Hi,
Hope you’re having a great day.
… This is a story that was not in the national news.
But I think it should have been.
Dr. Daniel Clair is chair of the vascular surgery department at the Cleveland Clinic.
An incredibly busy person,
He recently flew 6000 miles to operate on a patient.
To do this?
He needed to clear his schedule for close to a week. At great financial sacrifice.
Who would you expect this patient to be?
A celebrity? A world leader?
One of Forbes Magazine’s wealthiest people?
No.
He’s Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv.
And he lives in a tiny little apartment in Jerusalem.
Is he a young man in the prime of his life?
No.
Rabbi Elyashiv is 101 years old!
But he’s one of the greatest Rabbis of our generation.
Considered the greatest authority on Jewish Law.
For at least 80 years he has spent virtually every minute of his day doing the same thing.
Studying Torah. Answering the most complex questions of Jewish Law.
And being available for hundreds of people seeking his guidance.
… The Rabbi felt weak and tests were taken atShareiZedekHospital.
The results were sent to Dr. Clair at Cleveland Clinic.
Surgery was needed on the Rabbi’s aorta and no one inIsraelcould do it.
Dr. Clair agreed to fly off toIsraeland operate with just a few hours rest.
The doctor is a religious Catholic and a very humble person.
Here are some of his thoughts.
“I don’t like to exaggerate. But of all the patients I have ever treated?
Rabbi Elyashiv has made the deepest impression on me.
I feel extraordinarily privileged to treat him.
Just a few minutes before the procedure, the Rabbi was studying.
It took the staff a few minutes to get his attention!
He made such a deep impression on me.
Seeing a person his age immersing himself in study without growing tired?
It was remarkable to see!”
The doctor’s closing words?
“Even though I am not Jewish? As I stood by his side for three and a half hours?
I felt that I was beside a holy person.
I was affected in the deepest way.”
…Dr. Daniel Claire may not be Jewish.
But he restored my faith in humanity.
And he sure is a mensch!
All the best,
Rabbi Moshe Katz
Director
ChicagoTorah Network
2832W. Touhy Avenue
Chicago,IL60645
P 773. 761. 0400 ext. 201
F 773. 761. 9262