Often, for me, the greatest stories are very important occurrences in our life. And as time goes on, we understand them in a deeper ways.

I’ll share a little of the background. Many of you who were with us at Pesach and Rosh Hashanah know about a student we have in the Centre in Israel. Over the years she has become friends with a person named Abraham, who was close with Rav Ashlag. She has become very close to Abraham over the years and he has given her two letters to give to the Rav, to give us.

I hope it doesn’t get too complicated, because there are a lot of names in this story.

Rav Ashlag was the teacher of Rav Brandwein and of this Abraham. In the late 1940s and 1950s, as Rav Ashlag was bringing the Light of the Zohar into print with his Ladder, the Sulam, Abraham would help him in many ways with the text.

Abraham gave us two letters, both written by Rav Brandwein. In both of the letters, Rav Ashlag told Rav Brandwein to relate things to Abraham.

Rav Brandwein wrote, “This morning my teacher came to me, and told me he had a dream that Abraham was in great danger.” At that time, Abraham was in the army. Rav Ashlag said, “I have prayed for him, and I believe he will be saved, but go and make sure he is fine.” Rav Brandwein wrote and said, “Let me know you are okay so I can tell Rav Ashlag you are okay.”

In the second letter, Rav Brandwein wrote: “Rav Ashlag says, ‘Where is Abraham on Yom Kippur?’” Even as Rav Ashlag was leaving this world, he was pained this young man, maybe in his teens or early twenties, wasn’t with him.

Rav Brandwein wrote: “When you are in Jerusalem next, please let me know so we can go to the grave, because I know Rav Ashlag wants to see you.”

These are important letters on many levels, not the least is the illustration of Abraham with Rav Ashlag.

I was in London about two weeks ago and received a letter from the student in Israel. She wrote in the email, “I want to tell you a story. Two weeks before Rosh Hashanah, I went and bought a small gift for Abraham, a gift from the Centre, from the Rav and Karen. I knocked on his door, and he looked at me and said, ‘Please, don’t come to my house anymore. The synagogue found I was in contact with the Kabbalah Centre and they will not let me teach and will kick me out of the synagogue if you continue to visit.’”

This student didn’t tell us this story during Rosh Hashanah. She didn’t want to share this bad news. Then, in the email she said that about 3 weeks ago, she decided to go see Abraham again. This was about 2 months after Rosh Hashanah. Abraham opened the door, and when he saw her he started crying.

He told her a story. Abraham said, “On the day before Rosh Hashanah, I was teaching in my synagogue and I fainted. I lost consciousness and went into a coma. I was in a coma from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. On the night of Yom Kippur, while still in the coma, I had a vision of Rav Ashlag, who came and said, ‘I want you to know you are in grave danger because you are acting with disrespect toward people who are spreading the Zohar in the world.’”

Kol hamachalah asher samti bemitzrayim lo asim alicha ki ani adonai rofe’ech.

Rav Ashlag said, “The woman is going to come back to you, and when she does come to you, tell her this passuk from the Torah.” The verse that Rav Ashlag told Abraham to tell the student to tell us is the verse that many of you who have been around the Centre are familiar with: Kol hamachalah asher samti bemitzrayim lo asim alicha ki ani adonai rofe’ech — “All the sickness that was put onto Egypt I won’t put onto you, because I God am your healer.” That’s the verse that Rav Ashlag told Abraham to tell this woman to tell us.

Like I said, this story is probably the greatest story that I have ever heard. I know that as time goes on, I will begin to understand it on deeper levels and in better ways.

I know some of you remember the lecture from Rosh Chodesh Kislev. When the Creator gives us kisses to know we are on the right path. These kisses give us impetus to continue going, since we are going in the right way. For me, this is one of those kisses. I hope for all of us this is a tremendous inspiration and a tremendous source of Light.