A Lost Case

There was once a simple Israeli worker from Jerusalem who had been married for a long time without being blessed with children. He had gone to every specialist, but nothing helped. "Hair will grow on the palm of your hand before you see a child," the doctors told him. After years of hope and despair he had almost given up. Then he heard of the great miracles worked through the prayers of Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeirah.

With an expectant heart, he traveled several hours from Jerusalem to Netivot, to the home of the Baba Sali. When he arrived, a long line of people was already waiting, and he had to wait hours before he could go in for a blessing. At last his turn came. He entered the tzaddik's room, nervous, with his eyes cast down, holding 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 and put it down. "Matzav avud," was all he said. "A lost case." Before the man could open his mouth, the attendants had whisked him out to make room for the next person. Shocked and brokenhearted, he returned home.

The next day, when the people began lining up for blessings, there he was again. Again he waited several hours. Again he went in, put his slip of paper on the table, and again he heard the same terrible answer, "A lost case." The next day he was there once more, and the day after. Every single day that the Baba Sali received people for blessings, the man was in line, sometimes waiting for hours, and every day he heard the same sad answer.

After almost a year, the family of the Baba Sali took pity on him and went to the tzaddik. "Rabbeinu Yisrael," they said, "this poor man has been coming to you for a year straight, and every time you give him the same answer. Can you not tell him to stop coming? It is too heartbreaking to continue." "How long has it been?" asked Rav Yisrael Abuchatzeirah. "We have counted. Today is his two hundredth visit." The Baba Sali agreed to speak with him.

That afternoon the man entered the room as usual and placed his slip of paper on the table. 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. Have I not 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 every day, because I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe that Hashem 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 asked. "If so," and he rose from his chair, "go out right now and buy a baby carriage." The man gave a start, jumped up and ran from the room. "I received a blessing. I received a blessing," he cried. That night he presented his wife with a beautiful new baby carriage. Nine months later, they had a child.