Moshe Benjamin sped along the highway leading from his workplace in Tel Aviv to his home in Kibbutz Shaalvim. His wife had called him in a panic, begging him to come home immediately. She was not able to explain to him what was wrong, and he tried to fight off his own mounting panic as he headed home.![Chabad, Mezuzah. Rebbe](http://chabadnj.org/UserFiles/Mezuzah.jpg)
Upon arriving at the house, he found his young daughter lying on the floor apathetically, not responding to her surroundings. Quickly Moshe picked up his daughter in his arms, and he and his wife rushed the child to the emergency room at Asaf Harofeh hospital.
The news they received at the hospital wasn't very encouraging. The child was found to have a severe case of meningitis, and her condition was critical. One doctor pulled Moshe aside and told him frankly, “Your daughter will most likely slip into a coma within four days. Unless there is a miracle, I am afraid we might lose her.”
Moshe decided not to share with his wife what the doctor had told him. He knew that his wife would not take the news well, to say the least, and he wanted her to hold on to hope for as long as possible.
Two days later, his daughter indeed slipped into a coma. She did not even last the four days that the doctor had predicted...
It was late Saturday night, two days after she had gone into a coma. Moshe returned to his home in Shaalvim, after a long, hard day in the hospital. As he was getting out of his car, he saw a friend, Michael Kelman, a Chabad chassid who would come to the kibbutz occasionally to visit his mother.
“A good week,” Moshe greeted Michael, before turning to go into his house.
“A good week to you,” responded Michael. “And how are you? You don't look very well.”
“True,” said Moshe, unburdening himself to his friend. He related the sad tale of his daughter's infection and recent turn for the worse.
“You know what?” said Michael. “The Lubavitcher Rebbe says that in such situations one should check the mezuzos in the home. Let's take down all the mezuzos in your home and bring them to a scribe to inspect them and make sure they're kosher.”
“Now?!” asked Moshe, looking at his watch. “It's late at night! Besides, I just had all my mezuzos checked four months ago.”
However, Michael would not give up. “Do it now, without delay. You never know, maybe this will be your salvation!”
Michael was so insistent that Moshe's resistance faded. Together they entered his home and began to take down the mezuzos. By now it was already 2 a.m., but this did not stop Michael from calling a scribe he knew in Lod and waking him up.
“Hello, this is Michael Kelman. I'm sorry for calling so late but the matter is urgent. A child is in critical condition and we need you to check all the mezuzos in her home. Can we come right away?”
When Moshe and Michael arrived at the scribe's home in Lod, he was already waiting for them outside. Without further delay, the scribe sat down to inspect the mezuzos. Most of them were found to be kosher. However, when he checked the one for the front door, he found a problem. Apparently, the sun beating down on the doorpost had caused the mezuzah to fade. The mezuzah was unfit for use.
The sofer gave Moshe a replacement mezuzah, along with his heartfelt blessings for his daughter's full recovery.
The next morning, Moshe arrived at work, after a long and sleepless night. As soon as he arrived he received a call from his wife. “Please come immediately to the hospital!”
Fearful of more bad news, Moshe sped to the hospital. As soon as he got there he sprinted to his daughter's room. His wife met him at the door. “How is she? What is her condition?” he shouted.
His wife responded, with a sparkle in her eye, “I called you to come and take our daughter home!”
Moshe sank into the nearest chair. “What do you mean?” he asked in confusion.
His wife's eyes filled with tears. “I tried reaching you on the phone all this time, but was not successful. Last night, between 3 and 4 in the morning, she suddenly opened her eyes and asked to go to the bathroom. I almost fainted. I called a nurse, and she called the resident. He checked her and found that the infection had completely subsided! She is well, and ready to go home!”
This miracle caused a complete transformation in the lives of the Benjamin family. In gratitude for the Rebbe's advice to check the mezuzos, the family became staunch and loyal chassidim of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
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