In New City, New York, on Rosh Hashanah afternoon, a woman found herself sitting alone at home. She had grown up frum, in a heimish family and environment, but over the years had slowly drifted away from Yiddishkeit.

As the day drew to a close, she realized with a start that she had not yet heard shofar that year. Though she hadn’t thought much about it earlier, she now felt a deep sense of loss – it would be the first year she hadn’t heard shofar. 

Feeling broken, she turned to Hashem and spoke from her heart: “You know me. I used to spend hours on Rosh Hashanah in shul with You, but I never felt close to You. I don’t feel it now either, but I want to feel that closeness. Show me that You are with me.”

Barely a few minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Standing there was a shliach of the Rebbe, accompanied by his son. After confirming that she was Jewish, the shliach asked if she would like to hear shofar. She readily agreed. 

As the shliach blew the shofar, he noticed that the woman was overwhelmed with emotion. When he asked her what had moved her so deeply, she emotionally told him the story: “I just finished asking Hashem for a sign, and here you are.”

This time, it was the shliach who was taken aback.

The shliach, Rabbi Sholom Ber Liberow, shared with Anash.org the other side of the story: “My son, who came with me on mivtzoim that day, his name is Ari. He is 23 years old and autistic from birth, and had previously been unable to speak or communicate.” 

A week before Rosh Hashanah, with the help of Hashem, his family was able to begin communicating with him more clearly through typing. “We were overwhelmed with emotion and excitement – a whole new world opened up for us.” On Erev Rosh Hashanah, for the first time in his life, Ari wrote a pan to the Rebbe.

Of course, this technology can’t be used on Shabbos or Yom Tov.

“On Rosh Hashanah, after the meal, I noticed he wanted to say something. Someone had an idea to try communicating with a siddur. I took out a siddur and, using the Alef-Bais, asked him to tell me what was going on. He pointed to letters that spelled out ‘mivtzoim.’ As a shliach of the Rebbe, I understood that he wanted to go with me on mivtzoim to blow shofar for Yidden who hadn’t yet heard it. It was close to the end of the day, but I took the shofar and started following him.

“I had long heard about this woman in my town, but I had never met her. I knew she had become somewhat distanced, and I worried that her reception of us might not be warm. Yet Ari’s wish pushed me to see if we could reach her and blow shofar for her.”

They walked for fifteen minutes, with Ari walking very quickly, and Rabbi Liberow had to catch up to him until they finally stopped at this house and blew shofar for the emotional woman.

“I hadn’t thought much of the story until, on Hoshana Rabbah, a Poilisher chossid came over to me and asked if I was the one with the story. At first, I said I didn’t know what he was talking about. Then, as he described the details, I realized that it was indeed my son. I hadn’t realized the impact of the story.”

Within a few days, the story had gone viral. A few days ago, Rabbi Liberow decided to bring the story up with Ari. “I was still unsure whether I had decided to go to the woman and Ari had come along, or if Ari had led me to the house, knowing that there was a Yiddishe woman who needed to hear shofar.”

The conversation went as follows and is nothing short of astounding:

On Rosh Hashanah, after the meal, when you told me mivtzoim, was there something behind your request?
Ari: Yes.
What?
Ari: I felt that the woman in that house wanted to hear the shofar.
How did you feel (know) that?
Ari: I don’t know.
Did you know where she lived?
Ari: Yes.
How?
Ari (changes the subject): I want to go back to the house and then go to shul.

The woman also confirmed the story and shared her perspective with Anash.org.

“I am deeply spiritually connected—always have been,” she shared. “I feel and breathe God in my everyday existence, and my connection to Creator has never wavered. In fact, I have countless miracles, such as the one you described, happen to me on the regular.”

“This whole communicating with him is still very new,” Rabbi Liberow tells Anash.org. “We are all still in shock and overwhelmed by what he is saying. He’s very learned and knows a lot. One thing he keeps expressing again and again is his yearning for Moshiach.”

Below is a sincere message from Ari to the world, which Rabbi Liberow asks to be shared to grant Ari his wish:

“We want Moshiach now.

“We can’t wait any more עד מתי. Tell the world that can be called to prepare themselves to greet Moshiach צדקנו and take upon themselves to do what they can do bring Moshiach now.

“The message should be sent everywhere.”