Rav Neiman comes to Rav Kanievsky asking for a bracha to be successful in a lawsuit that has been filed against him.
Neiman owns a field, and as a frum Jew he keeps shmitta and has turned his field over to a beis din (specifically the beis din of Rav Nissim Karelitz) to work the field through the Otzar Beis Din system.
14 years ago, 2 shmittas back, they had a non-Jew working in the warehouse. This goy fell and broke his legs. The goy sued him now, many years later, in court and won, though the judge recommended they come to an agreement as to the amount necessary to be paid. Neiman says that his lawyer recommended to offer an amount of money that would be acceptable, but Neiman says that his response was that he has no money and is not at fault for anything.
I think Neiman means he did not do anything to cause the non-Jew to fall and break his legs. The law is generally that the owner of the property where the injury happened is responsible, so he was found guilty, but believes he is not at fault because the goy fell on his property but not because the owner caused it or was negligent.
Anyways, Rav Kanievsky heard the story and said I can lend to you a pruta - a small amount of money.
They responded that the problem is he is being sued but is not actually at fault. They did not come asking for money but for a blessing that they should be successful and not have to pay.
Rav Kanievsky again took out the coin and said offer them this and it will be enough. Tell them that even this you had to borrow as you have no money. And he gave him a bracha to succeed.
Two months later they returned to inform Rav Kanievsky that he did not have to pay anything. It turned out the insurance company paid off the injured man, a small amount, because of the bracha of the rav, and he brought Rav Kanievsky the shekel back to return the loan..
Funnily enough, Rav Neiman asked Rav Kanievsky to allow him to keep the shekel as a gift for a bracha of success, and Rav Kanievsky agreed.
thoughts:
1. I guess Rav Kanievsky will now become the next edition of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, as he is giving out shekels for success and bracha.
2. if the field was turned over to the beis din for the year, why did Neiman have to pay anything, and why was he the defendant in the court case? The beis din was the owner of the field when the injury happened, and the lawsuit should have been against the beis din.
3. Where was the insurance company when the original lawsuit happened and Rav Neiman came for a bracha thinking he'd have to pay? If he held insurance, which it seems he did, why were they not involved from the start? Why did they only appear after Rav Kanievsky's bracha?
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I have heard a Rabbi refer to Rav Kanievsky as the biggest Chasdishe Rebbe of our generation. His legacy of giving out brachot and attributed miracles has not historically been found in the Litvish world.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fairly straighforward case of an insurance company not wanting to pay out. They're in the business of not paying what they can avoid. I'm pretty confident that an insurance company did not pay unless they were truly obliged to do so. If the guy (or the beit din?) had insurance, and the company payed out, then there's no miracle. This is the part where I ask my self, 'why am I even reading this story?'
ReplyDeleteRav kanievski is actually of chassidish background. When his aunt married the chazon ish, politics changed.
ReplyDeleteThere is a connection with the hornisteipler rebbe of milwaukee, but i guess its not politically correct to be connected to a: an american b: not from new york c: who associates with non charedim, and d: whose family attends universities.
His aunt didn't marry the Chazon Ish - his father married the Chazon Ish's sister.
DeleteReb Chaim's grandfather's rebbe was the Hornisteipler rebbe - there is, AFAIK, no family connection.
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