By Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn
The Steipler Gaon
Shragi and Bassy Merlin were expecting their sixth child. All the previous births had been uneventful and Dr. Sol Neuhoff, an Orthodox obstetrician with Maimonides Medical Center had no reason to believe that there would be complications with the birth of this child.
The Danger for the Child in the Womb
A few days before the child was to be born, however, Dr. Neuhoff told the mother that the child had turned over and there was a danger that the child could be born in the breech position. Normally a child is born head first, but this child – unless there was some intervention – would be born feet first. This can be dangerous during the birth process or even afterward and it might require the mother to undergo a Caesarean section.
When Mrs. Merlin mentioned this to her sister-in-law, Tamar Gertner, whose husband is a pediatrician in Williamsburg, she said, “It is known that the Steipler Gaon, Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (1899-1985) said that when an embryo is in this position, one should check the sefarim on the shelves in the home to see if any are upside down. If indeed some of them are, they should be turned right side up. The baby too will be turned over and will be born right side up.”
Quickly Turning the Upside Down Sefarim Right-Side Up
The Merlins immediately began checking their sefarim on their shelves and, indeed, a number of them were upside down. They were quickly turned right side up and sure enough the infant was able to be turned over to the proper position and was born without incident.
What indeed is the connection between sefarim on the shelf standing upside down and a child’s birth? It occurred to me (Rabbi Paysach Krohn) that when the Torah describes the genealogy of man it begins with these words, “Zeh sefer toldot Adam, This is the account of the descendants of Adam” (Beresheet 5:1).
The Literal Meaning of the Words Sefer and Toldot Adam
The word sefer literally means “book.” It is followed by the words toldot Adam, literally “the birth of man.” Thus, homiletically the verse can be understood, “It is through the sefer [or the sefarim], the books on the shelves, that determine the birth of a man.”
Thus, when the sefarim in this home were turned right side up, the same happened with the child in the birth process, just as the Steipler said. (Excerpted from the ArtScroll book –“In the Spirit of the Maggid”)
Reprinted from the Parashat Behaalotecha 5784 email of Rabbi David Bibi’s Shabbat Shalom from Cyberspace.
