Five tales of hachnassas sefer Torahs — and the stories behind them

The Torah Protects and Shields

Donor: Rabbi Avraham Gutterman ztz”l, in the zechus of a refuah for his son, Rav Chaim Michoel Gutterman

Location: Denmark

Rav Chaim Michoel Gutterman is the executive director of Shuvu, an organization founded by Rav Avraham Pam ztz”l, which runs a network of schools in Eretz Yisrael for underprivileged or immigrant children.

Twenty four years ago, his life was hanging by a thread, and “Chaim” was added to his name. His wife, Mrs. Elisheva Gutterman, tells the story.

“My husband came down with hepatitis. For a week he lay in bed, growing progressively weaker, until it became clear that his condition was very serious, and we took him to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. There, they diagnosed that he had severe damage to his liver and kidneys, and that he needed dialysis.”

Elisheva notes that it was Thursday night. She had left her eight young children behind while in the midst of her preparations for Shabbos.

The worst was yet to come.

“On Friday morning, the department director called me into his office and said, ‘I’m really sorry to tell you this, but your husband’s vital systems are beginning to fail, and he’ll probably fall into a coma in the next few hours, and then he won’t have long to live. There’s nothing to do to fight this, because his liver is no longer working and neither are his kidneys. The only option is a liver transplant. We don’t do such transplants here, but I understand that you’re European, so maybe you’ll be able to fly him out to Europe for treatment.”

When Elisheva left the doctor’s office, she was sure the worst of all was about to happen. “I went into my husband’s room, intending to take leave of him. He was actually pretty alert, and asked how I was getting organized for Shabbos. He couldn’t understand why I was in such a state. The doctors tried to explain the severity of his condition to him, but they weren’t able to get the message across.

“I called my father to find out how to say Vidui and ask him what the exact nusach is,” Elisheva recalls. “But my father refused to tell me, he just asked to me daven that everything should be okay and promised to contact whoever he could for help. Within five minutes, Benny Fisher, chairman of Magen L’Choleh, called me and asked two questions: If we had private medical insurance and if we had European passports. Baruch Hashem, we had both. Rabbi Fisher told us he was arranging a flight to Belgium, where there is a large hospital that specializes in liver transplants.

“Meanwhile, I returned home and saw my eight children standing outside waiting for me. I didn’t know what to tell them. I said the first thing that came to my mind: ‘Abba is very sick, and we have to fly to Europe for treatment. Your job is to daven for him, to ask HaKadosh Baruch Hu to watch over him and send him a refuah sheleimah.’ Then I packed a suitcase, gathered up our passports and medical documents, and one of my neighbors drove me back to the hospital. I left the children, including a little baby, not knowing who would look after them.