Back in the ICU, Karen met the family of Tzvika, a father of three who had lost both of his legs and an arm in the war. His entire family brought in Shabbos by singing Kabbalas Shabbos together. She had never seen anything like it. While she waited for Aryeh to come out of surgery, a woman in pants and cowboy boots approached her and introduced herself as the head of the urology department. She told Karen that she, too, has a 24-year-old son serving in the army and she treated Aryeh like her son when he was on the operating table. She asked Karen to tell her about Aryeh. She explained that, as they operated on him, the doctors felt a ruach chazak, a strong spirit, emanating from Aryeh. She wanted to hear about him.
Karen explained to her audience that we live in a world that focuses on externals. We judge people based on what we see. We don’t know the struggles or the triumphs of a person. That is between him and Hashem. But sometimes the curtain is pulled aside, and we get a glimpse into the inner world of the person we see. This was the case in her interaction with the surgeon and with many other people along the way.
When Karen was finally allowed to see her son, albeit from a distance, she could barely recognize him. She told Aryeh that she was with him and that she loved him. At that moment, Aryeh’s blood pressure skyrocketed. Karen’s heart was touched by the noticeable effect her presence had on her 24-year-old, big and tough chayal son. It made her realize that she should always hold on to her role of mother, no matter what. Even when a child makes decisions she wouldn’t necessarily make, or has an abrasive personality, she should never give up on being his mother.
So many people came to support Karen. A set of elderly non-observant twins begged her to stay at their house on Shabbos. They “paskened” that it’s a matter of pikuach nefesh for her to stay in the hospital for one more minute. They offered to call a rabbi to ask for a p’sak. Then, they would drive her. This interaction filled Karen with immense love for Hashem’s people.
Eventually, Karen was invited to enter the ICU to see Aryeh up close. He was sedated, intubated, and attached to many tubes. He had writing all over his body. This was how the line of medics who treated him in the field could communicate with each other as he was passed from hand to hand. At first, Karen was frozen by what she saw. But then she was able to hold Aryeh and sing to him. As bad as Aryeh looked, she was grateful that he was alive. She davened that he should have a complete recovery.
When it was time to leave the ICU, Karen stopped at the doors, not wanting to be mechalel Shabbos. A nurse named Chani understood Karen’s hesitation. She explained that she doesn’t keep Shabbos and offered to open the door for her. Karen quipped that she had never met a Chani who didn’t keep Shabbos. As much as Karen appreciated Chani’s desire to help, she declined the offer.
The next day, they began to wake Aryeh up. It was a slow and painful process for everyone involved. The influence of medication caused Aryeh to be paranoid. He thought that he and his mother had been kidnapped and taken to Gaza. During the process, a nurse came rushing in and told Karen that her sister was outside. This couldn’t be. Karen’s sister lives in the United States. She went to the waiting room where a woman in pink spiked heels and a tight, leather, mini-skirt introduced herself as Karen’s sister. She was the mother of one of the chayalim in Aryeh’s charge. She came every day and brought food for Karen and the chayalim. Karen feels like she is truly a sister to her.
When Aryeh went to the bathroom for the first time, he and Karen said the brachah of “Asher Yatzar” out loud. The nurses asked what they were doing. Karen read the brachah from the siddur and explained its significance to them. They were amazed.
The bits and pieces of the story of Aryeh’s injury began to come together. On the first night of Chanukah, the boys were in a house in Gaza. It was pitch black. They lit Chanukah candles and burst into song. They had brought light into the darkness. That night they slept in an abandoned school in Jabalia. In the morning, they checked to make sure the building was clear. Then the commander asked who would like to join him on a mission. Eight boys volunteered. They walked out of the building and were hit with an immediate explosion. One chayal was killed, one was seriously wounded, one was lightly wounded, and five were barely hurt at all. The irreligious commander told Karen, “Etzba Elokim hi.” It was the hand (literally ”finger”) of Hashem.
Immediately before going into Gaza, Aryeh had taken a course on what to do in times of emergency in the field. This course saved his life, as he knew exactly what to do. He yelled that he was wounded. Because he was an officer, he had a walkie-talkie. The guy who heard him scream was able to bypass the usual necessary clearance requirements and ordered a helicopter immediately. There were two medics with the group, but one had been killed and the other was in shock. But another chayal “happened to have” coagulant in his pocket and put it in Aryeh’s stomach. Aryeh lost a tremendous amount of blood.
When someone high up in the army came to see Karen, she told him the soldiers in the field were doing everything they should do. The collaboration of many people saved Aryeh’s life. It is important to Karen that she give Hashem credit for Aryeh’s recovery and also thank the shlichim. The assistant to the army representative told Karen that she knew what had really saved Aryeh. She said she had been in the hospital that Friday night and saw a mother daven in a way she had never seen anyone daven before. She believed that this t’filah was what saved his life. She said that, after the war, she plans to become religious.
When Aryeh stood for the first time, the mother of a soldier who lost a leg and whose other leg was badly injured was watching. This made Karen very uncomfortable. She felt it must be so painful for a mother to see another soldier stand when her son would never again be able to stand on his two feet. But the mother cheered Aryeh on. Karen asked her where she drew her strength from. The mother explained that she had lost her brother in another war. She was familiar with the dreaded knock on the door. When they came knocking this time, she didn’t want to answer. She wasn’t willing to accept terrible news. The woman told Karen that her son had been listed as dead. But he is alive! He will have a difficult year of “rehab” and he will need a prosthetic. But this will make him a better husband, father, and Jew. Karen was floored.
Karen was amazed by the many people she met on this journey. She sees them as loving Hashem and wanting to be close to Him. She asked Hashem aloud what He was waiting for to bring Mashiach. Karen explained that, at the end of days, Hashem will evaluate each of our maasim tovim to see if they are enough to bring Mashiach. Our Torah, t’filah, u’g’milus chasadim can tilt the scales. The key to bringing the G’ulah is in our hands.
On the day of Karen’s presentation in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Aryeh returned to the army, baruch Hashem.
Please continue to daven for the recovery of the wounded, the release of the remaining hostages, and the success and safe return of all soldiers and security personnel.
Suzie Steinberg, (nee Schapiro), CSW, is a native of Kew Gardens Hills and resident of Ramat Beit Shemesh who publishes articles regularly in various newspapers and magazines about life in general, and about life in Israel in particular. Her recently published children’s book titled Hashem is Always With Me can be purchased in local Judaica stores as well as online. Suzie can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and would love to hear from you.