There are many stories testifying to the gadlus of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita, stories heard from the countless number of people that visited his home seeking his wisdom and instruction.
A family in which one of the sisters developed a serious medical condition had to face a kidney transplant once it became clear the dialysis was not a viable long term option. The parents decided to look for a donor for a transplant. Four of the brothers were determined to be suitable donors. The potential donors agreed they would visit Rav Kanievsky and draw straws to determine which one of them would donate a kidney. The youngest brother became too frightened of surgery and told the others that he cannot give a kidney, but agreed to accompany them to Rav Chaim.
On 18 Kislev they visit took place and they drew straw to determine who will donate a kidney, falling on the youngest brother, the same one who stated he is too scared to go through with it.
Those present were certain Rav Chaim would instruct them to draw again, between the brothers who were not afraid. However, Rav Chaim told the youngest brother than since the lot fell on him, he must donate the kidney to his sister. “You will not lose from this but you will have good health” Rav Chaim told him. As the young man tried to tell Rav Chaim he is scared he was interrupted and Rav Chaim told him he must go through with it and that he will have good health.
The transplant procedure began on 22 Kislev in Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv. The young brother was in one room and the recipient, his sister, in an adjoining operating room.
After the doctors removed the healthy kidney from the young brother they were astounded to find a growth, albeit a small malignant one that was not detectable because it was under the kidney growing towards the pancreas. Doctors told the family that they never would have detected it without the transplant surgery.
They doctors told the mother that by the time the growth would have been detectable it would have been too late. As a result, the kidney was not usable and this week the brothers returned to draw straws again at the home of Rav Chaim, seeking to determine who will merit giving a kidney.
Once again it is seen that listening to the words of this Gadol Hador not only saved the life of the sister, who required a kidney, but the younger brother who had no idea that trying to donate the organ would save his life.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Awesome!
Omg!! The power of a Tsaddik
Yetzaram bidaas bivina ubhaskel.
We learn from this story that when one listens to the words of a Gadol – even if they don’t seem to make sense – he ends up doing the greatest thing for himself. על אחת כמה ומכה, when they tell us not to transgress or violate something in the Torah (I.e. like going on הר הבית), they are just emissaries of G-d delivering over His words to His subjects.
It would be in place to have the names of the two children (and of those poor parents that have to go through this with two of their kids).
Kidney transplants are not just done on the fly. There are months of tests and preparations beforehand.
vashti_schwartz
Tell me, what exactly are you trying to say???? Your comment seems to be questioning the story, trying to take away from the inspiration most normal people have when reading such an amazing story. Some people have such poor emunah, it’s sad. As for your silly comment; who says there wasn’t extensive testing done? The Dr’s said it would never have been detected until it was too late.