A Powerful Speech at a Bris in Lakewood

from an Email sent out to friends of Renewal saving lives through kidney donation.
Special Bris Today May 11, 2018 - 26 Iyar, 5778
Dear Friend of Renewal,

This morning there was a bris (the ceremony of circumcision.) in Lakewood, NJ where the father shared the following words:

"I stand here at the bris of our son Yishai with a trembling heart. I still, am trying to wrap my head around what happened this past week.  So that all of you can understand what I am talking about let's rewind a bit.

At 6 months of pregnancy the doctors discover that both kidneys were inflamed. We davened that the doctors should be wrong. Month 7, more scans. - we start hearing all sorts of scary words - Blockage. Inflammation.  bilateral hydronephrosis posterior urethral valves. Down Syndrome. All scared, we started begging Hashem for a miracle.  Month 8 turns into 9 and all scans confirm what the original diagnosis was.
 Chazal tell us that a child has 3 partners: Hashem, the father and mother. Mid 9th month I sat down with my wife and had a heart to heart conversation. We told Hashem that we accept, 100% and with love, whatever will come our way. Because we know that Hashem, as a partner, will be holding our hands throughout the process. We decided right then and there in that conversation, that we'll name our baby Yishai which means a gift. On that day decided that we "will" accept the gift no matter (how) hard it is liable to be.

מלך מלכי המלכים (G-d).
I stand here today trembling in awe and say
א-לי א-לי למה אהבתני
(G-d, why did you love me)
What did we do, to deserve so much love? Words don't do justice to describe how much we feel loved from you Hashem. The feeling is euphoric. My wife and I still cant grasp the magnitude of the Chessed (kindness) that you have done to us. Hashem, from the depths of every fiber of our body, Henny and I say "Thank you"!

The Gemarah in Pesachim 119a, notes a discussion between Yishai and Shmuel Hanavi.   Yishai said to Shmuel Hanavi"אבן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה" - "The 'stone' that was despised by the builders, became the cornerstone!"

Yishai dear, the doctors declared that you are blocked as a stone. Yet right at birth through your poetic use of the power of the shower, you showed them that Hashem runs this world. You came into this world miraculously, a beautiful, healthy baby- that even has his Bris on time!!!

What did Shmuel HaNavi respond, and this case Shmuel and Henny Waldman respond   - זה היום עשה ה' - this is the day that Hashem showed all the doctors, who is the real Doctor!!!"
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The father of Yishai is Shmueli Waldman. Shmueli donated his kidney eight years ago, in May, 2010 to a woman with special needs!

Thank you!
Renewal