Shatnez as a Segulah to Have Children: Two Stories

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shatnez-12Shortly after Sukkos three years ago, a yungerman came into the Lakewood Shatnez Laboratory, excitedly announcing that he had to share his story. He had a brother in Eretz Yisroel who had not had children in four years. A friend of his urged him to go to Uman for Rosh Hashanah. He didn’t really want to go, but his friend pushed and insisted until he could not refuse.

Shortly after arriving in Uman, he found his way to the shul. He entered, went up to the bimah to wait for the next minyan to begin, and noticed a pamphlet. The first thing he read in the pamphlet was a story

about a person who hadn’t had children for many years. The person in the story found out that he was wearing shatnez, took care of the problem, and a year later had a baby.

[The pamphlet was brought to Uman by R’ Eliezer Assoulin, a shatnez tester from Har Nof. He distributed thousands of these pamphlets around the city for everyone to read.]

When this yungerman arrived back in Eretz Yisroel, he reviewed all that had transpired during the trip to Uman. It was remarkable that the first thing he saw was the shatnez pamphlet with its story. “Maybe I should test all my clothing for Shatnez?” he thought to himself.

After a trip to the Bnei Brak Shatnez Laboratory, three of the suits he’d been wearing were found to contain shatnez. One was purchased in America at Syms department store. An American relative of his had told him that anything bought in Syms doesn’t need to be checked for shatnez.

Another suit was purchased in Tel Aviv. The Jewish storeowner told him that it was shatnez-free.

The third suit was bought at a haimishe store in Bnei Brak and the Jewish storeowner had also guaranteed him that it was free of Sshatnez.

The following summer, the yungerman had twin boys.

In a separate story, about one and a half years ago, a man paid his first visit to the Shatnez Center in Lakewood. Rabbi Yosef Sayagh took some extra time to explain to him details about the process, and showed him that indeed his suit, tailor-made in the Orient, did contain shatnez. He was very surprised, and when Rabbi Sayagh asked him why, he told him that he had bought suits in the same place very often, had them inspected for shatnez and never encountered shatnez before.

Rabbi Sayagh asked him who had tested the suits for him until now, and he told Rabbi Sayagh the name of someone who rabbonim had discovered was not testing properly. The rabbonim had put out a recall on items tested by this tester, but it seemed that this customer was unaware. Rabbi Sayagh, not wanting to tell this person about the tester’s deficiencies, instead walked him out to his car and mentioned that he would be happy to retest the clothing at no charge. The man brought back several suits which Rabbi Sayagh retested, and sure enough, they all contained shatnez. The man was shocked.

More than a year later, a lady came to the Shatnez Center and asked to speak to Rabbi Sayagh. She introduced herself as the wife of the above customer and told Rabbi Sayagh the following.

“At the time that you met my husband a year ago, you were surely unaware that we had been married for several years without any children. Shortly after you removed the shatnez from all the suits, the good news arrived and within a year we had a baby boy.”

She had just recently read how if someone davens while wearing shatnez, their tefillos are not accepted. She right away made the connection… and quickly came to thank Rabbi Sayagh.

{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter}


6 COMMENTS

  1. I get chills reading this article. I also remember when I was freshly married and my husband bought a suit from a store in Boro Park. The owner told my husband all the suits in the store were shatnez free. He wore that suit for Rosh Hashanna!!!! When we lived in eretz yisroal for a period of time he traveled to US for work. I went and took the suit for shatnez testing and it was SHATNEZ!!!!! We should learn from this that the storeowners quite frequently have a conflict of interest. Just as one wouldn’t go to eat out in where the owner claims everything is glatt kosher, without an outside mashgiach, also in this important mitzvah dirita one shouldn’t depend on the store owner to know whether the item is shatnez free or not.

  2. hmm been careful about checking my clothing and my wife’s clothing for shatnez and we still have not been blessed with children after being married for many years, maybe I should try a different place to check.

  3. Without dissuading anyone from checking for Shatnez, I think it’s time that we stopped turning the Torah and Yiddishkeit into Shamanism. We do the mitzvos because hashem told us to, and that’s how we earn Olam Habah. Of course we want berachos — and that’s why we follow the Torah.

    If teh person who assured this fellow that the suits were free of Shatnez was allowed to be truseted, then his not having children had nothing to do with this. Period.

    Stop cheapining Yiddishkeit!!!!

  4. The best way some one could assure himself that he is not transgressing the issur of shatnez is by appointing a shatnez house call. A proffesional shatnez checker will come down to your house, and go through every thing what is worn,layed, walked and sat on tell you what shall be checked and actually check it on your premises the number in brooklyn is 718 782 6961

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