On erev Shabbos, day seven of "Operation Cast Lead", the telephone rang in Rav Shteinman's home, very close to Shabbos. On the line was a representative of the army who asked to speak urgently to the Rav. When the gabbai explained that all messages must go through him, the caller explained that the army was poised to launch the ground offensive tomorrow, on Shabbos, and they were calling for the Rav's bracha. After asking the army representative for the reasons for this move, the Rav analyzed the case and declined to give his blessing due to unjustified chilul Shabbos that would be involved there. The gabbai suggested to the Rav that since they would be going ahead to follow their military directives regardless, perhaps he should give them a bracha anyhow. The Rav replied "Shabbos is mekor habracha. How can I give a bracha for chilul Shabbos?!"
Minutes after Shabbos the following night, the telephone rang – it was the army again, to say "Tell the Rav that we listened to his p’sak, and we deferred the operation. We are going in right now and we need his bracha!" The Rav responded very warmly with a generous heartfelt bracha. Twenty four hours later, the Rav received a call from Gabi Ashkenazi, the Commander in Chief of the ground forces. He wanted to thank the Rav for his bracha. The army had achieved all its objectives in the first 24 hours. Furthermore, they had anticipated that the cost of the first day's operation would be in the region of 50 fatalities (r”l) among the Israeli troops. In the event, they suffered one casualty (Hy”d). They are convinced that the Rav's bracha played a crucial role in the supernatural success.
Special thanks to Revach L’Neshama for the story
