Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal:This disabled man was then charged with DUI and spent the next 8 1/2 years in prison. But the Rabbi of the prison helped him to find G-d in all this suffering and slowly he returned to his Jewish roots.

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THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
How Hashem was found
Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal
There are so many ways that people nd their way back to Hashem. Today, I
met one man with a tragic yet fascinating story about he returned to
Yiddishkeit. From him, I learned that G-d is found not just on Mount Sinai in
the re, cloud, and sound of the shofar at the giving of Torah, but also through
one’s interactions in everyday life.

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At Chabad today celebrating Shavuot, there was a nice man in a wheelchair, and
unfortunately, he was missing a leg. During services, we exchanged
pleasantries. Afterwards, at Kiddush, I tried to help him by making him a dairy
plate of goodies (bagels, lox, smear, etc.). Then we sat down with him to
schmooze a little.
At one point, he told me him also grew up in the Bronx like me. I recognized the
street even after all these years. After a while, I felt comfortable asking him
about his story, and how he had come to lose his leg. This is the story he told
me:
He was raised in a reform household. He had his bar mitzvah, was called to the
Torah, said the blessing, and then “that was it” for many decades in terms of his
association with Judaism. For many years, he said, “I was a non-believer in G-
d.” Then one day his whole life changed.
He has an anxiety condition, and suffers panic attacks. One day, he was on the
road, and started to experience some symptoms for which he is prescribed
Xanax. He took a pill, but then instead of pulling over, he continued driving.
Regretfully, he ended up in a collision with another car. He said, “Five days
later, I awoke in the hospital, and they told me what happened.” His body had
been crushed in the accident and he lost his leg. Moreover, the driver of the
other vehicle was killed!
This disabled man was then charged with DUI and spent the next 8 1/2 years in
prison. But the Rabbi of the prison helped him to nd G-d in all this suffering
and slowly he returned to his Jewish roots. Now, for the Jewish holiday of
Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Torah to all the Jewish people, he
was in synagogue, holding his prayer book and listening to the receiving of the
Ten Commandments with the rest of the congregants.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a business and technology leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
All I could really do was say how sorry I was for what happened to him and all
his suffering. He said to me, “Don’t be sorry. I know now that it was all for a
reason—all for the good!” And again, he explained that from these tragic
events, for which he told me that he takes responsibility, he was able to nd his
way back to Hashem. Sometimes, as he said, we need a slap to reorient us to
what’s real and important in life. And now he is a believer in G-d again. And he
mentioned gratefully, the Rabbi from prison who helped him see the bigger
picture of what happened and perhaps why it all did.
Life is de nitely not always easy, and there is plenty of challenges and even G-d
forbid tragedy that people must deal with, but if we can see through the pain,
suffering, and even loss, then perhaps,we can come out on the other side and
nd some meaning and some good that can come from it. This is certainly
easier said then done, but if this man who’s body was crushed, leg lost, and who
spent so many years in prison could nd the good and his way back to Hashem,
then there is hope for all of us who can learn, grow, and turn our lives around as
well. G-d is there in the darkness and in the light, and we have to nd Him and
believe.