It is well known that when people visited R’ Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, to receive a berachah or ask a shailah, he would often tell them to either cut their hair short or grow their beard. He also instructed people to wear their payos out, rather than tucked behind their ears.
He was once asked by his son-in-law, R’ Mordechai Tzivyon, why he told a person with facial ailments to grow a beard. R’ Chaim responded, “A beard is a person’s Hadras Panim (glory of the face). If one grows his beard, he possesses a true Hadras Panim. The issues affecting his countenance will be healed when he grows a beard.”
On another occasion, a religious infertility doctor was treating a non-religious couple. They had been married for quite some time without children and were becoming quite depressed. During one of their visits, the doctor said to them, “I am afraid our treatments are not helping. I do not know what else to do medically, but if you are interested, there is a great tzadik who lives in Bnei Brak. Perhaps if you went to him for a brachah, he could help you in a miraculous way.”
The husband was doubtful. He had never visited a Rabbi before and did not believe in such things. “Look, you can go see him, but with the way I look—do you think he’d even agree to see me?” The doctor assured him that R’ Chaim saw all types of people and offered to escort him personally. Reassured, the man agreed.
The doctor accompanied the man to Bnei Brak a few days later and managed to secure an audience. As they entered the room, the doctor explained to R’ Chaim that the man had been married for several years without being blessed with children and was seeking the Rav’s blessing.
R’ Chaim lifted his holy eyes and looked at the man. The first thing he noticed was the man’s large hairstyle and a ponytail hanging down the back of his neck. R’ Chaim said to the doctor in Hebrew, “Shtei nashim? Zeh lo holech” (Two women? This cannot work). R’ Chaim was a man of few words, but when he spoke, every word counted. He was suggesting that the man’s hair was feminine in appearance, asking rhetorically: How can two females give birth to a child?
“What should he do?” asked the doctor, unsure if R’ Chaim was speaking figuratively or literally.
“Cut your hair,” R’ Chaim told the man, “and you will see benefit.”
The doctor replied, “But Rebbi, it is now Sefiras HaOmer. Should he cut his hair now?”
R’ Chaim told him to wait until Lag BaOmer. The man was so moved by the Rav’s presence and powerful words that on the morning of Lag BaOmer, he cut his hair and removed his ponytail. Shortly thereafter, his situation improved, and he soon returned to report the good news that his wife was expecting.
In the sefer Lachazos B’Noam Hashem, the author shares a different story regarding an Arab cleric who held a very high opinion of himself. Every Friday, he would deliver a fiery sermon in his mosque, whipping his followers into a frenzy against the local Jews. He would concoct ridiculous prophetic visions to incite harm. When Friday prayers concluded, the Jews would barricade themselves in their homes and shops to avoid the mob.
One Friday, a Jewish man disguised himself and decided to take matters into his own hands. He waited until the cleric finished his sermon and approached him as he was leaving. “Oh, honored Sheik,” he said. “I had a vision that the prophet told me you are the most honored Sheik in the world. He said that if I could obtain just one hair from your beard, it would protect me all my life and ensure my entry into Paradise.”
Flattered, the Sheik plucked a hair from his beard and gave it to him. When the surrounding followers saw this, they too demanded a hair. The Sheik plucked a few more, but the frenzied mob could not wait. They pounced on the hapless cleric, pulling and ripping every last hair from his face. He was left mutilated and beardless for the rest of his life.
Rabbi Dovid Hoffman is the author of the popular “Torah Tavlin” book series, filled with stories, wit and hundreds of divrei Torah, including the brand new “Torah Tavlin Yamim Noraim” in stores everywhere. You’ll love this popular series. Also look for his book, “Heroes of Spirit,” containing one hundred fascinating stories on the Holocaust. They are fantastic gifts, available in all Judaica bookstores and online at http://israelbookshoppublications.com. To receive Rabbi Hoffman’s weekly “Torah Tavlin” sheet on the parsha, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
