Then I realized how foolish I was. Why should I go to battle by myself when I have the most powerful, magnificent army at my side? It is an army that stands ever ready for action; an army that would instantly be in uniform at the front line.
So yes, I decided to go public and summon my army. I called upon my spiritual sons and daughters – those who over the years had become my family through Torah and mitzvahs. And I reached out to all of Am Yisrael.
Their war cry was sounded. It was heard everywhere Jews live and their prayers resounded. They called out my name – Esther bas Miriam – for a refuah sheleimah.
Those prayers are the mighty and powerful weapons of the Jewish people. There is no substitute for our weapons, our prayers. They’ve carried the Jewish people throughout the centuries. They carried me personally in the years of the Holocaust and now through illness.
* * * * *
My army, Baruch Hashem, was victorious. The Torah army of prayer never fails.
And here I am – Hineni.
I am home from the hospital. Baruch Hashem, Baruch Hashem, Baruch Hashem. I shout from my soul the words of Psalm 107: “Hodu L’Hashem ki tov ki l’olam chasdoh – Give thanks to Hashem for His kindness endures forever.”
Hineni – here I am, making plans to continue teaching, to continue visiting Jewish communities on every continent, to continue speaking words of Torah as I’ve always done. Miraculously, Hashem gave me back my strength and now I’m ready to run again.
Hineni – here I am, sharing my story with you so that everyone might know that on our precarious journey through life we all need Hashem’s help. We cannot possibly make this trip alone.
When we travel we need only take with us our prayer book and our Psalms – our siddur and our Tehillim. These books must be so attached to us that even if they slip from our hands we should be able to hold onto them in our hearts and minds.
Through the words of prayer you realize you are not alone. Prayers imbue us with incredible strength and as if by magic each word energizes us. And Hashem in His Mercy grants us the ability to go on.
Yes, hineni – here I am ready to share the story. As Jews we are never alone and we triumph against all odds. Our powerful arsenal of prayers is always at our side. We need only summon them, trust them, and never give up.
I write these words with profound gratitude to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray for me. Your prayers reached high – but please continue to pray.
Today our people – wherever they may be, in Israel or any other part of the world – are being severely tested. We are in need of Hashem’s miraculous intervention. We must summon our army to scale the Heavens and cry out in prayer.
We need only make the sincere effort and the rest will be done by our General – our Father and our King.
The battle is not over. Please let us continue to pray for Acheinu Kol Beis Yisrael – all our brethren. And please continue to prayer for me as well – Esther bas Miriam.
“Hodu l‘Hashem ki tov ki l’olam chasdo– Give Thanks to Hashem, for He is good; His kindness endures forever.”
