My mother was brutally attacked 19 years ago... What saved her?

February 1992 was a very special month for my mother as it was the first time she visited New York and subsequently, the Lubavitcher Rebbe. As was his custom every Sunday, the Rebbe stood handing out dollars and blessings on Sunday the 23rd. At 4:10pm, as my mother passed the Rebbe to receive her dollar, the Rebbe gave her his traditional blessing of good health and success. Once she had bid farewell to the Rebbe and moved on, the Rebbe called her back and gave her an additional dollar and blessing, stressing, “This is for long, good, healthy tidings” – something that was highly unusual at the time. In fact, my father, who received his dollar right after my mother was granted no special attention.  At the time, my parents did not understand what the Rebbe could possibly mean by the additional dollar and blessing.

Fast forward several months to Shabbat morning, 21 November, 1992. My father was (and still is) the rabbi of the Orange Grove shul in Johannesburg. It is customary among Chabad Chassidim to recite the entire book of Tehillim on the Shabbat preceding Rosh Chodesh.  My father had never actually done this but on that morning, for some reason, he decided to get up at 6am to recite the entire book of Tehillim.

By 8am he had finished and again, for some unknown reason, he insisted that all eight of his children accompany him to shul. Normally, my mother would walk to shul two hours later with the younger children, but strangely enough, despite my three year old sister’s vehement protests, my father took her along. A move that later proved to possibly have saved her life.

I was a child of fourteen years old at the time. It was at the end of the reading of the Torah that I noticed someone whisper urgently to my father. He immediately dropped his tallis, ordered me to continue leading the service, then dashed out the synagogue with my eldest brother in tow. The words he was told were, “Your wife has been attacked, but thank G-d she is ok now.” I will never forget my mother's bruised and marred face that greeted me upon my return home.

At 9:15am, two men had broken into my parents’ home No small feat, considering the huge fence, barbed wire and electronic gates. Once through those obstacles, the burglars would’ve had to overcome the watch dog, security bars on every window and the strategically placed panic buttons, which send an alarm to a private security company that dispatches an armed response. For lack of alternative explanation, we are forced to conclude that this was an “inside job”- they must have received help from the maid (whose name, ironically, was Faith). Once inside, these teenagers proceeded to tie my mother up and beat her senselessly. They held her hostage for over an hour, all the while thrashing her and helping themselves to valuables from every room. Miraculously, they left after that hour. My mother was able to untie herself and since she had been locked in her bedroom, jumped out the window to alert the neighbor and send someone to call my father. The second thing I will never forget from that day is the enormous, deadly knife that was left behind.

Thank G-d my mother is ok and remarkably unaffected. We have no doubt that it was the Rebbe’s extra blessing that ensured my mother’s survival. Our Sages teach us that would we but know the power of the words of Tehillim, we would recite them endlessly. We see G-d’s hand in every strange occurrence that took place that day.

Despite the trauma, I love South Africa. My parents still live there, as do some of my siblings. Many would regard my parents as crazy to continue living in such a place after such an ordeal. But the Rebbe gave the Jews of South Africa a most unique blessing—that it will be good there until Moshiach arrives, and further. If the Rebbe was so spot on with one blessing, surely his second is just as effective.

Below is image of actual dollar received.