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What does Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky Shlit"a, Call "Doing Something Good"?

The anxious tension in the house was replaced by a sense of pleasurable anticipation. Soon, in another short while, they'd be drinking l'chaim! The kallah was extremely excited and her parents even more so. The bachur to become their son-in-law was a real treasure.

After the cries of mazel tov, the emotional hugs, the tears and endless phone calls, the mother of the kallah related with tear-filled eyes: "As I was waiting for the happy developments, I made a promise that if everything went smoothly, I would do 'something good.' Hashem was being so kind to us that I felt I must do something in return.

Something GoodSomethin

They are asked to give and they come through.

If it hadn't happened in front of our very eyes, we'd never have believed it!

The last few months at Kupat Ha'ir revolved around the Purim and Pesach fundraisers, both huge projects that thousands of people depend on. Everyone is familiar with the economic situation the world over. The difficulty Jewish households experience "making Yom Tov" when kollel stipends and work salaries haven't been paid in months is no secret. Apprehension was great at Kupat Ha'ir. It isn't easy to ask people to contribute when they themselves are barely scraping by. It's hard to keep knocking on the same doors. But the even-harder situation of the families receiving support could not be ignored.

Kupat Ha'ir was between a rock and a hard place. We couldn't ask for contributions yet we couldn't not ask, either. The Gedolei Hador issued their ruling. We were to go ahead with the fundraisers and arouse the people even more than usual!

The results surpassed our wildest expectations.

Contributions came streaming in. Some were

soaked with tears; all were filled with the

purest of intentions and the essence of hearts

filled with concern for their brethren's welfare.

People managed to set aside something from

the little bit they had. Others forewent basics,

reducing their own shopping lists. Children

preferred to forgo new toys they'd been

promised in order to help those who had

nothing.

Our hearts expanded with love and admiration

for Klal Yisrael as the money was dispatched.

Many a family breathed a sigh of relief when

they were able to celebrate Pesach properly.

There were no extras but there was enough

to keep body and soul together and a spark of

joy in their eyes. And the huge sums that had

come in got used up. Used up! Not a penny was

left. How could anything be set aside in a safe

or in a bank when there were still desperate

families who hadn't received assistance?

We stand at the brink of a Shavuos fundraiser,

a 40 consecutive-days -of-prayer-at-Amukah

project and other matters. There is no

alternative. The families must eat on ordinary

weekdays as well. We can't just leave them to

starve.

It isn't easy to ask again and again but the

Gedolei Yisrael have made it clear what we

must do. Yidden are holy. They are asked to

give and they come through. May we all merit

to be on the side of the givers. It isn't easy to

find anything extra in our wallets. There is

nothing left to cut back on. But "they" have it

even harder. May we never know firsthand

just what that means.

"So tell me," she went on, smiling through her tears, "what 'something good' can I do to fulfill my promise?"

The question seemed very simple at first. After all, there are countless good deeds one can do. Suddenly, however, the matter became very complex. The promise was almost like a neder. Who was to say what constituted "something good"?

The question was presented to Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit"a. Rav Kanievsky listened attentively and then issued a clear and uinequivocal ruling:

"She should contribute to Kupat

Ha'ir! A contribution to Kupat Ha'ir

is undoubtedly 'something good' in

Hashem's eyes."

Something Goodng Good

Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky Kanievsky Shlit”aShlit”a Performs the Performs the

Segulah

Can there be anything more fitting to do on erev Shavuos than gladdening the heart of poor and humble Torah scholars? Even without the segulah, without the special sums of 91 perutos and twice the numerical equivalent of the word 'ben' – just think of the awesome power of giving tzedakah to Torah scholars just before the holiday that celebrates our acceptance of the Torah!

And the segulah… the segulah adds another dimension.

Excitement at Kupat Ha’ir reached a fever pitch as Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a, picked up the bag containing 104 coins that had been prepared at Kupat Ha’ir’s offices in advance and performed the renowned segulah. (Maran, shlit”a, added that one may definitely add to the sum of 104 without fear that this would affect the power of the segulah.)

Whom did Maran pray for quietly as he contributed the money? No one knows. He hears many, many

tales of woe. Surely he prayed for all the childless couples in Am Yisrael but maybe he added some personal prayers of his own as well. No one was privy to his private conversation with His Creator.

Those present were very moved. “This isn’t just any segulah, if Maran himself performs it,” people said to one another. We at Kupat Ha’ir felt the same way. The bag made its way to Kupat Ha’ir’s office, where it was received with great excitement.

Follow Their Follow Their ExampleExample

The Gedolei Hador perform the famous segulah of Rav Chaim The Gedolei Hador perform the famous segulah of Rav Chaim Palagi and contribute 104 coins to Kupat Ha’ir.Palagi and contribute 104 coins to Kupat Ha’ir.

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The check submitted by Rav Wosner, shlit"a, to Kupat Ha'ir

Maran Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, shlit”a:

"The 104 segulah of Rav Chaim Palagi is effective in all areas."

Follow Their Example

“Rav Chaim Palagi doesn’t need a haskamah,” someone said in an awed voice, “but there are so many segulos… so many! Something that the Gedolei Hador personally perform is undoubtedly something that it is right and proper to do!”

In the past, we presented the testimony of the Gedolei Hador that this segulah is rooted in holiness. Still, a recommendation cannot be compared to actually seeing the Gedolim perform the segulah themselves. This year, the Gedolei Hador, who spoke so eloquently in praise of the segulah in the past – will be fulfilling the segulah themselves!

Maran Hagaon Harav Maran Hagaon Harav

Shmuel Halevi Wosner Shmuel Halevi Wosner

Shlit”a and the Shlit”a and the

Segulah of Rav Chaim Segulah of Rav Chaim

Palagi, Zt”l

Maran Hagaon Harav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, shlit”a, sent us a check he had signed personally. The check was for 104, exactly twice the numerical equivalent of the word ben. Whom had he davened for? We shall never know. He, too, hears about heaps and heaps of tzaros. He, too, is personally familiar with the longing of many childless couples. The Rebbe had contributed to Kupat Ha’ir and

sent the check in order to fulfill the second part of the segulah. Next year, with Hashem’s help, another few pairs of now empty arms will embrace a child.

Last year, we publicized that it was possible to perform this segulah on behalf of others. The response was enormous. Now, the Gedolei Hador are performing the segulah as well. Combine tefillah, the segulah and tzedakah – and the results are sure to follow.

Maran Hagaon Maran Hagaon

Harav Aharon Leib Harav Aharon Leib

Steinman, Shlit”a: Steinman, Shlit”a:

“The Segulah is for “The Segulah is for

Me!”

When the gabba’im came to Maran

Maran Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, shlit”a, contributing to Kupat Ha’ir with the ready package of 104 coins in single coins.

Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Steinman, shlit”a, they were in for a surprise.

“I perform this segulah for myself,” Maran said simply. “It’s not only for childless couples, after all.” Maran took the coins and a hush filled the air as he prayed silently.

The hearts of those present skipped a beat.

Longevity? Success in Torah study? The arrival of the geulah? What was Maran praying for? Toward which gate of Shamayim was he directing his tefillos?

It was impossible to know. Maran gathered the coins and submitted them to Kupat Ha’ir. Kupat Ha’ir, he knew, would transfer them to a poor and humble talmid chacham.

Silence still reigned in the room. Harav Steinman raised his eyes.

“I do this for myself,” he said firmly. And everyone present understands. There is no need for further elaboration.

If the Gadol Hador is looking for segulos, what can we say? If he needs them, how much more so do we!

Maran Harav Steinman, shlit”a, performs the segulah – for himself!

Word spread quickly.

Maran Hagaon

Harav Michel Harav Michel

Yehudah Yehudah

Lefkowitz, Lefkowitz,

Shlit”a: “The Shlit”a: “The

Segulah is Segulah is

for Refuah for Refuah

Veyeshuah”

Later, the same idea was expressed in the home of Maran Hagaon Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, shlit”a.

Maran, shlit”a, “purchased” the bag of coins prepared at the Kupat Ha’ir offices with NIS 104 of his own and prepared to stand in prayer. The excitement in the air was palpable as he beseeched Hashem. On the envelope, in the spot reserved for the name to be prayed for, Maran had penned his own name. On the line for the tefillah, he’d written the name of a sick person who needed a yeshuah. Once again, everyone present was filled with amazement.

Maran, shlit”a, performed the segulah and wrote his own name! Maran was asking for a yeshuah and reinforcing his request with the segulah. Maran, shlit”a, told those present that the sick person was in fact a baby girl whose eyesight

expressed i

Maran Hagaon Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, shlit”a, contributing to Kupat Ha’ir with the ready package of 104 coins in single coins.

was in danger and that the segulah was surely worthy enough to help her.

Is it only Maran, shlit”a, who has bakashos? Is this not a clear directive for Yidden to follow?

Kupat Ha'ir began to prepare for the onslaught.

Unfortunately, there is no lack of poor and humble Torah scholars. Sadly, there are plenty of couples who have not been blessed with children. But now the segulah has begun gathering momentum from an altogether different direction. Who does not want to see his children succeed? Here was a segulah for them, a segulah for success in both ruchniyus and gashmiyus, for studying Torah with enthusiasm and diligence, for a worthy spouse and G-dfearing children.

Who doesn't have bakashos for himself? Everyone has things he longs for. The segulah, combined with passionate prayer, crashes through all barriers.

The day of mattan Torah is a very great day indeed, and erev mattan Torah, is, too. And on this day, the day the Shechinah descends to the people below, the day the Giver of the Torah draws near to His children – on this day the segulah has special power!

No one can afford to miss this opportunity.

That Brought Thousands of Children Into The World

The segulah:“On erev Shavuos, one should set aside 91 perutos and then [add more] to complete the [numerical equivalent] of twice the word ben, and one should give them to a needy

and humble Torah scholar.

“Remembered fondly is the wealthy man…who would distribute a large sum to all the modest Torah scholars on erev Shavuos with happiness and joy, including my own relatives… “I have mentioned their names so that others should see their actions and do the same, each

man in his place.

Hagaon Harav Chaim Falagi in his sefer Mo’ed Lechol Chai, siman 27

“And this is a segulah for the barren and it hastens the Redemption…

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►In our times, Gedolei Hador have instructed to give $ 104. Kupat Ha’ir commits itself to distribute all the

money on erev Shavuos to needy Torah scholars. ►You can also contribute via credit card and other methods of payment. ► In addition all names will be transferred to

the Gedolei Hador, shlit”a, for blessing and prayer.

A Gift for EveryoneA Gift for Eve

The Pain-Filled Relative

"I'm so grateful to Hashem and to you." So begins one of the tear-streaked letters that kicked off the "season" this year. As spring sets in, we begin hearing stories from people who contributed and were blessed. The raw emotion in the aforementioned letter touched the heart of the secretary who opened the envelope and that of everyone else whom she passed it on to.

"It's such an awful, helpless feeling to be close to someone who hasn't been blessed with children. You want so badly to help; you feel his pain; you pray for him all the time – but there's nothing really concrete you can do. Last year, you publicized the well-known segulah of Rav Chaim Palagi and pointed out that one can do the segulah for the sake of an acquaintance. With a tearful prayer on my lips, I contributed for my sister.”

The letters seem to quiver on the page. They’re a bit smudged, an indication of the writer’s emotion as she penned the letter.

“I felt much better after doing the segulah and making the contribution. I knew that I had done something to help. I kept davening, of course, but I knew that I had done whatever I could for her. There was lots of relief and consolation for me in that.

And now, in Nisan of 5768, my sister gave birth

to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. There is no

happier woman in the world than she – except

maybe me.”

And there were more letters. Letters filled with gratitude to Hashem. Letters filled with emotion and amazement at open miracles. Letters describing the joy at being part of Hashem’s wonderful chessed.

Ashreinu that We Merited to Help!

“I have two cousins. One waited four years for a child and the other waited five,” a different letter reads. “It was unbearable to see their pain. What an awful feeling, to be stuck in one place while everyone else is moving on with their lives. The constant longing to hear a baby’s pure cries, the pitying glances like stabs to the heart… I so badly wanted to help them but what could I do? The key is in Hashem’s hands only. We all prayed fervently for them but their agony was not relieved. Last year, we saw your brochure and realized there was something else we could do that we had not yet done. We had never performed the segulah of Rav Chaim Palagi.

“With great emotion, we changed money into

small coins. We prayed to Hashem, counted out

91 coins and then added more coins until we

reached twice the numerical equivalent of the

word ben. We submitted the money to Kupat

Ha’ir in the hope that the merits these coins

would amass through the mitzvah of tzedakah

for which they were intended – would smash

locked gates. This year, in the month of Nisan,

both my cousins gave birth. One had a boy and

the other a girl. Our joy is indescribable.”

People describe their emotion as they prepared to perform the segulah. It was like Yom Kippur for them as they prayed from the bottom of their hearts. What doesn’t one do for a fellow Jew? Friends, members of the same kollel, teachers in the same school, co-workers in an office…members of Klal Yisrael feel a close bond to one another. When pain gnaws at the heart of a member of our people, his fellow Jews pray for him with great sincerity.

And the results keep coming.

Mazal Tov!

The month of Nisan was blessed with many mazel tovs, some of which came about as the result of the segulah.

amazement at open miracles. Letters describing the joy at being part of Hashem’s wonderful chessed.

The month of Nisan was blessed with many mazel tovs, f NNNNNisiisisisan wasasas b some of which came about as the result of the segulah. h b

veryoneSome performed the segulah on their own behalf while others had friends and relatives do it for them. The awesome power of this segulah along with the mitzvah of tzedakah that is an integral part of it and the fiery passion with which prayers are uttered on behalf of someone else – works miracles.

The letters – beautiful, touching, tear-jerking –open a window to a different world: that of families close to a couple waiting for good news. Parents find no rest; siblings feel torn; close friends long to help; avreichim go out of their way to do anything they can. Everyone wants to do something. Everyone wants to feel he’s done everything in his power.

And like every year, many people are waiting eagerly for the special time to perform this unique segulah to arrive.

Erev Shavuos. 104 perutos. A prayer ascends On High along with the merit of tzedakah to Torah scholars. “Poor and humble,” Rav Chaim Palagi writes in his sefer. A poor and humble talmid chacham: who can find the right type of Torah scholar, people who hide both their erudition and their poverty, better than Kupat Ha’ir?

Not Just the Childless

Many people perform this segulah for their own benefit.

The Gedolei Hador, shlit”a, have advised that the segulah is beneficial not only for childless couples but for anyone with a tzarah of any sort.

In most cases, every such family has a story. A story behind the fierce longing, the fiery tefillos, the desire to find a segulah that will invoke Divine mercy.

Later, when the hopes and dreams

come true and the home is filled

with light; when the prayers are

answered and Hakadosh Baruch

Hu bestows a family with the

greatest gift in the world – that’s

when the stories come to us.

May We Merit Good Tidings

But people beg. They’re desperate. In most cases, there is nothing loved ones can do to help. They’re aware of the suffering; they know about the fierce longing and the crushing disappointments – but still they can do nothing.

But the segulah enables them to help!

The gates of Shamayim

are open. The segulah

breaks them apart and

broadens the path. Now

tefillos can enter easily.

Now tearful eyes will look

Heavenward for mercy

– and the yeshuah will

come, with Hashem’s

Many people perform this sssssegeegeegulah for their own benefit.

– and the yeshuah will

come, with Hashem’s

is benel b

shah i

hlit”a, have is beneficial

Dear Kupat Ha'ir,

We request that this letter be publicized in the yeshuos column.

Odeh Hashem Bechol Eis

We would hereby like to publicly thank the tzaddikim and worthy people at Kupat Ha'ir, in whose merit we were blessed. This is our story:

Two years ago (erev Shavuos 5766), we contributed NIS 104 to Kupat Ha'ir in the merit of my brother, who was childless. Baruch Hashem, that year he was blessed with a son.

Seeing that, last year (erev Shavuos 5767) we contributed NIS 104 in our own merit and submitted our names to be prayed for by Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit"a. ----------------------------. A month later, we learned that we were expecting good news. We immediately pledged NIS 1,000 to Kupat Ha'ir if everything went smoothly. Indeed, on our 15th anniversary, we held our infant son. The bris took place on time amidst great joy. We contributed the NIS 1000 via your telephone hotline but we wanted to tell you the details of our story so that you would know your work bears results.

We do not want to publicize our telephone number because in the past, we have recognized people in your stories by their phone numbers and we prefer to avoid that kind of exposure.

A Very Bitter Mistake Everyone’s in the same boat these days, people think. They’re wrong – very, very wrong. The recession puts everyone in the same situation. No one has cash to spare.

There is no greater tragedy than this way of thinking.

Kupat Ha’ir has been accompanying needy families for seven and a half years now. Unfor-tunately, the same mistake keeps repeating itself, eliciting snorts of ridicule from those who know a little bit of what really goes on in the homes of needy families.

There is no denying that many, many families are suffering great difficulty during this try-ing period. No one intends to make light of their distress.

But the families that were struggling until now are currently in a situation so desperate it simply cannot be fathomed.

“You must be e x a g g e r a t i n g , ” people “on t h e

outside” tell us. They read the brochures and turn their heads away in shock. “Why must you describe everything as ‘horrific’? Is the situation really that terrible?”

“Why do you tone things down so much?” the “inside people,” our staff members, exclaim. “Whom are you trying to protect? Can’t people at least read what their own brothers are ex-periencing on their flesh? Are people so hard-hearted? Are you trying to encourage them to be that way?”

Because it’s true: if we were to describe the details, you wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. If you have a heart of flesh and blood rather than a stone under your ribcage – you would not be able to sleep.

“I Cried My Neshamah Out””The people who do house visits for Kupat Ha’ir suffer many a sleepless night. They toss and turn in bed, the nearby wastebasket filling with tissues as they recall the horrific scenes they saw. The nightmare does not leave them; sleep remains elusive.

“Kupat Ha’ir asked me to quote them a price to renovate an apartment. I went to the ad-dress they gave me and looked around. I’ve been working with Kupat Ha’ir for years now. Believe me, I see troubling scenes all the time. Still, this time was too much. ‘Just a moment,’ I said to the woman who lived there. ‘I’ll be back soon.’ I went behind the building and cried like I’ve never cried before. How much suffer-ing can people handle? How much?

“The avreich looked like a fine young man. I’d seen him sitting in the dining

room swaying over a Gemara, his hands curling his peyos. I’d been told that his kollel

until a situation so desperate

t simply cannot be fathomed.

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“Kupat Hto renodress thbeen wnow. Bethe tim‘Just a who livbehindnever ing can

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room swacurling his pe

had closed down and that he’d had no success at find-ing a job. The family lived with no source of income and the avreich was consumed with distress over his children’s suffering. They had never been rich. His wife had been laid off two years earlier, which was a terrible blow to her morale. Since then, the family had been living in terrible poverty.

“I had walked around the house, feeling as though my heart was being stabbed over and over again. There was ruin and destruction in every corner. It was hor-rific. I counted the beds and concluded that six chil-dren lived in the house. At least six; go know if there weren’t more. The apartment had one and a half bed-rooms. The parents occupied the “half room” and all six children slept in the other. The beds overlapped slightly because there was no room to pull out six beds.

“I continued looking around. The bathroom was in ruins. There was no tub at all. The walls were moldy. How could they raise children this way? I heard the baby cough and cough and my heart broke inside me. How could he not cough in such moldy air?

“The roof actually belonged to this couple. There was plenty of room to build. They even had steps already. I went upstairs. Excellent. A simple and easy job; shouldn’t cost too much. The woman followed her up the stairs. Her eyes were filled with tears. ‘I can’t allow myself to build. Even if we get a loan, I have nowhere to return it from. I’ve been sitting home all day for two years now. I don’t have a job.’

“Two such people sitting home all day in one house. I could just imagine the Tisha B’Av atmosphere that must exist here every day. I choked down the lump in my throat. ‘Ma’am, Kupat Ha’ir will pay for the renova-tions, don’t you understand?’

“She lowered her eyes sadly and said, ‘Do you think it’s right for them to build us an additional room when there are families who don’t have what to eat?’

“That was it. I couldn’t take any more. I cried my heart out behind that house. I cried my neshamah out.”

The House Returned toReturned toLifeLifeKupat Ha’ir paid for the construction of two rooms, reaching a “50-50 agreement” with the couple’s sib-lings, who agreed to help. The contractor offered to throw one room in for free. Suddenly, there was room to breathe. It was as if new light were suddenly shin-ing into the house. The father began looking around for students to tutor – and he found them, too. His wife’s mood improved and she, too, began consider-ing parnassah possibilities that conformed to her cir-cumstances. The house returned to life.

Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu give them such a bitter nisayon? We have no idea, nor should we ask such ques-tions. Keil emunah ein avel. But we know that Hashem introduced us into other people’s lives because we have a mission to fulfill there. We aren’t in this world to ask questions. We’re here to give answers.

Such stories take place at Kupat Ha’ir every day.

An Organized CoupleAn Organized CoupleHere, this is a nice family. Seven children; the father studies in kollel and the mother is a homemaker. They’ve never had it very easy, especially since the birth of their seventh child, who has health issues and requires various treatments. A mother of six children plus one with special needs works full time, any way you look at it. Economizing wasn’t easy but both of them were very organized people and they learned to cut expenses in all areas. They worked hard and persevered, hoping for the best and try-ing not to think about what their neighbors had and they lacked.

“We understood that there were some things upon

which we had to compromise. We created a list of priorities and decided that food was more impor-tant than cloth-ing. We buy fruits and vegetables, fish and milk and even chicken for Shab-bos. We don’t spend

a penny on clothing. We accept hand-me-downs from my wife’s sis-ters and coats from Yad Chedvah. We pass shoes down from one child to another. We try very hard to take good care of whatever we have at home and fix whatever goes wrong. We save a lot of money that way. Traveling expenses are out of the question. We walk everywhere. It’s healthier that way anyhow. We avoid attending simchos outside our own city. It’s not so bad if you know that in rare cases you can deviate from the rules in order not to fall into a depression.”

An organized fellow, no question about that. But one day he found himself without a kollel. His kol-lel had simply shut its doors. He joined a differ-ent kollel, which informed him after two months (during which he received no stipend) that it had to “downsize,” meaning that those who were last in were the first out. This family had lived on the father’s kollel stipend! The wife did not work; her sick child needed her care. Now there was no money for food. These

were smart, talented people for whom accept-ing tzedakah was nothing short of a tragedy. But what could they do?

If Kupat Ha’ir helps them out now – the situation can end right here. If not, the landslide begins. In such cases, bitter experience from over sev-en years in the field tells us, either the husband cracks, ort he wife, or the children… The house-hold slowly lapses into destruction. The children begin failing their classes in school; cracks appear in the couple’s shalom bayis. It isn’t long before a beautiful, happy family is in ruins.

The same thing happens when a woman who supports her family is laid off. We come across so many cases with similar results – or worse – in families that were once well off, families that had various sources of income. The world reces-sion affected them and they borrowed a bit in order to try and save their money, only to lose everything in the end. Even more distressing

are the cases in which financial trouble caused emotional or physical illness. Many young people

have fallen seriously ill, leaving their families with no one to care for them.

When a medical condition is added to the al-ready desperate situation, the family is lost. Even a slight medical problem can run into thousands of dollars. This is something that only those who have experienced firsthand, Rachmana litzlan, can understand.

To Give merit To the To the Contributors

Hakadosh Baruch Hu created economic hard-ship, illness, poverty and death in order to give sechar to those who assist them. This difficult reality is sent from Shamayim in order to save us, the contributors. To save us! Hashem is a Melech ohev tzedakah and He orchestrates events in such a way that we will be able to extend a hand, to help, to rescue - thereby saving our-selves from serious punishments we may deserve, Rachmana litzlan. Do we understand the significance of this? Apparently not…

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An Ever Broadening CircleWe tend to think that such problems belong “to oth-ers.” We don’t understand that they were created for us, for our benefit. Hashem cloaks His divine pro-cedures in “natural” packaging to make it seem as though they’re happening of their own accord. The natural process is known as “the recession” and it af-fects us all in a very direct way. Living expenses have gone way up. It is impossible to make any money “on the side.” Funds providing assistance for avreichim are closing down. Stipends are no longer granted. Par-ents who used to be able to help their children out a little bit are struggling with debt and can no longer do so. Sometimes it works the opposite way: children suddenly need to support their parents. Women who come to the conclusion that there is no choice and make the decision to go out to work find they can-not land a job. Everyone is downsizing and no hiring is taking place. Avreichim try to find a child or two to tutor but parents no longer send their children to private lessons because they cannot afford to pay for them. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps getting worse and worse.

Hakadosh Baruch Hu is sitting and waiting, waiting for us to understand, to lend a hand, to display more de-votion than usual. He wants us to forgo our ice cream so that they may have bread; to teach our children to make do with an M&M instead of a creampuff so that there will be something left over to give the neigh-bor’s children as well. After all, this recession, too, was created with Hashem’s boundless mercy.

Their Tears Are CountedTheir Tears Are Counted“Kupat Ha’ir teaches us the meaning of midas hadin versus midas harachamim,” people say. They’re refer-ring to the horrific descriptions of poverty suffered by the needy as opposed to the uplifting stories of ye-shuos merited by contributors. But we dare not forget that both midas hadin and midas harachamim come from the same Source, our merciful Father in heaven. Both the blows and the caresses come from Him and both are dealt with mercy. It’s easy for us to accept the yeshuos and much harder to accept the devastat-ing poverty, but if we think about it, we see that the hardships come in order to rescue us and that they are just as much for our benefit as the yeshuos.

Every gram of suffering the needy families endure is

measured and tallied. Hashem counts their tears and keeps them in a special cup. We dare not ques-tion his deeds. We can only remind ourselves that the nisayon must be in their own best interests while for us it is a lifeline. We give them in order to be spared ourselves. Let’s meet another such family.

A Drowning FamilyA Drowning Family“When I received the case, the woman of the house was very, very ill,” relates a woman on Kupat Ha’ir’s staff. “There were a number of small children in the family and they saw their mother deteriorating n front of their very eyes. It was heartbreaking. They were such a beautiful family; they were so united. There were more than ten children in the family but you’d never know it. Each one was cared for like an only child. The mother had worked until a year or two earlier, earning a respectable salary. The father, too, had held down two jobs. They lived well – above average – but they were never spendthrifts. They put some money away and contributed a lot to tzedakah.

“When I met them, the mother’s illness had already eaten all their savings – and it was continuing to swal-low every cent the father earned. He had given up one job in order to be with his wife. She had stopped working, too, of course. All of a sudden, the family had to get used to living on one salary instead of three, and with a serious illness that gobbled up money all the time. At first, the family hired household help and life maintained a semblance of normalcy. As time went on, there was no choice but to let the help go. The family began cutting down on food, disposable dishes and clothing. They kept hoping the mother would get well and they’d be able to put the difficult period behind them.

“The children suffered greatly from the stressful

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situation. They were emotionally in shambles by the time the mother passed away. The father, too, had a very hard time recovering from the blow. He barely managed to hold on to his job. Af-ter a year during which the household failed to

function and the children’s situation continued to deteriorate, he understood that something had to be done. He married a woman with a number of children of her own from a previous marriage. Now the family was very large and the financial burden much more difficult. He felt the need to be home a lot in order to help patch the two parts of the family together, to assist his wife in raising both sets of children.

“ ‘We’ve endured difficult nisyonos and grown from them,’ he said bravely. ‘With Hashem’s help, we’ll withstand this nisayon as well.’ He tried to create an upbeat, optimistic atmosphere at home but the household was sinking fast.

For My Brother in YeshivahFor My Brother in Yeshivah“The situation grew so bad that the children would go scavenging for food in the garbage cans. ‘We passed by the produce store and saw these veg-etables for cheap, so we bought them,’ they would say. I was there, in that home! I saw things I can-not bring myself to talk about. One girl sat down to eat dinner. She ate one small slice of bread and then rose, saying she was ‘full.’ I didn’t believe her. I spoke with her until she admitted the truth. She wanted to make sure her brother, who would be coming home from yeshivah later in the evening, would have a bit more to eat. The second wife sold her jewelry to buy basic foodstuffs. I couldn’t get over that when I heard about it.

“They were so full of goodwill, so devoted. But they simply could not raise such a family in such cir-cumstances. It was impossible.

“And when the recession affects a family like that – may Hashem have mercy.”

Many Cases of Many Cases of Pikuach NefeshPikuach NefeshWhen even the sole salary doesn’t come in, how can they reduce their spending? How much can one person handle?

Kupat Ha’ir has dealt with a different family in similar straits in the past. A family com-prised of three sets of children – yours, mine and ours – that was struggling with debilitat-ing poverty. The father had a heart attack and passed away. The twice-widowed woman was left to care for his children, hers and those they’d had together.

This is not a game… it’s life. And the recession endangers these lives.

"Many cases are pikuach nefesh," Rav Chaim Kanievski writes in his letter. A matter of life or

death!

What this means is that we have a mission. There are so many families in distress. There are so many families we could have profiled in this article to make hearts leap in horror. If we were to take each potential contributor on a tour of just one household on the list we would not have to add another word. It is impossible to see families living in such horrific conditions and go on home to eat a regular dinner. It is impossible to hear about mothers who prepare meals out of vegetables intended for the garbage; who add flour to the soup because that's the only food the children will eat all day; who skip breakfast and supper because there simply is not enough to go around. It is impossible to hear about children who sleep in the kitchen or in the bathtub or with their feet inside a closet because there just is no other choice. It's impossible to read about families who divide a single egg among four children. It is impossible to hear such descriptions and remain unmoved. The situation is unspeakably devastating. It affects young neshamos and destroys their parents' emotional stability. It

means that children grow up scarred for life.

The recession has been sent to us from above. It has a purpose. It serves as a very difficult nisayon for some families and serves as a lifeline of rescue for others, who can grab it and be spared in the merit of a contribution. Let us

grab the opportunity to be spared.

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Send the name to be prayed for along 1. with the mother’s name and a specific request. Up to 3 names may be sent.Names may be submitted via 2. telephone, after making a credit card contribution, or enclosed in an envelope with a contribution and mailed to: Kupat Hair 4415 14th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11219 Minimum contribution of $120.3. If you would like to designate a specific 4. 40 day period, please make a note of it.

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DDonnaattioonnss caannn bee seeenntt too:

Rabbi Chaim Leib Epstein Shlita

1608 46th Street

Brooklyn, New York 11204

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Brooklyn, New York York 11210

Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg Shlita

568 Kensington Place

Cedarhurst, N.Y. 11516

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Spring Valley NY 10977

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Brooklyn, New York 11230

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Home of Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum Ztl

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Rabbi Moshe Wolfson Shlita

1574 43rd Street

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Rabbi Don Blumberg Shlita

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Rabbi Ephraim E. Shapiro Shlita

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North Miami Beach FL. 33162

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How do I donate to Kupat Hair?How do I donate to Kupat Hair?

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Send your donation in the enclosed envelope.

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In In CanadaCanada

For all information or to receive a pushka call 1-800-233-2188 Our office number in Israel: 3-671-6994

Merit a personal prayer from the

Gedolei Hador

Send your donation to: Montreal: Rabbi Y. C. Wenger Shlita, 2227 Goyer Avenue, Montreal Quebec H3S 1H1

Toronto: Rabbi M. M. Lowy Shlita, 240 Carmichael, Toronto Ontario M5M 2x4 Please make checks payable to: Canadian Friends of Kupat Ha'ir

On Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the day appropriated by the Shla"h Hakodosh for praying on behalf of one's children,

Contributors to Kupat Ha'ir will merit having Harav Steinman, shlit"a, dedicate his recitation of Tefilas HaShla"h to their children, that they might grow in

Torah and Yiras Shamayim.

Names to be submitted to Rav Steinman, shlit"a, may be submitted to Kupat Ha'ir until 12:00 am Wednesday, 26 Iyar.

Tefilat Hashlahתפילת השל"ה הקדוש

Maran Hagaon Harav

Aharon Leib Steinman, shlit"a will recite the Shla"h's prayer on behalf of

contributors to Kupat Ha'ir and their children.

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