Grasshopper Nissim With Rav Chaim Kanievsky

11
>>Follow Matzav On Whatsapp!<<

rav-chaim-kanievskyThe megillah is filled with hidden miracles – and with so many hidden lessons.  One of those lessons can be seen in the following story related by a rabbi from Brooklyn, who heard it directly from Rebbetzin Kanievsky, when he was in Bnei Brak about a month ago. 

Approximately eight years ago, Harav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a, was learning Maseches Chullin and a sugyah relating to chagovim, grasshoppers.  Rav Chaim realized that he needed to see a grasshopper to better understand the Gemara – apparently he had never seen a live grasshopper before – and asked his daughter to bring him one. She tried, but reported to her father that she failed to find one. He went back to the sugyah, and lo and behold, a grasshopper came hopping through the window, landing on his Gemara. After examining it, he let it go. As he continued through the sugyah, he realized that he needed to study the hind legs a bit more, but the grasshopper was long gone. Before closing his Gemara, a second grasshopper hopped in and on to his Gemara, giving him the ability to study its hind leg in detail.

That part of the story is rather famous. But the story continues. 

Two months ago, a rov giving a shiur in Bnei Brak criticized the tales people tell about gedolim, explaining that the stories cannot all be true, and sound silly. As a case in point, he brought the maaseh of Rav Chaim and the grasshoppers, viewing it as ridiculous and leading people to the wrong conclusions regarding Rav Chaim, who, after all, learns Torah like everyone else. After the shiur, the maggid shiur went home and found his house infested with grasshoppers (in the same Bnei Brak that Rav Kanievsky’s daughter – seeking to fulfill the mitzvah of kibbud av – could not find one). He tried for three days to rid his home of the insects, but could not.  Someone suggested that he go to Rav Chaim and ask for mechilah

The rov approached Rav Chaim and told him what had happened. Rav Chaim laughed, saying that he did not need his mechilah at all, as the grasshoppers could have come to anybody (after all, the window was open!), and he was certainly mochel him if he needed it. The maggid went home – and the grasshoppers were gone!

As we review and study the megillah, we must remember who Mordechai and Esther really were – not players in a story, but gedolei Yisroel whose very thoughts, words and actions were entirely imbued and thoroughly saturated with mesirus nefesh for kavod Shomayim and Klal Yisroel. Their lives were not their own, they lived for a higher purpose. 

Look at the last seven words of the megillah (Esther 10:3): “Doresh tov leamo vedover shalom lechol zaroh. ” They are there not only for the sake of a nice ending; they leave us with a final, parting message after all is said and done. This is a lesson for all of us at all times. Our gedolim are just not “ordinary” people. We must view them with the tremendous awe and respect they deserve; we must seek their advice and counsel and we must follow what they say. Imagine what would have happened to our people without only two people – Mordechai and Esther – and look at what happened as a result of them.

Let us look at our gedolim as the Mordechais and Esthers of our generation, following their directives and teachings with reverence and joy, and may we, too, be zoche to nissim as they were in those times.

{Hakhel Bulletin/Elisha Ferber-Matzav.com Newscenter}


11 COMMENTS

  1. It is extremely dangerous to be influenced by these kind of Mofsim. Klal Yisroel’s belief is not based on the Mofsim which Moshe did in Mitzraim and the Midbor. The Rambam writes that it is based only on Matan Torah. We are not influenced by the mofsem which happened at the golden calf or by Titus when he stabbed the Poroches. Nor do we care that Pharoh’s servants turned a stick into a living snake.
    The fact is that all religions have many of these grasshoppers kind of mofsim, and so what.

  2. How can the magid shuir spend 3 days trying to rid his home of grasshoppers before going to R’ Chaim!? How much more obvious of a sign can there be?

  3. It’s amazing that anybody would believe this stupidity. I want names numbers and addresses of who this happened to, who spoke about it in Brooklyn, and the witnesses who heard R’ Chaim Kanievsky say this. So many stupid people and so little time. I bet this guy is kicking himself for not making fun of the story of Dmaa Ben Nesina and his kibud av, a whole lot of money. I wonder if R’ Chaim Kanievsky’s house then became full of grasshoppers b/c he laughed at somebody making fun of him, he was pogem his own kavod. Maybe he’s up to Eilu Treifos again. What a sad matzav klal yisroel is in.

  4. dear all previous comments you seam to be missing the boat we are not making any belief based on these miracles ,were just talking about a tzadik, someone that doesn’t waste a second of the day (60 minutes per hour 60 seconds per minute)sits and learns torah the entire day a miracle that happened with him brings out that when some is determined and is amal(toiling)in torah he has seatah dishmaya to figure out and acomplish whats needed but the point that these are not r’ chaims magic this is koach hatorah.

  5. To Ah poshiter yid:
    What are you saying?!
    You are totally dilusional! You think the world revolves around you! Wake up!

  6. To Amazing,

    You are very angry.

    I think you need to deal with the anger, and not worry about “the sad Matzav”.

    Mofsim will continue to happen when Hashem wills it, and some will continue to dismiss them.

    So don’t worry about it; just deal with your anger issue, and if you have a little extra time, you can work on refinement of language.

  7. I myself heard the above story from rav Chaim Kreiswirth zt”l as he retold the story to rav sekula shlita in torah vodaas.He was in the midst of writing his sefer on chagovim he added that he himself asked rav chaim if the story is true and he said yes and its not a big deal that by the gaon a similiar incident happenned, ad can shomati

  8. I enjoyed the above article. It really got the point accross. Too bad some of you had to ruin it by writing negative comments.
    If you guys have trouble believing that Hashem performs miracles for gedolim, and all of us regular folks too, on a daily basis then you have serious emunah/bitachon problems. I suggest you stop wasting your time on the internet writing silly comments and spend more time learning Torah. If you can’t tear yourselves away from the net for more than a few seconds, then you should take a good look at Ashrei. Just read the pasuk that starts “ratzon yereiav yaaseh” and you’ll understand that these so called bubba maases (your opinion, not mine) actually due occur.
    By the way, if you still have trouble accepting the fact that mofsim due occur, think about Sully Sullenberger and all the people that were saved when the plane landed on the Hudson. If Hashem can perform miracles for goyim, He certainly can perform miracles for gedolim and all of klal Yisrael.

  9. Wow you people are something. Of course Nisim happen. But a house full of grasshoppers, please no one with half a brain would believe that. This isn’t Yetzias Mitzraeim. And the fact that Nisim happen to Gedolim and to evryone, of course, but such obvious displays and everyone knowing about it,pleeaaaaaaaaaaaassssse. ANd the bottom line, so what? I know there’s Hashem and I know that our existence and this whole world’s existence is only kept alive every second b/c it’s his ratzon. This story does nothing for me, changes absolutely nothing in my emunah or bitachon or anything. It’s only for the sad and the weary and the distant disbelievers who need stories like these to change and strengthen their pure weaknesses. It’s sad but like the televangelists and the yashka freaks many frum people’s belief in Hashem and Gedolim is tenous and heading down the same path. It’s sad. You know what makes R’ Chaim great, is the fact he’s a Gaon and has hasmada she’in comohu. That’s it. Not some buba myseh that may or may not have happened. The story changes nothing, means nothing is therefore irrelevant and pointless and it’s so sad that this actually means something to someone. There’s nothing real or substantive here. Like the Rebbe’s magic shofar which saved people in the Holocaust and the magic suit which transformed- insert gadol’s name here- at his Bar Mitzvah to become a Tzadik, these stories continue degrade and insult true belief in Hashem and our Tzadikim as well. Yidishkeit is real not hocus pocus. Hashem gets involved in the Teva openly, only when really necessary and it’s considered a bad thing that such involvment is needed. As R’ Chaim Volohzin said about the story in Shabbos of the man who lost his wife and a special miracle happened that he was able to nurse his kid. That’s why says R’ Chaim it doesn’t mention the man’s name, it wasn’t a good thing it was a bad thing there had to be a shinui in teva. Hashem can do whatever he wants whenever he wants. And tzadik gozer and hakadosh boruch hu mekiam. But who wants that? Do we want to use up our zechusim in this world for such matters when we can use them for nitzchiyos in the next world. It’s all b’dieved. So sad R’ Noach Weinberg died. A man with a brain and willing to use it. So rare these days. I can assure you he would be saying the same thing. Oh yeah btw- the Sbarro-9/11 story is a buba mayseh too. P.S. my language is pure like the gemara I learn, but one needs to confront stupidity with force to jolt people out of the stupidity. Please. please, please, don’t use stories to believe in Hashem, as mentioned b/f the Rambam says you shouldn’t.

  10. TO AMAZING:

    You need to take a chill pill. Wake up!!! You obviously need to work on your Emunah. If you cannot believe in Nissim, then how can you learn Torah and daven with kavanah without emunah?

    Miracles are messages from Hashem. To remind us that only He runs the world.

Leave a Reply to belmarmom Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here