The moving story of a devoted mechanech whose unwavering dedication to his talmidim carried him through a life-threatening medical battle is inspiring thousands. In a newly released film, the beloved mechanech shares how his shlichus in chinuch, together with his visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel, became a source of strength during the most difficult period of his life, culminating in a turn of events that left his doctors astonished.

The story appears in a moving video produced for the training event of 198 Lubavitcher yungeleit across Eretz Yisroel, preparing to enter the field of Chinuch. Arranged by Reshet Oholei Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch, the gathering, held last Thursday night in Kfar Chabad, trained the yungerlait for the responsibility of educating children with both professional skill and a clear chassidishe approach.

The film follows the remarkable journey of Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Lison, a Shliach devoted to chinuch in Haifa, and highlights the extraordinary dedication of a mechanech who refused to step away from his talmidim even in the midst of an intense medical struggle.

Born in Kfar Chabad and named after his grandfather, the renowned chossid Reb Shlomo Chaim Keelsman, Rabbi Lison was raised in a home of deep avodas Hashem. He recalls his father’s heartfelt davening, where words of the siddur would often become a niggun, and says those experiences shaped the way he approaches chinuch today.

After marrying, he accepted a position teaching in Haifa. Under his father’s guidance, he began introducing niggunim into his classroom, transforming davening into an experience his talmidim eagerly anticipated. By the end of the year, his class had learned dozens of niggunim.

“Students may forget what you taught them, but they will go through life with the melody you taught them,” Rabbi Lison said, quoting his father.

Everything changed when Rabbi Lison was diagnosed with a serious kidney illness, leaving him in urgent need of a kidney transplant. To the surprise of his friends and family, he made the decision that, despite the physical pain and exhaustion, he would continue teaching.

“I want to see my students. They are my medicine and my ticket to success.”

He shared that standing before his talmidim gave him renewed strength and purpose.

Later, he traveled to New York and visited the Rebbe’s Ohel, where Rabbi Lison poured out his heart in tefillah.

“I asked the Rebbe, ‘I want to be healthy. I can’t leave now when so many need me in my shlichus of chinuch.'”

One particularly emotional moment came when the father of one of his students told him that his young son had written an entire pan at the Ohel asking only for his rebbi’s recovery.

“I just cried. I realized how much love the students had.”

The miraculous events that unfolded after Rabbi Lison returned home from visiting the Rebbe’s Ohel stunned his medical team and became a powerful reminder of the enduring bond between a rebbi and his talmidim.

“A smile to your students doesn’t cost money, and even if it does, it’s worth investing in,” Rabbi Lison concludes.

VIDEO (Includes English subtitles):