A woman in Sydney, Australia, who was given a poor prognosis due to chronic lung disease and an autoimmune disorder, experienced a miraculous recovery after a rabbi blew a shofar over her bedside.
Nikki Goldstein, 57 at the time, had been hospitalized multiple times and was on a ventilator. A CT scan of her chest had shown extensive consolidation and scarring, as well as a severe acute lung infection. Her doctor had put her on the emergency lung transplant list, and she was placed into a coma. However, 24 hours after a rabbi named Rabbi Eli Schlanger blew a shofar over her, Goldstein's lungs began to respond, and her condition improved rapidly.
Rabbi Schlanger, the assistant rabbi at the Chabad synagogue in Bondi Beach, had been visiting the hospital when he was asked to recite prayers for Goldstein's health. He then pulled out his shofar and asked if he could blow it over her. Goldstein's husband, Rowan, gave his consent, and Rabbi Schlanger blew the shofar loudly.
The shofar, which is a ram's horn that is hollowed out and crafted to be blown like a trumpet, has significant meaning in Jewish tradition. It is often blown during the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, as a call to repentance, and during the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, to break the day-long fast and to seek spiritual redemption.
Goldstein's miraculous recovery has been documented in Rabbi Schlanger's new book, "Conversations With My Rabbi," which he co-authored with Goldstein. The book tells the story of their conversations and the miraculous events that occurred during Goldstein's recovery.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
View original reporting →
