It’s All About Emunah

“The righteous shall live by his emunah.”* (Chavakuk 2:4)

 This verse isn’t just a lofty ideal—it pulses through the daily life of a Jew, especially in those moments when reason fails, and only emunah remains.

A heartbreaking case unfolded in a Jewish home. A young child cried incessantly—not the regular wails of infancy, but blood-curdling, terror-stricken screams that shattered the silence of night and day alike. The baby couldn’t eat. He didn’t sleep. The family was drowning in exhaustion and heartbreak.

Doctors and professors were consulted. Dozens of tests yielded no answers. Desperate for relief, the parents turned to every channel of spiritual hope—mystics, segulos, amulets. Nothing helped.

One afternoon, the mother went to the marketplace. There, on the dusty ground, lay a torn, crumpled page from a Chumash. Something stirred within her. With trembling fingers, she picked it up, whispering, “Perhaps Hashem will send a healing through this holy page.”

She took it home, cleaned it gently, and placed it near her child’s pillow. Then she offered a simple prayer:

“I do not know how to read or write. But I know this is Torah. May it be Your will, Hashem, that its holiness bring my child a complete refuah.”

That very night, the impossible happened.

For the first time in his life, the baby slept peacefully. No screams. No cries. Just stillness. The next night brought the same. And the next. A week passed. Then two. The house was filled with awe and gratitude.

Her husband, astonished, asked what had changed. She showed him the page near the baby’s head. “Is there a holier amulet than the Chumash?” she said. “See how Hashem heals!”

He took the page, looked closely, and his expression changed.

“Do you know what this is?” he asked. “It’s from Parashat Ki Tavo—the tochachah. The curses. ‘Hashem will strike you with madness... You shall fear night and day... In the morning, you’ll say, “If only it were evening.”’”

The mother looked at him gently. “How could I know? I only saw that it was Torah. I begged Hashem with a full heart, and we saw salvation.”

When this story reached one of the gedolim, he turned to his students and declared:

“See the power of emunah. It can transform the attribute of judgment into mercy, and turn fierce curses into exalted blessings.”

It was not the words on the page. Not the segulah. Not logic. It was the woman’s raw and radiant emunah that cracked open the gates of Heaven.

Rabbi Leeor Dahan, a graduate of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim/RSA, is a noted scholar and teacher, well-versed in halachah. He currently leads Kehilat Avodat Hashem in Hillcrest, Queens, inspiring his congregation to delve into Torah study and embrace its eternal teachings.