WATCH: Yanuka At Chizky Tornheim’s Bar Mitzva, Chizky: ‘Doctors Didn’t Give Any Hope For Me’

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a moving Bar Mitzva ceremony which took place on Chol Hamoed Sukkos in Yerushalayim, Chizky Tornheim celebrated merely being alive. The Vizhnitz chasid from Kiryat Sefer was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta type 2, an inherited connective tissue disorder found in 1 out of 60,000 live births which nearly always results in death in infancy.

Chizky however, despite his significant handicap and weak limbs, survived his early childhood and transferred to a regular school, even skipping a grade due to his sharp acumen. Recently Chizky established a relationship with the famed Yanuka, Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Beeri, a young man with an incredible knowledge of the entire Torah. Rabbi Beeri, who gives packed shiurim in his Jerusalem Beis Midrash, specially came to the Bar Mitzva ceremony and greeted Chizky warmly, dancing with him to the music. The Bar Mitzvah boy said the Nishmas prayer celebrating his miraculous survival and described how the “doctors didn’t give any hope at all” of his surviving but Hashem decreed otherwise.

Chizky said that for 13 years he had seen “the Hand of Hashem” daily. “The doctors spoke of days, maximum weeks….but I see every day how Hashem has organized my life, when you see the puzzle from above you understand how Hashem has done so much kindness for me beyond natural means. All the doctors who didn’t give me a chance can now see that there is a Boss in the world.”

After Sukkos another celebration took place for all of Chizky’s many friends and admirers in Kiryat Sefer. Chizky spoke inspirationally there as well, stating that he had broken his left arm on Hoshana Rabba but was happy that it wasn’t his right arm [he is left-handed] as he wanted to put on Tefillin as soon as he was obligated.

Chizky with Shas leader Aryeh Deri

תיעוד מרטיט: הנער המיוחד חזקי טורנהיים שמרגש את העולם אומר 'נשמת כל חי' בבר המצווה שלו, כשברקע מלווים אותו מקהלת מלכות בניצוחו של ר' פנחס ביכלר, והזמרים מנדי וייס ויואלי דוידוביץ pic.twitter.com/yVVH0uxo4A

— נתי קאליש (@natikalish) October 23, 2022

Chizky saying Nishmas