Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky
There was a father in Eretz Yisrael who had an older son that was not married. He decided that the time had come for him to go to The Gadol Hador Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky to receive a Beracha for his son to find his match. The father waited on the long line of many people wanting to receive their blessing from the Great Holy Sage. His turn finally came, and he received the famous quick and short acronym “Buha.”
The father, feeling that he needed more than that, decided to go back to the front of the line and get another turn. And again, he received a “Buha.” The father replied, “But my son is older and not married.” Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky answered, “Generator” and the man was then moved along for other people on the line to get their turn.
The man was so confused and couldn’t understand what the cryptic message “Generator” meant from The Gadol Hador. He went to his Rabbi to see if he could help him shed some light and understand what Reb Chaim was telling him.
The Rabbi told him, we are both Sepharadim and we hold like Hacham Ovadia Yosef in reference to generators on Shabbat. Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky holds like his uncle, The Chazon Ish, who held that they are not allowed to use the public electric company on Shabbat, because Jewish workers work on Shabbat at the utility company thereby desecrating the Holy Shabbat. Hacham Ovadia Yosef holds that the utility company and the Israeli government run the grid for hospital and other government institution, so an individual person is an afterthought and using very little and what’s already there.
The father decided to take upon himself the instruction of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and use only a personal generator in his home on Shabbat for the merit of his son to find his mate and get married.
Several months later this man and his family planned to go away for Shabbat to Teveria, and they booked an apartment which had a private generator. Driving on their way to Teveria on Friday, the family hit major traffic and realized they would not make it to Teveria in time for Shabbat. They realized they had no choice but to somehow stay in the city they were now in for Shabbat. They started searching for where they can stay and came across a religious family that was very gracious and warmly inviting them to stay by them and host them for all the Shabbat meals.
The father realized even with this great chessed and hospitality of this wonderful family there was still a problem, as per the instruction The Gadol Hador he took upon himself to only use private generators on Shabbat. He quickly devised a plan and told the hosts that his family does NOT eat hot food or cold drinks, they only eat or drink room temperature food and beverages. The father of the home replied, “Sure whatever you want.”
The mother of the household, being a smart woman, realized that there is more to this story, because who does not eat hot food and cold drinks on purpose. So, she asked, “What is going on, what is the real story? No one by design eats cold food and hot drinks.”
Having no choice the guest father answered, “We only use a private generator on Shabbat.” To which the host father answered, “Well you’re in luck, because we are the only household in this entire town that has a private generator.”
It was truly a beautiful Shabbat and later on that evening, when everyone started to get more comfortable which each other, the host asked the guest, “Why is it that you use a generator on Shabbat?” The guest answered, by telling over that they had an older unmarried son and told the story of the cryptic generator message from Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky.
The hosting father asked, “How old is your son?” when he received his answer, “He replied, well we have an older daughter that is not married.”
The two children met and within a short period of time ended up getting married.
Reprinted from the Parashat Vayetze 5786 email of Jack E. Rahmey based on the Torah teachings of Rabbi Amram Sananes.
