Welcome to the Daily Holy Story. One day, a father and son came to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. The son’s face was half-stricken by a stroke. It was very embarrassing and unpleasant. After two weeks of trying to get doctors to treat him, nothing helped, so the father and son decided to go to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky. Rabbi Chaim looked at the boy and asked him, “Are you willing to grow a beard?” The boy didn’t answer right away. It was hard for him to decide to grow a beard. But after hesitating, he said, “Yes, I will grow a beard.” Rabbi Chaim said, “Okay, good. Now you will be cured.” As they left the rabbi and went down the steps, the father told us, the young boy started to feel sensation in his face, the part that had been stricken with a stroke. After a short while, the father and son went to one of the father’s friends, and they drank coffee. When they left the friend’s house, after about 20 minutes, the boy’s face was totally healthy, without any sign of having been stricken with a stroke.
After a while, the story was told to Rabbi Chaim’s grandson, Rabbi Mordechai Tzivyon. He turned to his grandfather and asked him, “My dear grandfather, what’s the connection between a beard and being cured from a stroke? Why did you tell him to grow a beard?” Rabbi Chaim answered, “You don’t know. The beard is considered the glory of a person. The glory of the boy was stricken with a stroke. He grew a beard, and the glory of his face returned, and he was cured of the stroke that he had on his face.”
In another story, Dr. Hurt said that his friend, who was a doctor, had a couple who were not keeping the Torah and the mitzvot (commandments), and they wanted to have children. They weren’t having children. One day, the doctor told the husband, “In the meantime, we don’t see that you’re having children, no matter how much we’re trying, no matter how much we try to treat you.” He told him, “In Bnei Brak, there is a Jew who gives blessings, and a lot of times it helps. It’s worth it to go to him.” So the husband said, “You’ll see how I look. I can’t go to a rabbi.” The doctor said to him, “I will go with you to the rabbi in Bnei Brak.” “If you go with me, I’ll go,” said the husband.
So the doctor and the husband went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, and the doctor told him, “There’s a man here who’s been married for quite a few years with no children.” Rav Chaim raised his pure eyes toward the man and saw that he had long hair with a ponytail. Rav Chaim said, “I don’t know.” Then Rav Chaim told him, “Two women married to each other—that doesn’t work. He has long hair like a lady. How could two women have a baby? Cut your hair, and you will be salvaged.” The rabbi told him, “But Rav Chaim, it’s Sefirat HaOmer (counting of the Omer) now. How can he take a haircut?” “Okay,” said Rav Chaim. “Lag BaOmer (33rd day of the Omer). Lag BaOmer.” The husband said he took a haircut, and after a short while, he was able to have children.
What’s the connection between a haircut and having a child? HaKadosh Baruch Hu (The Holy One, Blessed be He) sometimes does miracles through the tzaddikim (righteous people), and sometimes the person has to make an effort to be worthy of a miracle. But the real secret behind the miracles is the tefillah, the prayer that the tzaddikim pray for the people who need miracles. That has the strength to change nature and make blessings and success for the person who’s asking for it. Thank you for listening, and have a wonderful, wonderful day.