Hashem, Have Mercy On Us

What is the connection between a medical procedure, Sydney, Chanuka and Avraham Fried?

For a very long time, the song ‘Tanya’ by Avraham Fried has been my favorite. Not because its my name, although it’s been a common joke when I walk into a room people serenade me with the masterful tune,  the tefilla in the braita may or may not connect the person serenading me but I always connect to it.

For those unfamiliar with the song, here are the lyrics – Masechet Berakhot 7a

To be sure, it’s a strange braita. In the previous paragraph, Rabbi Yochanan has a question: “Hashem says, “I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of My prayer” (Isaiah 56:7)…It does not say the house of their prayer, but rather, “the house of My prayer”. From here we see that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays? What/How does God pray?

Back to the song, Hashem asked Rabbi Yishmael, in his position as the Cohen Gadol, at the time of Yom Kippur, in the place of the Holy of Holies, to bless Him that He should have mercy on all of us. Indeed, Rabbi Yishmael intervened and asked for the attribute of mercy and Hashem nodded His head in agreement. Hashem ‘prays’ through us. We too can ask for the attribute of mercy.

In 2010 when my daughter was in sem in Israel, at the 20 year mark of my arrival in NY from Australia, I decided to return to Sydney for 6 months to be with my parents. Sydney does not offer the plethora of spiritual activity that I accustomed myself to in NY so I geared up for my own immersive learning.

4 weeks into my visit I was really feeling my NY locus was very far away. A friend called me at just the right time, telling me Avraham Fried was coming to our shul, and I should book the communal Friday night dinner IMMEDIATELY. The three of us went but the regular chazan did kabalat Shabbat. Not even a harmony! At dinner, he didn’t sing either, but we were all enthralled with an incredible story. Avraham Fried is known for his singing, but he is equally good at telling stories. You could have heard a pin drop. It’s a good way to get 70 Jews to be quiet!

R’ Avraham frequently goes to Israel for concerts and as usual he visited patients in hospitals on erev Shabbat, singing melodies, uplifting the patients. A lady rushed up to him, begging to sing to her husband who was in a coma. She said he listens to him all the time. He indulged her request and sang ‘Tanya’ to her husband. He was leaving on Motzei Shabbat back to NY.

On Motzei Shabbat he received a call from the wife. ‘Miracles! My husband woke up. Can you visit him before you go?’ Of course! The husband told R’ Avraham the following account:

‘When you came to my room, I was dreaming. I could hear your song, but I couldn’t wake up from my coma. I was in a court room in heaven. Some angels said it was my time to leave earth, others said I should go back down to continue fulfilling my earthly mission. I was suspended between the two groups of angels. When you sang the words  “May it be Your will that…You act toward Your children with the attribute of mercy”, I was begging Hashem and the celestial court room for another chance to be a son, a husband, a father, for another chance to show mercy to my loved ones. And I slowly woke up HERE ON EARTH, but you had gone. Thank you for singing to me. I have a lot of work to do now!!!’

Avraham Fried and this family stayed in contact and he sang at all their children’s weddings.

That Friday night in Sydney, he didn’t sing Tanya but we were all shaken up by this revelatory story. I went over to him and introduced myself asking if he could sing my song and he told me to come to seuda shelisheet. He didn’t have to ask me twice! It was a different crowd and he repeated the story and asked if Tania was in the room. I raised my hand and he said ‘this is for you’. He sang ‘my’ song to me, a real serenade. I had tears streaming down my face, as did so many others at this intimate seudah shelisheet. I wasn’t so far away from home after all. I was right where I needed to be, I just had to reroute my GPS – God Positioning System. I mean, who could be further away than a guy in a coma? Obviously that story stayed with me. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, all she had to do to get home was click her heels 3 times!!! Easy! I reset myself and the rest of my trip was filled with meaning and joy.

I made Aliya in the ensuing years. I’m definitely HOME over here! Fast forward a few days ago. It was the first day of Chanuka and I went to Assuta medical center to have a procedure. It was routine but I needed complete sedation. I was wheeled in to the OR by a nurse who’s name was David. “Hi, can I have your full name?” Tania Hammer. “Tania? Do you know the song!?” Yes!!! So he starts singing my song. I joined him while he gently injected the sedative, and we were singing together till I fell asleep. “Yehi ratzon milfanecha…יהי רצון מלפניך”

I woke up from my ‘coma’ and thank God, all went well…Hashem had mercy on me. I came home and thought of how David and I sung together about Hashem intervening in mercy. I thought about the power within all of us to bring mercy to others who might seem far away. Perhaps their GPS got stuck and needs to be rerouted too. And about how Chanuka is the festival of light and in these dark days of the war when we still have hostages in the terror tunnels, how we need to turn ourselves outward and shine our own lights on others who need it most by being merciful to our friends and family. Perhaps our beloved hostages can feel our efforts?

Hashem, in these liminal moments, now more than ever, show us, your Chosen People your attribute of mercy. Wake us up from this galut, we are all hostages of sorts, galut requires redemption. Hashem please intercede, go beyond the letter of your law and redeem us all. Please, nod in agreement.

Amen

You can listen to the song her