Abir Yaakov, zs'kl

It's been a year since we were zoche to make Aliya. B'h, I can say that our Aliya was very successful, chasdei Shamayim. When I arrived in Israel, I promised myself that I'll never get on an airplane ever again. I want to live and die only in Eretz Israel but there is one place that I want to go and that is Dimanhur, Egypt.

About three years ago, Kadosh Elyohn Saraf Rabbi Yaakov Abuchatzeira, the Abir Yaakov, zs'kl, appeared to me in a dream and asked that I come to visit him. I can finally b'h and b'n fulfill the Abir Yaakov's request. B'h, I'll be leaving Monday night and returning Tuesday night. The yartzeit of the Tzaddik Abir Yaakov is 20 TEVET.

If you want a prayer for you at the Tzaddik's kever and/or if you want pidyon hanefesh*, you can mail me at nava998@yahoo.com. All prayers requested will remain in the Tzion as a kvittel.

*Pidyon Nefesh is a very special and powerful prayer and blessing that has the spiritual strength of a sacrifice in the Bet Hamikdash to atone for sin and to mitigate severe judgments. The bigger and more pious the tzaddik, the more effective the "pidyon", which literally means "redemption", where one's money is literally a sacrifice for one's body and soul. The pidyon money "redeems" the nefesh, or soul, in other words, "Pidyon Nefesh."

This is used when a major salvation is needed, such as in the case of a dangerous illness, a severe court case, or as a rescue from trouble or danger. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev, zs'kl, says that Pidyon Nefesh is the "sweetening", or mitigation of harsh decrees and serves as a salvation from any trouble, for the main cure and solution of sickness is the pidyon (see Likutei Moharan II:3).