A shofar is made from the horn of a ram and is hollowed out and crafted to be blown like a trumpet.
asserted
shofar → make → trumpet
It symbolizes God’s majesty and also serves as a call to repentance.
asserted
It → symbolize → repentance
During the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, it is blown as a spiritual wake-up call for us to return to being who God wants us to be.
asserted
us → blow → who
On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which ended on Monday night, the shofar is blown at the end of the service to break the day-long fast, with the hope that our prayers have been accepted by God and that we are sealed in the Book of Life for another healthy, prosperous year.
asserted
we → end → year
The shofar also stands for healing, wholeness, and spiritual redemption.
asserted
shofar → stand → healing
In my new book, "THE ANGELS AMONG US," the shofar is used by one of God’s special messengers to bring a miracle recovery to the widely celebrated journalist Nikki Goldstein, in Sydney, Australia.
asserted
shofar → use → Sydney
Nikki (57 years old at the time) has had chronic lung disease and an autoimmune disease for many years and has been in and out of the hospital frequently.
asserted
Nikki → have → hospital
But in early September 2022, it looks like the end is near.
asserted
end → look → September
The CT scan of her chest shows extensive consolidation and scarring, plus a severe acute lung infection.
asserted
scan → show → consolidation
She is put on a ventilator.
asserted
She → put → ventilator
She is not expected to survive.
asserted
She → expect → ?
She says she is giving herself over to God.
asserted
she → say → God
Her doctor puts her on the emergency lung transplant list.
asserted
doctor → put → list
She is put into a coma.
asserted
She → put → coma
All at once, Nikki’s daughter looks up and says, "Is that a rabbi?"
asserted
that → look → ?
Nikki’s husband, Rowan, approaches him and says, "My wife would love it if you could say some prayers.
uncertain
you → approach → prayers
This is going to be her last day on earth."
asserted
This → go → earth
The rabbi stands at her bedside and recites prayers for her health.
asserted
rabbi → stand → health
His name, Rowan finds out later, is Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the longtime assistant rabbi at the Chabad synagogue in Bondi Beach.
asserted
Rowan → find → Beach
Rabbi Eli is about to leave when he stops and reaches into his jacket and pulls out something shiny.
asserted
he → leave → something
It is his shofar, and he asks if it’s okay to blow it over Nikki.
asserted
it → ask → Nikki
Rowan says, "I cannot think of a single thing she would want more."
asserted
she → say → more
The rabbi blows the shofar loudly.
asserted
rabbi → blow → shofar
Twenty-four hours after this, Goldstein’s lungs start to respond.
asserted
lungs → start → this
The "whiteout" is improving on her chest X-ray.
asserted
whiteout → improve → ray
They wake her up and bring her out of the coma.
asserted
They → wake → coma
The whiteout is retreating very rapidly.
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whiteout → retreat → ?
A medical miracle has occurred.
asserted
miracle → occur → ?
Goldstein goes on to write a book with Rabbi Schlanger, "Conversations With My Rabbi."
asserted
Goldstein → go → Rabbi
Near the center of Archer Park, Bondi Beach, in the middle of a celebration (with over 1,000 people attending) for the first night of Hanukkah (the Festival of Lights), right before the menorah lighting, two gunmen open fire in an antisemitic terrorist attack.
asserted
gunmen → attend → attack
Rabbi Schlanger sees one of the gunmen pause to reload.
asserted
one → see → gunmen
Schlanger—the father of five, including a two-month-old baby—raises his hands above his head and walks toward the terrorists.
asserted
Schlanger → include → terrorists
"Please stop!" he yells.
asserted
he → stop → ?
One of the gunmen raises his rifle and fires.
asserted
One → raise → rifle
Schlanger falls to the ground dead.
asserted
Schlanger → fall → ground
His wife, Chyale, is grazed by a bullet in her back.
asserted
wife → graze → back
Their two-month-old baby takes shrapnel to his leg.
asserted
baby → take → leg
They survive.
asserted
They → survive → ?
This year my daughter, a medical student, meets a rabbi who is admitted to the hospital after a very small stroke.
asserted
who → meet → stroke
He was blowing the shofar when his lips became numb, and he had to stop blowing.
asserted
he → blow → shofar
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
