Rav Binyomin Pruzansky once related the story of a mother who was on a deserted beach in Tiberias watching her two young daughters play in the water, and warning them not to go out too far. The older girl held her younger sister’s hand to keep watch over her, but somehow she lost her footing and was tugged under water by a powerful undercurrent. Her mother, who did not know how to swim, watched in horror and started screaming, “Help! Save my daughter!” She immediately ran up to the street and stopped a passing car, and begged the driver, a middle-aged man, to save her daughter who was drowning in the sea. The man ran into the water and started swimming toward the girl, and the mother stood at the shore crying and davening, until she looked up and saw the man carrying the girl toward the shore. She was so relieved, but only for a second as she realized that the man was carrying her younger daughter, who must have gone into the water to try to save the older girl! The mother thanked the man and explained that her older daughter must still be somewhere in the water. The man looked around and saw her, and started to swim out again. When he reached her, he saw that she was barely conscious. He lifted her up and headed back to shore. As he swam, he heard the mother shouting, “Her head! Her head is still in the water!” The man immediately lifted the girls head, feeling terrible that he had been negligent and allowed the girls head to remain underwater. Hatzalah quickly arrived and brought the girl to the hospital. The mother tearfully prayed in the waiting room while the doctors worked to bring the girl back to consciousness. Finally, the doctor came out with a huge smile and said, “It’s a miracle! Your daughter is going to be fine!” The mother was ecstatic! A few weeks later the family made a Seudas Ho’daah, a meal to thank Hashem and to celebrate the miracle. The mother was able to track down the man who had saved her daughters life, and he attended the event as the honored guest. In a speech, he said, “I grew up on a secular Kibbutz. I never really believed in G-d, and I never really prayed. A few months ago, I suffered a heart attack, and I was spending some time in Tiberias as part of my recovery. My doctor had advised me to swim every day to improve my health, and that is what I have been doing. If I hadnt gotten into such good shape, there is no way I could have been able to swim that quickly to rescue the girls. When I was coming back with the older girl, I realized that I had allowed her head to remain in the water, and I was devastated. I couldnt believe I was so negligent, and I felt so guilty. When we got back to shore and I saw that she wasnt breathing, I didnt know what to do with myself. I felt that I caused her to lose consciousness. No one could console me at home. With nowhere to turn, I decided to do something I had never done before. I got back into my car and drove to the beach, to the spot where the incident occurred. With tears in my eyes, I looked up to the sky and prayed, for the first time in my life. I said, ‘G-d, I know I have never prayed to You before, but I need Your help. I promise that if You save that little girl, I will never stop praying to You for the rest of my life!’ Afterward, I called the hospital to find out what happened, and the nurse told me that just a moment earlier the doctors succeeded in reviving her, and that she would fully recover! Hashem heard my prayers, and I will, in turn, keep my promise to continue praying and never stop!” Prayer is for everyone, even if it is your first time.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 01:00:00 +0000
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