An inspiring story shared by Rabbi Farhi that we can all learn so much from! Yosef, just 9 years old, was battling a terrible disease. His parents had searched high and low, visiting doctor after doctor, but none were able to help. They decided to send him to school, hoping that if he had the strength to go, it would be beneficial for him.
At school, the class was learning about Kever Rochel, and the Rebbe ran a competition where the boys would create art depicting Kever Rochel. The boys were buzzing with creativity, using everything from rocks to wood. Yosef was an exceptional painter and decided to paint a beautiful portrait of Kever Rochel. For three weeks, he poured his heart and soul into the painting, dedicating himself fully to making it the best he could.
Finally, the day arrived to present the projects, and Yosef was full of anticipation. He carefully revealed his masterpiece to the class, and the boys were amazed. But then, one boy—overcome with jealousy—suddenly crumbled the painting into a ball and tossed it in the garbage, saying it wasn’t even worthy of the competition. The other boys were speechless after they saw what happened. Yosef stood there, devastated, his masterpiece in the trash. He ran to his seat hoping no-one would notice his tears. When the Rebbe entered, the boys took turns presenting their projects, but when it was Yosef’s turn, he told the Rebbi he had no project.
After school, Yosef went home. His father could tell something was wrong and asked him how the competition went. Yosef just said, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Worried, Yosef’s father called the Rebbe. The Rebbe told him Yosef had no project. Surprised, Yosef’s father explained that his son had painted a beautiful picture. The next day, the Rebbe asked the class about what happened. When he found out what the boy had done to Yosef’s painting, he asked Yosef why he hadn’t told him. The Rebbe said he could have helped, either by saving the painting or punishing the boy who hurt him.
But Yosef said, “Please, Rebbe, don’t punish him.” In that moment, Yosef made a powerful decision. He didn’t want revenge. He wanted to forgive. Deep down, he believed that by doing something impossible—by forgiving the boy who had hurt him so deeply—maybe Hashem would perform an “impossible” miracle for him and heal his sickness.
With admiration, the Rebbe called Yosef’s parents to tell them what a tzadik they had. The story doesn’t end there! Something miraculous happened. A few days later, Yosef’s parents got an unexpected call from a doctor. There was a new treatment for his illness and Baruch Hashem Yosef was zoche to a refuah shelaima!
