Highlighting: “Living Emunah For Children Vol. 3” by Rabbi David Ashear. ArtScroll Mesorah Publications. 2022. Hardcover. 64 pages. ISBN-13: 9781422632260.
(Courtesy of Artscroll) “I’ve been having headaches,” Fred told his mother. She had come to visit him in Eretz Yisrael where he was learning. “And my stomach hurts, too.”
Mrs. Betesh was concerned. “You are coming with me to a doctor,” she said.
“His blood pressure is very high,” the doctor said seriously. “And there are bad toxins in his blood. I’m almost certain the problem is with his kidneys and your son is going to need a kidney transplant.”
The doctor ordered many tests and told Mrs. Betesh to come back in a few days. When she did so, he said, “I have serious news. Fred needs a new kidney. I put his name on the list of people waiting for one.”
Mrs. Betesh was very worried. Everyone has two kidneys. A person can live and be healthy with only one kidney. They would have to find someone who was willing to give one of his kidneys to Fred. That person is called a “donor.” But the donor’s kidney would have to be exactly like Fred’s. If everything is perfect, the doctors can remove a kidney from a healthy person and put it into the body of the sick person. Usually it takes a long time to find the right kind of kidney and a person who is willing to give it to the patient. The hospital would also need to do many tests.
Mrs. Betesh went home and started to daven. One rainy day, she went to a speech. After the speech, Mrs. Betesh was inside the building with other women, waiting for the rain to stop.
“Can everyone please do me a favor,” Mrs. Betesh said. “My son is very sick. I would like to organize a berachos party, as a zechus for him to get better.”
“I would love to!” said a girl, flipping to an empty page in her planner. “When should we do it?”
And so, Mrs. Betesh and this girl, Judy, arranged a berachos party for 150 women. There, they raised money for poor families in Eretz Yisrael. They had the pleasure of having Rebbetzin Ruchama Shain as their guest speaker.
That Shabbos, as the Betesh family were having their seudah, they heard the phone ring. It rang and rang until the call was picked up by the answering machine, which played the voicemail out loud in their home. “This is the hospital calling. Congratulations! We have a perfect kidney for you! You must bring Fred immediately.”
Since this was pikuach nefesh, a matter of saving Fred’s life, the Beteshes raced to the hospital.
“This kidney matches up in every way possible to you!” the doctors told Fred excitedly. They did the surgery, and eight days later, Fred left the hospital with a new kidney.
A few months later, Mrs. Betesh was speaking on the phone with Judy.
“You know the shidduch you suggested for me?” Judy asked. “It didn’t work out.”
“It didn’t? Hmm.” Mrs. Betesh thought a bit.
“Judy!” she exclaimed. “I think I have a wonderful shidduch idea for you!”
A few months after that, Fred and Judy were engaged. Mazel Tov! What hashgachah pratis! The girl who helped organize the berachos party to help Fred became his wife.
For a long time, every one of Fred’s donors did not work out. Hashem knew what was best for him and waited for the perfect kidney. Hashem knows what’s best for us, too. At every moment, everything is happening exactly the way it is supposed to.
