JEM: The Rebbe Taught Me Gemara
The Talmud, on page 10a of Tractate Brachos, discusses the story from Kings II [20:1-6]: King Hizkiyahu is ill, and the Prophet Isaiah visits him. The prophet tells the king that his days are numbered and he should prepare to die, but Hizkiyahu refuses to accept this, and he says, “No, I have faith in G-d.” Although the prophet says it is too late, Hizkiyahu begins to pray because, “even if the tip of the sword is pointed at your throat, you should never give up hope.”
Mr. Yaakov Schiffman lives with his family in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. He was interviewed in the My Encounter studio in March, 2013.
