Lakewood Shopper
A substitute doctor. A woman sent to the hospital against her better judgement. Was it all in vain? In his inimitable manner, Rabbi Nachman Seltzer shares an unusual chain of events.
Liba Malka Koenigstein* was expecting a routine doctor’s visit in anticipation of welcoming a new baby into the family. She was quite surprised to find an unfamiliar face in the doctor’s chair. Dr. Green informed her that he was filling in while her regular physician was on vacation. Liba Malka was not concerned – until Dr. Green’s suggestion that she check into the hospital for observation. Somehow the very condition that unnerved Dr. Green had never concerned Liba Malka’s regular doctor, but Dr. Green was quite adamant. Liba Malka anxiously called her husband to apprise him of the situation.
Asher Leib Koenigstein was not in favor of arguing with the doctor: “Liba Malka, until now the doctor has never considered your condition a complication. However, now Hashem has sent us a new doctor, who does feel it is something to be vigilant about. Who am I to argue with him?”
So it was that Liba Malka found herself checking into the hospital, leaving a houseful of children under her husband’s care for an indefinite amount of time. To make matters worse, she was not given a private room on the maternity ward, but rather, was placed on another floor with seriously ill patients. Her roommate was an elderly woman who seemed to be in great pain.
Several days into her stay, Liba Malka returned to her room after an extended period in the visitor’s lounge to find her roommate’s bed empty. The nurse informed Liba Malka that the ill woman had passed away. The following morning, a woman who introduced herself as the elderly patient’s daughter arrived to collect her mother’s belongings. Liba Malka offered sincere words of condolence and then asked where the funeral would be held.
“Well, although my mother would have wanted it to be in a Jewish chapel, we feel it would be easiest to have her cremated.”
Cremated! Liba Malka knew she had to do something – but what?!
“I know that we don’t really know each other,” she began gently, “but I did share a room with your mother. I might be wrong, but the impression I got from the short time I spent with her was that cremation is the last thing she would have wanted. She was old-school, traditional. I’m certain she would have preferred a proper burial. She was in such pain – trust me on this, I heard her … Now that she’s finally at rest, do you really want to torture her all over again?”
“You know,” the daughter replied, as though talking to herself, “I didn’t really feel good about this. It didn’t sit right with me. I felt like I was almost being disloyal to Mom by doing it.”
“It’s not too late.”
“You’re right,” she said, “you’ve convinced me.”
But there was still the woman’s son to convince – and it seemed he would be a harder sell.
Daryl showed up the next day, and inexplicably, he was receptive to Liba Malka’s entreaties. And then he shared something amazing:
“My mother used to tell us when we were kids about how during the Holocaust she risked her life to bury Jews who had been killed and were just lying in the street in the ghetto. She buried them herself, saying it was their right to be laid to rest properly. So I guess she deserves the same treatment – to be laid to rest in a manner of which she would have approved.”
Liba Malka contacted the chevrah kadisha on behalf of the woman’s family and set the wheels in motion. The woman who had risked her life for kavod hameis would receive her due. Later that day, Dr. Green entered Liba Malka’s room and informed her that she was free to go home. Now that she had done what she had been sent there for, there was no reason for her to remain.
An amazing story? This is just a sample of what’s in store! For the first time ever, Rabbi Nachman Seltzer will be speaking in Lakewood, sharing a powerful message and more amazing stories.
Women and girls, join us on Wednesday night, June 13, for an evening of inspiration that will change your life. This exciting event will take place at Tashbar, located at 82 Oak Street.
Doors open at 8:00 PM. Program begins at 8:30 PM. Couvert: $18
This event is sponsored by Chevrah Lomdei Mishnah and Better Than a Segulah. Call (732) 364-7029 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.
– June 2018
