With only five days left to move and no apartment in sight I decided to get a bracha from HaRav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, zt”l, from Mattersdorf. We were living near my sister in a small place outside Yerushalayim and I wanted to stay there but it just wasn’t working out.
A friend of mine called me to come see apartments in her new community which was on the opposite side of where we were living. I had been there once for Shabbas and was terribly uncertain if it would be good for us. Having no other option I decided to go have a look.
So that morning found me racing around to get the kids to gan on time and with much effort I strapped my baby into the kankaroo and off I went. I arrived on time to see this special tzaddik and the first thing he did was give my baby girl a beautiful bracha. Then he turned to me with kind eyes and softly asked, “Why are you here?”
“Well we need to move and someone suggested this place for us.”
He became visibly excited, “Go. My brother is moving there; it should be with hatzlacha.” Sadly his brother passed away a short while after and never really was able to settle in this community.
The next day we went to see apartments there and I found one that I liked. Three days later we moved. The building was unfinished, the steps to get into our street were just some cinder blocks and then we had to go up 45 steps up but we had a new home. We stayed there for a year and then had to move once again. B”H, we found another apartment in the same community right across the street.
This new apartment, unbelievably, was to become our home for many years. Even though it was supposed to be a six month rental we are still living here twenty three years later.
This is just one of the amazing outcomes of this powerful bracha I received all those years ago.
When my youngest turned three I decided to go back to work. I had a nursing degree but I did not want to work in a hospital setting so I was trying to find other options for working part time as a nurse.
Over the next few days started to put the word out I was looking for work possibly as baby nurse. I needed to be home for the children so my options were limited.
After a few days without success, I became determined to seriously work on finding a job. I decided to unplug my phone before davening to prevent any distractions. Finally after one on the most intense prayers I have ever experienced I went to plug in the phone.
It immediately rang. “Hello,” said the caller. “My name is Mrs. Scheinberg. I live in your neighborhood and I heard you are a night nurse and that you might be able to me with my newborns twins.”
“Well, I am looking for a job. What exactly do you need?”
She went on to describe the job details and we made up to meet the next day.
It was a wonderful job and I grew very attached to this family who were the nephew and niece of HaRav Scheinberg.
As the twins grew and started sleeping through the night, I began to be with them only in the day. I ended up taking care of them until they went to gan at age two and a half. It was hard to part ways, but the time had come. To this day, the kids call me Tanta Fayge and it brings a warm feeling to my heart.
Not really knowing what I would do for work now that my job was finishing, I mentioned it to them. I was then offered a job to work in their family yeshiva katana as a secretary. I was hesitant because my computer knowledge was almost non-existent but they encouraged me to try anyway.
So I did, I learned on the job and spent a wonderful year working as secretary after which I decided to explore other options.
My friendship with this wonderful family has continued over the years and I have gained so much from it.
Rav Scheinberg’s bracha has continued on until this day. I still feel its power so many years later. From moving here as a skeptic I have grown to love my community and I would find it hard to leave now. I have flourished here and have been able to use my many skills here, from being a nurse, to a director/play-write, to giving seminars and so on.
I can still see today this chizuk shining down on me. I remain grateful that Hashem allowed me to receive such an amazing bracha I hope to keep its power in my heart through all the challenges of my life.