Stories of Baba Sali, Reb Yisroel Abuchatzeira ZT"L
Baba Sali ("our praying father") was one of the greatest kabalists of recent times. He possessed clairvoyant, supernatural powers and it was said of him that the keys to nature were in his hands. The following are some of the many thousands of accounts of the great miracles brought about by his prayers.
A young Israeli soldier who was injured in battle arrived at Rav Yisroel's home in Netivot in a wheelchair. He told Rav Yisroel his story: "I was injured by a bullet in my back during the Yom Kippur War. Although I underwent a series of operations, I am still a cripple and can't stand up. One of my legs is so bad that the doctors want to amputate it. A friend suggested that I visit the Rav, who is supposed to work wonders with his prayers. At first I refused. But in my despair, I decided to give it a try."
"Do you put on tefillin every day?" Rav Yisroel asked.
"No."
"Do you keep Shabbos?"
"No."
"If such is the case, " Rav Yisroel replied, "you should be thankful that only one leg is in such a serious condition. We believe that Hashem gives us healthy limbs so that we may serve Him. Those who don't keep the mitzvos should regard their healthy limbs as gifts."
At that, the young man burst into tears.
Rav Yisroel looked him the eye and asked, "If I bless you that you will be able to stand, will you begin to observe the mitzvos?"
"Yes," the young man eagerly replied.
"Then give me your hand, and may you have a refua sheleima (full recovery)."
After the young man kissed Rav Yisroel's hand, Rebbetzin Abuchatzeira told him to try and stand up. To his surprise, he was able to stand up immediately, and even take a number of steps without assistance.
Startled by the remarkable change in his situation, the young man ran out of the house in search of a telephone. The nearest telephone was in Yeshivas Hanegev, a few feet away from Rav Yisroel's home.
The young man raced over to the yeshiva, and called his family to tell them about the miracle. The yeshiva students, who overheard the conversation, were stunned. Taking him by the hand, they broke out into a fervent dance.
A short while later, the young man returned to Rav Yisroel's house with many of the yeshiva students, and a special seuda (party) was held in honor of the miracle.
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The Power of Prayer
A story of the Baba Sali as heard from Rabbi Moshe Aharon Stern, of Jerusalem
There was once a simple Israeli worker from Jerusalem, who, though he had been married a long time, had never been blessed with children. He had been to all the specialists, but to no avail. "Hair will grow on the palm of your hand before you see a child," the doctors had told him. After years of hope and despair, he had almost given up. Then he heard about the great miracles wrought by the prayers of Rabbi Israel Abuchatzira, the great Sefardi tzaddik known as the Baba Sali, of blessed memory.
With an expectant heart, the man traveled several hours from Jerusalem to Netivot, to the home of the Baba Sali. When he arrived, he found a long line of petitioners already ahead of him, and had to wait hours before entering to receive a blessing. Finally, his turn arrived. He entered the tzaddik's room, nervous, eyes downcast, clutching a small piece of paper on which he had written his only request: Children! He sat down and placed the paper on the table before the Baba Sali. The tzaddik opened it, then put it down. "Matzav avud," was all he said. "A lost case." Before he could open his mouth, the man had been whisked out of the chamber by the attendants to make room for the next petitioner. Shocked, brokenhearted, he returned to his home.
The next day, however, when the people began lining up for blessings, there he was again. Again he waited several hours. Again he entered, put his slip of paper on the table, and again he heard the same terrible answer -- "a lost case." Yet, when the next day arrived, there he was again, and the next day again! Every single day, as long as the Baba Sali was receiving people for blessings, the man would be there in line, at times waiting hours. And always he would hear the same sad answer, "a lost case."
Finally, after almost a year, the family of the Baba Sali took pity on this man and approached the great saint with their request. "Rabbeinu Israel," they said, "this poor man has been coming to you for a year straight now, and every time you give him the same answer. Can't you tell him to stop coming already? It's much too heartbreaking to continue." "How long has it been?" Rabbi Abuchatzira inquired. "We've counted, today is his two hundredth visit." The Baba Sali agreed to talk with him.
That afternoon, the man entered the room as usual and placed his slip of paper on the table before the Baba Sali. This time, the tzaddik did not even pick it up.
"Listen, my friend," he said gently. "You have been coming to me every day for a very long time. Haven't I already told you that it is a lost case. Go home, why do you insist on coming to me?"
The man lifted his eyes. "I come to you every day, and I will keep coming to you every day, because I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that G-d listens to your prayers, and that you are the only one in the world who can help me."
"Do you really believe that?" the Baba Sali responded. "If so . . ." he rose from chair, "go out right now and buy a baby carriage!" (i.e. he blessed him in the merit of his great faith in torah sages)
The man gave a start. He jumped up and ran out of the room. "I got a blessing! I got a blessing!" he cried. That night he presented his wife with a beautiful new baby carriage. Nine months later, they had a child.
(source:sephardiccouncil.org)
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From the webmaster:An Israeli friend of mine who lived in Netivot, told me he witnessed first hand how Baba Sali blessed a bottle of wine, and the bottle was poured all day to the hundreds of visitors without becoming empty.
He also said that the Baba Sali did not speak on Shabbat (except for words of mitzva such as torah, prayer, shabbat songs, etc.) . The reason is that it says in the torah that G-d "rested" on Shabbat from creating the world. What does it mean He rested? Did He have trucks and tractors? No. It means He rested from speaking. For this Baba Sali did not speak (to emulate G-d, which is the purpose of life).
Topic: Miracle Stories told about the Babi Sali, z"l (Read 2967 times)