Let us listen to a moving and moving story, in the wake of which an interesting question arose that came to Mor Yitzchak Silberstein shlita:
This is the story of a God-fearing couple, who had been married for ten years, and had not yet merited to have viable sperm. The husband and his wife took all the actions and treatments, in Israel and abroad, and even tried many segulut, praying and supplication, but were still not saved. On their last trip to one of the countries, they came across a world expert in the field. After a brief look at their medical file, the 'expert' opened his right hand to them, drummed it with the fingers of his left hand, and said: If hairs grow on this palm, you will have a child...As they leave the clinic, broken and broken, the husband turns to his wife and says to her, with tears in his eyes: Apparently our only option to embrace a child is by adoption, perhaps this is our mission in the world. The wife agreed to his proposal, and the couple signed up for a child's request for adoption.
As is well known, adopting a child usually involves a great deal of bureaucracy, and a long wait for the appropriate approvals, which are intended to check that the couple is indeed suitable for adoption. and that their situation allows for the raising of a child, with all that this entails. After a complex and lengthy process, the couple passed all the examinations and examinations of the social committees and welfare officials, and were found suitable to adopt a child. Now they have to wait until a child is found for them.
After many more months of eagerly waiting to receive the child, and behold, one fine day, the couple is informed about a newborn baby, and they are looking for adoptive parents for him. The husband and his wife hurried to the hospital. And as soon as they saw the baby, which was very cute, they decided to adopt him. Those responsible for handing over the child informed the couple that they would not receive the child until after the house had been prepared for receiving the child and purchasing all his needs.
Of course, the two hurried to prepare a baby room in their home, purchased a crib, a baby stroller and the rest of the baby's accessories and needs. And now, just one day before the child is taken into their hands, the couple goes for routine check-ups at the health fund, and here a surprising thing is discovered, which caused them and the entire team of doctors great astonishment... The tests clearly showed that the woman was absent!! After twelve years of marriage, the couple is finally informed that they have been saved, and not only with one child - but with ... Gemini!! It is impossible to describe in words the joy of the parents, who burst into agitated tears of excitement in the face of the surprising news. Now, however, the couple was very disturbed by the question: What do we do now with the child we were about to adopt? Raising triplets at once is not so simple (especially for couples who have not yet raised children), and if so, perhaps we can 'give up' that child and inform those who will give him up for adoption by another family?... The two therefore came to the teacher, Rabbi Yitzchak Silberstein, shlita, and asked him for advice and guidance on how they should act in such a case...
First of all, the Shlita teacher said to the parents: You must know that that abandoned baby that you decided to adopt is your "amulet"!! It is very possible that only because of that baby did you merit to be saved, and if you do, you may lose, G-d forbid, if you give up on him...And if it seems impossible for you to raise triplets, give him to another family for the time being, for a fee, and when the time comes, you will accept him as a third child, and educate him in Torah and mitzvot.
And there was an incident in ancient times in one of the towns: a tyrannical governor decreed that all the Jews of the town should collect a large sum of money for him, and announced that if they did not hand over all the money within a month, he would kill all the Jews! The Jews of the town sent a famous tzaddik to pray for them, so that the harsh decree would be lifted from them. The tzaddik suggested that they send charity money for the redemption of their souls, and he would distribute it to orphans and widows. And the people willingly agreed to send the money. A messenger on behalf of the tzaddik arrived, and collected the charity money from all the people of the place. But the messenger went out, and suddenly a letter from the royal house arrived in the hands of the governor's messenger. The letter says that the decree has been canceled!! And what did it turn out? - The decree was canceled many days ago. Therefore, a number of local people stood up and demanded their money back, since it turned out that it was a mistaken giving...The story was brought to the table of Rabbeinu Maharsham, and with his genius, he immediately opened the Gemara in Tractate Berachot (63b), and from there he sought to decide on the matter. The Gemara cites the verse in the prophet (2 Samuel 2:6): "And the ark of the Lord sat in the house of Oved Edom for three months, and the Lord blessed Oved Edom and all his house." The Gemara expounds: "But what is the matter of the ark that did not eat and drink? Rather, he honored and lay down before him (Oved Edom the Gittite), so (his reward), who hosts a Torah scholar in his house, feeds and drinks him, and enjoys his possessions, all the more so. What is the blessing that they blessed? Rav Yehuda bar Zubeida said: This is a mother-in-law (the wife of Oved Edom) and her eight daughters-in-law, who gave birth to six in one womb." We must understand – the Maharsham commented – after all, the ark was placed in the house of Oved Edom for only three months, as explained in the verse above, and how is it possible that at this time they were already blessed and gave birth to sixth? Rather, we see that thanks to the good deed that Oved Edom did, The blessing was commanded in Heaven beforehand, so that since the Ark would be in His house and He would honor it the most, God sent the blessing even before the Ark came (six months before it came, the pregnant women had already been counted), so that the special blessing would take place at its proper time. The Maharsham concludes from this that since the townspeople took it upon themselves to give the charity, God removed the decree from them in advance. Heaven had already decreed in advance that the decree would be annulled. Because they knew in heaven that the people of the town would give the charity. Therefore, they must fulfill their Kabbalah and give the charity!
And for our purposes – it is very possible that here, too, Heaven saw the couple's acceptance into their home of an abandoned child, who is considered an orphan, and to devote themselves to raising him – this enormous privilege caused them to be saved even before the orphan was brought into their home...Therefore, the couple must stand by their acceptance and accept the child for adoption. (And even if it is not entirely clear that this is the right for which they were absent In any case, there will be no doubt and doubt, and it is certainly very worthwhile to accept the child, and not to get into the fears of losing salvation...). The Rabbi Shlita further told the couple that this mitzva of adoption has no boundaries and no investigation (of course, while adhering to the laws of uniqueness and observing the other laws relating to the adoption of a foreign child). The Midrash (Parashat Ki Tisa, parasha 45) says about the verse, "I will pass all My goodness before You" (Shemot 33:19): At that time, the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him to Moshe Rabbeinu, All the treasures of reward that are repaired (intended) for the righteous, and among other things, God showed a special treasure reserved for orphans. Blessed is the one who is rewarded with this, for Chazal said (Ketubot 50a): "Blessed are those who keep the law who do charity at all times" (Psalms 106:3), and that it is possible to do charity at any time?! - but he who raises an orphan and an orphan in his home and from a burden! And they also said (in Sanhedrin 19): Anyone who teaches his friend's son Torah, the Scripture makes him look like his child! Nevertheless, the couple must first turn to the Beit Din to examine (by the authorities) two things: 1) whether there is an injustice in accepting the baby to them against childless people who are waiting and expecting to receive such a baby. 2) Is it really in the best interest of the adopted baby to grow up as a third baby in their home, or is it in his best interest that he grow up in a different home of children who are observant of the Torah?
In summary: It is a mitzvah for parents to accept the baby for adoption, if possible, and when it is in the best interest of the child. And they raised him as their son, for the Torah, for the chuppah, and for good deeds, and by this he will be considered as if they had given birth to him as well, and they will be blessed by him from the good treasure intended for orphans!
