed encyclopedia.
One day, Shimon Hausman was struck by an idea. Perhaps, if he would go with Shmuel in the darkness of night and meet these two great men, they would bestow their blessing that the child's eyesight be restored. The thought of implementing this plan filled R' Shimon with dread, for to confront them during their nightly meeting might be overstepping the bounds of propriety and could possibly invoke their indignation. But he was willing to take the risk for Shmuel's sake. Night after night, Reb Shimon, his hand firmly clenching that of Shmuel, took to walking near the homes of the two rabbis. Finally, one night as they were standing near the courtyard of Rabbi Shimon Menasheh's house, the door swung open and the two rabbis emerged. R' Shimon Hausman approached and, trembling with fear, he placed the boy squarely between the two tzadikim. He then disappeared into the darkness without offering a word of explanation. His actions were, indeed, correct; no explanation was necessary. The tzadikim immediately sensed the child's predicament. Rabbi Shimon Menashe grasped Shmuel's right hand, the Sdei Chemed his left, and the three began to walk together in the darkness. Shmuel related the details of his woeful tale. When he had finished, the Sdei Chemed asked him, "What were the last words that you learned before the moment when you could no longer see?' "I was studying tractate Chulin, page 36a," the boy replied; "and the last words that I read were 'Upon whom are we to rely? Come let us rely upon the words of Rabbi Shimon.'" "That is your solution!" the two tzadikim exclaimed. "You must go to Meron to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, upon whose merit you can surely rely! Go there and pray that in R' Shimon's merit, G-d Al-mighty should heal you." The next morning, R' Shimon brought Shmuel back home to his uncle in Jerusalem and soon after, Reb Yedidyah and his nephew set out by donkey for Meron. The trip in those days, over rugged terrain, was a difficult one for anyone, even more so for a middle-aged man leading a young blind boy. But nothing could prevent them from reaching their destination. They arrived at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon and entered the beit midrash at the site, with the intention of not leaving the area until their prayers were answered. Day after day, the two remained there, their every waking moment dedicated either to heartfelt prayer or intensive study. On the fifth day, as they prepared to recite the Book of Psalms with Shmuel repeating after R' Yedidyah word by word, the boy suddenly exclaimed, "Uncle - I can see the outline of your body! I can see the outline of the objects near you!" Indeed, his eyesight had begun to return. They remained there a total of thirteen days, until Shmuel's
eyesight was fully restored. On that day, the two held hands in an ecstatic dance,
as they sang the Lag b'Omer song of R' Shimon's praises which concludes
with: And
they added a stanza of their own: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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A
close relationship existed between these two pure and holy scholars, and it
was known that they met together somewhere in the city each night. Exactly where
and what they did was a secret known to no one but themselves, although it was
said that at midnight, the two prayed together at a holy site, possibly the
Tomb of the Patriarchs, for the abolishment of harsh decrees.