Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A Father's Intervention

Rabbi Chaim Swissa was the personal attendant of Rav Mordechai Eliyahu ztz"l. He related the following story:

There was a certain Jew who was a yarei shomayim and didn't have children for many years. He loved his wife but after 10 years he decided to divorce her. The very week he was supposed to give the get his father passed away. There was nobody else to do the tahara for the niftar so Rav Eliyahu rolled up his sleeves and did it himself. The Rav then took a piece of paper and put it under the head of the dead man. He then said "When you go up to the heavenly court, make sure that your son has children." The Rav went outside and told the son "Don't get divorced - within a year you will have children."

Then the Rav said to the man who did the tahara with him that he is not allowed to tell the story until after his [Rav Eliyahu's] passing. Within a year, he had a child. Then every year for a few years running a new baby. After the shiva for Rav Eliyahu the man who was with Rav Eliyahu doing the tahara told the story.

זכות הצדיקים יעזור ויגן ויושיע