Shlomo Katz, Yosef Karduner, Chaim Dovid, Moshe Storch, Yaakov Shwekey, Avraham Fried, Benny Friedman, Shloime Dachs, Shlomo Gaisin (Zusha), Joey Newcomb, Aryeh Kuntsler, Joshua Jay (Maccabeats), Gad Elbaz, Michoel Pruzansky, Yoni Z, Mordechai Shapiro, and Meir Kay have all put their hearts and songs into sending birthday wishes and blessings for Maayan’s bat mitzvah!
Why are all the superstars wishing mazal tov and blessings for Mayaan’s bat mitzvah? Is it because she is medically fragile and a lichtige angel at the same time? Is it due to her ability to inspire thousands through her mother’s intuition of her daughter’s thoughts and emotions?
Is it due to Devorah Hadassah’s (her mother) indomitable faith and reserves of magnetic sharing of emunah lessons, depth of challenge, simcha, pain, and triumph? Perhaps it’s the mitzvos that Maayan inspires people to do.
Is this a bat mitzvah of holy simcha or a poignant celebration of a milestone that doctors would not believe? Of course, it’s all of the above.
Maayan, now a 12-year-old bat mitzvah young lady, was diagnosed with Batten’s disease, a rare degenerative nerve disease, when she was only three years old.
Since then, her precarious health has progressively become extremely compromised. This once completely vibrant, smiling, bubbly, healthy sunshine of a child slowly stopped walking, talking, swallowing, and seeing, and has developed severe lung disease, now attached to machines to breathe.
How did that affect her mother and the rest of the family? How did that literally affect women (and some husbands), teens, and children around the globe?
Devorah Hadassah is at the helm of at least two WhatsApp groups that I know of. Mom seems to inspire people wherever she goes, though she gives the credit to her daughter Maayan with whom her attachment at the heart is as strong as physically inseparable twins.
Life-saving inspiration and hope have been attested to by grown women who belong to Emunah Upgrades. Also, a troubled teenaged daughter garnered purpose and direction from the influence of Maayan, which literally saved her life.
Kindergartners have likewise been impassioned to act:
“My five-year-old and four-year old — on their own accord, both chose to have Maayan bas Devorah Hadassah in mind during Asher Yatzar, and the Shema, respectively,” relates one mother.
Recently, young ladies formed an amazing chain of chesed for Maayan’s bat mitzvah. It began with the bat mitzvah girls of Yad Binyamin (led by Candy Engel from the chat), then the teenaged girls of Chofetz Chaim, and finally Leora, the older sister of Maayan. Each group in their own way carried out a beautifully organized, lively clothing drive to raise money for Maayan’s bat mitzvah.
The caterer too, dished out her services at her cost, in catering, decorating, and food supply—as a thank you to Hashem for the healthy birth of her twins!
The first, intimate (due to coronavirus) family bat mitzvah occurred on chof beis Tammuz. The second larger celebration is for Am Yisrael so the Liebermanns can say “thank you” to everyone, who every single day do kindnesses inspired by or on behalf of Maayan!
It is a dream come true to have Shlomo Katz and Yosef Karduner play live at the second celebration for Am Yisrael and Maayan’s bat mitzvah! These superstars of the music world need no introduction. For Maayan and her family, they have literally been life savers. Many a night when Maayan was unable to sleep due to great pain or complications, the soothing music of Katz and Karduner changed the light on Maayan’s face to one of calm and hope. It is a blessing to have them join us, and share their blessings with Maayan and Klal Yisrael!
Major superstars from across the globe were moved to share their music and blessings, inspired by one little girl and her persevering and determined mother.
Incredible musician and performer Moshe Storch put together a concert-quality acapella concert and sent the beautiful recording to the Liebermanns’ intimate party, held during the Three Weeks. What a warm and high-spirited performance!
Here are some memorable quotes from the superstars:
Shlomo Katz: “Please G-d, you should feel sooo close to your best friend, Abba b’Shamayim and continue to bring so much simcha to everyone who comes in contact with you. B’ahava rabah.”
Yosef Karduner: “May Hakadosh Baruch Hu continue to give you…a complete and quick recovery, and all the sick people in Israel…be strong and hold on and do not give up of Hashem’s mercy. With blessing, b’ezrat Hashem…”
Joey Newcomb: “Heilige Maayan, I want to wish you the most amazing, heilige bat mitzvah in the world. Keep smiling, keep strong, keep dancing, that’s the key. Thank Hashem for everything…”
Moshe Storch: “My berachah to you is that you realize the power that you have in this world is so beyond—and just daven like you always do to inspire people like you are doing…and I’m convinced that any moment Moshiach is dropping by…”
Shlomo Gaisin (Zusha): “…The Lubavitcher Rebbe says that the day one is born is the day Hashem decided the world cannot continue without you…Hashem is charging you to bring a special light to the world that didn’t exist before you, and won’t exist after you…”
Yoni Z: “…Sending you much, much love and very soon will be a refuah sheleimah where we can sing and dance with the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim.”
Chaim Dovid: “…May the Almighty yitbarach send unlimited berachah on your beautiful little girl, and may this turn to the yeshuah ha’shleimah l’kol Knesset Yisrael. My love and berachah.”
Josh Jay (Maccabeats): “The Maccabeats wish you a huge mazal tov…We are so proud of you…We’ve heard a lot about your story…how inspirational so many people have found you…keep it up…and maybe we’ll even meet you one day!”
Maayan’s pain has increased greatly as of late, and a recent fundraiser finally enabled the Liebermanns to afford a night nurse. These crucial funds have 1 gallon left in the gas tank, and friends of the Liebermanns have asked Am Yisrael to pour out their generous hearts and donate a bat mitzvah gift for Maayan so she can keep her critical night-care nurse.
Below is a transcribed voice note from Devorah Hadassah, recorded on January 3, 2020, thanking a group of ladies for their help:
“I would be remiss to not take a moment and just say, I love you guys. I’m so thankful for all your help. I can almost start crying right now when I think what each of you did with all your heart to help Maayan be safe. (Begins to cry.) Maayan is in a very delicate way…so many things hurt. (She whispers) There’s nothing we can do. Even X-rays don’t even help anymore. (sniffle) All they do is tell you to rest. She just cries from the pain. Anyway, it’s just hard for me to see that. You all have a giant zechus in Shamayim because you’ll never know ‘til you get to Shamayim what a precious soul Maayan is. Even I don’t fully grasp…it’s so hard to see her not have better care at night (tears begin to flow more freely). Though I have to share her with caretakers, then, I miss her terribly. But I have to be there for my family (more tears)—it’s hard. Whenever I get time with her I just melt when I embrace her, to be around a glowing light. It’s very bittersweet for me to share a night shift. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t need caretakers, and it would just be my family.”
A perfect world is not an option for Devorah Hadassah, and as miraculous as her reserves of strength are, she needs to be able to sleep too. And to be there for her other four children and husband, bli ayin ha’ra.
It is completely in-character for Devorah Hadassah to be giving a bat mitzvah gift to the world, during her daughter’s bat mitzvah. The Liebermanns are giving the Unconditional Love Project to Am Yisrael. It is a project of inspiration and tools to help connect Am Yisrael (and truly the whole world) with ahavas chinam and healing, first and foremost within one’s circle of loved ones. It teaches us to direct our egos to yearn and build greater vessels that can hold and reflect the light of Av HaRachamon, our Creator. You will learn to be mindful about a person in your life with whom it is difficult to get along, and with whom you may be seeking a repaired connection.
Please visit wellspringsofmaayan.com to see how you can donate for Maayan’s life and death medical care in honor of her bat mitzvah — a critical matter to ease her suffering! For more information, to send a bat mitzvah wish, and to see the recorded concert and other special videos, and more, please visit wellspringsofmaayan.com or kavconnect.com/unconditionalloveproject. Please join the special roster of superstars in wishing Maayan a mazel tov on her bat mitzvah. To donate, visit thechesedfund.com/maayan.
If you would like more information about this topic, please call Devorah Hadassah Liebermann. From the U.S. call on WhatApp 011-972-58-687-7124. From Israel call 058-687-7124 or 058-687-7123 or email yochanonbetzalel@gmail.com.
