The shloshim was recently marked of Gideon Yair Prizat, a secular Israeli who returned to Torah observance after having a near-death experience while mistakenly locked for nineteen hours in a fishing ship’s freezer. He passed away at the age of 64.
He spent the past few years in Tzefas, where he composed niggunim and spent hours every day distributing free towels to people using the Arizal‘s mikvah.
Prizat related of his freezing experience that a pin holding the freezer’s lock open fell out, resulting in his entrapment. At first the 35 degrees minus cold was agonizing. Then he fell into a stupor and had a near death experience where his life passed before him and he saw a Divine light. Asked whether he wanted to return, Prizat decided that he wanted to return to earth in order marry and establish a family. Realizing that Someone must have watched over him during the harrowing experience, Prizat did teshuvah.
“A month and a half ago, Gideon had a car accident,” an acquaintance related. “He was miraculously saved once again and came to give thanks at the mikvah of the Arizal, where he used to hand out towels free of charge to visitors who came to immerse.”
Sadly, his reprieve was short lived and visitors to the Arizal mikvah are no longer greeted with his gentle smile.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{David Steger – Matzav.com Israel}
A man who went to the Ari’s Mikveh, the first Mikveh he had gone to ever,
as an adult because he was told that someone who goes to the Ari’s Mikveh will
not leave this world without doing Teshuvah. This man progressed to an amazing
level of Teshuvah