Beraishis

As we start the new cycle of Torah readings, we begin again with Sefer Beraishis which the Chofetz Chaim recommended as a faith restorer. He says that one who feels that his faith is lacking should learn the stories in Sefer Beraishis. He himself, when he got older, had a seder every morning in Sefer Beraishis after shachris.

Interestingly enough, Rav Shach once wrote to a student, "Every person has ups & downs except for someone like the Chofetz Chaim who is completely pure & righteous. However, for the normal person whose אמונה is sometimes shaky, I always found that learning Sefer Beraishis strengthened my אמונה.

The posuk tells us ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום רביעי , there was evening, there was morning it was the fourth day. Rav Zilbershtain recalled a story that happened when he was learning in Slabodka. He was sitting with the Chazon Ish when there was a knock on the door. A man walked in looking all upset & pained. He told the Chazon Ish that he didn't feel well for a few days & he didn't know what was wrong. Finally, it got so bad that he checked himself into the hospital. After countless tests, the doctors found an infection that was eating up his whole insides. He told him that unfortunately there is no cure for this infection & he has four days to live.    

The Chazon Ish listened to him pour out his heart & then opened a Chumash Beraishis. He turned to the beginning of Beraishis & said to the sick man, “look what Hashem created on the first day, all these creations; then on the second day He created more things; on the third day & then the fourth He created even more things. Look how many things Hashem created in four days. Don't you think He could create your cure in less time?

The Chazon Ish revived the sick man’s spirits inspiring him not to give up; rather he should daven for himself & pray to Hashem that he be healed from his infection. Since the doors of prayer are never closed, especially not from a sick person who is crying out in a time of pain, Hashem will send the salvation.

The words of the rabbi made a great impression on the man, who went home with a renewed sense of hope & began to daven like he never had before. Miraculously, as the Chazon Ish had said could happen, he was informed by the hospital that a new drug had come from America for which he could be a trial patient. He immediately had the drug administered to see if the drug worked.
The effects of the drug worked quickly to fight the infection. It would become the number one cure for this kind of infection! Within a short time, the man was back to himself with no trace of the infection!

Continued Rav Zilberstein, from this story we can see how much our belief in the power of tefila is lacking. Had we been asked if tefilos would have helped this man with days to live, how many would have been confident that it would help? Sadly, not too many would have agreed. Yet he believed it & it worked! As we go through the parshios of Beraishis, we must take out the tremendous lessons in אמונה in order to strengthen our own faith in the One above!