Chilling Divine Providence: Twins Born with Names and Dates of Murdered Sons

Get ready, you are about to hear one of the most spine-chilling stories currently shaking the foundations of the Orthodox community. Fully published in the Shabbat Shalom bulletin of Chabad Youth, this story recounts the life of Baruch Borovsky, 72, from Modi’in, the father of Avitar Borovsky z"l, who was murdered at the bus station at Tapuach Junction about five years ago, when a terrorist stabbed him and threw him into a nearby ditch.

The family once lived in Kfar Chasdima, where they formed a deep and courageous bond with another family, the Yaakov family, who also lost their son, Avihu z"l, in a terror attack in Nablus about 16 years ago. The providential encounter occurred during a summer vacation about four years ago, when the Borovsky family went out to eat at a restaurant. “Upon entering, my wife said she wanted to sit in one place, I suggested another, and our granddaughter proposed that we sit near the entrance,” recalls Baruch.

In the end, the grandparents decided to fulfill their granddaughter’s request. They sat in the spot she suggested and began browsing the menus, when suddenly they noticed two women entering the restaurant, one of them pushing a twin stroller. “We had to move a bit to make room for the twin stroller, and I blurted out, ‘They’re so cute. What are their names?’ When the mother said their names were Avitar and Avihu, we froze. A moment later, we asked, ‘Why did you choose those names?’ and the mother replied that they were looking for names of righteous people.”

The Same Names, the Same Dates

At that point, Chaya, his wife, joined the conversation and told the two women about Avitar and his great righteousness, how he had gone that very day to immerse in the mikveh, and generally about his pure ways. “We also told them about Avihu, the son of the Yaakov family, who is buried in the cemetery behind our son,” Baruch recalls.

Then came another unexpected surprise that left Chaya and Baruch in shock. When they innocently asked when the twins were born, they were told the very same dates on which the two sons had fallen. “Avitar was born on the 20th of Iyar, exactly on our son Avitar’s anniversary, and Avihu was born after sunset on the 21st of Iyar, the day Avihu Yaakov fell. We were stunned. We didn’t know how to react in the face of such incomprehensible Divine providence,” Baruch concludes, with a realization that did not come easily.

According to him, the story disturbed his thoughts and peace of mind from the moment it happened, until an important rabbi told him, “In what is concealed from you, do not inquire,” and calmed him. “After hearing this,” Baruch says, “I stopped delving into it. Apparently, the Creator wanted to show us that there is a candle of life in memory of the sons.”