Sunday, September 28, 2014

Who Knows...

Rav Moshe Shternbuch Shlita was a young bochur learning in Israel. He asked the Chazon Ish how many days of Yom Tov to keep and the Chazon Ish told him to keep one day and li-chumra make sure not to do melacha [called "one and a half days"] but the davening should be like a ben Eretz Yisrael. R' Moshe argued "But I am planning on returning home to chutz la-aretz". The Chazon Ish said "Who knows, something might happen and you might stay here for 2 more years."

On Yom Tov Sheni he davened with the Brisker Rov who noticed that he davened a weekday davening like a ben Eretz Yisrael. The Brisker Rov was very upset and asked him why he wasn't davening a yom tov davening like a ben chutz la-aretz. R' Moshe answered that the Chazon Ish told him to daven like a ben Eretz Yisrael. The Brisker Rov backed off and said "I don't start up with the Chazon Ish".

It turns out that because of unexpected circumstances he ended up staying in Eretz Yisrael EXACTLY 2 more years to the day!

[Heard from R' Moshe's son and recorded in the sefer Masseh Ish]