IDF Rabbi’s Shoulder Injury Leads to Life-Saving Discovery of Hidden Abdominal Mass

Rabbi Moshe Visbaker, a respected educator and author from Tiberias, shared a remarkable personal story that has resonated widely in the Torah world. Several weeks ago, while supervising a school trip at a water park, Rabbi Visbaker was involved in a serious accident on a water slide. After being struck by another tube and suffering a clavicle fracture, he was rushed to Poriya Hospital for emergency care. Initial CT scans revealed the fracture but also showed an unexpected abdominal mass requiring urgent surgery.

Doctors were uncertain if the mass was malignant or benign, recommending intestinal surgery to remove it. Facing a month of anxiety and sleepless nights, Rabbi Visbaker’s family consulted Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, a senior member of the Council of Torah Sages. Rabbi Zilberstein decisively instructed them to proceed with surgery even if it fell on the fast of Tisha B’Av, a solemn Jewish day.

During the operation, which was expected to last several hours, the surgeons found no tumor. Instead, they discovered a surgical gauze left inside Rabbi Visbaker’s abdomen from an operation nine years prior, now encased in protective tissue. The gauze had recently become infected, mimicking a tumor on scans. The infection could have become life-threatening if undetected. Rabbi Visbaker credits the accident and the guidance of Rabbi Zilberstein for saving his life, emphasizing the power of prayers and blessings from Torah leaders.

This extraordinary account was shared on the "Shiach Yitzchak" line, where listeners hear firsthand Torah insights and personal stories from leading rabbis. Rabbi Visbaker’s story highlights faith, divine providence, and the impact of spiritual leadership in moments of crisis.