It was this week in a rare and historic meeting preceding the yahrtzeit of the Chazon Ish that HaRav Yisrael Yitzchok Mendelson visited HaRav Chaim Kanievsky in his home together with the heads of the Keren Hashevi'is, to reminisce about the memory of the Chazon Ish's efforts in instituting Shmittah observance in Eretz Yisrael.
HaRav Kanievsky's expression revealed his affection for the family standing on guard for Shmittah in Eretz Yisrael, the Mendelson family. The Chazon Ish's spirit was represented here with the fondness and esteem and personal closeness which he felt towards it.
Maran said that HaRav Mendelson reminds him of his late illustrious grandfather, HaRav Binyamin, in his youth.
Following are excerpts of the conversation:
HaRav Mendelson: My father once said to HaRav Aharon, the Belzer Rebbe, that if Shmittah is now miderabbanan, then our rabbonim have to bestow the blessing, and this applies to the rabbanan of every generation. The Belzer Rebbe concurred with his words. And I repeated this to the Chazon Ish and he also agreed. Thus we have the blessing through the power of gedolei Yisrael.
Maran tells, with a special aura suffusing his face: They brought an onion on the eve of Shevi'is which grew to the size of a watermelon. They also brought a tomato, pomegranates! What can I add? `I have commanded My blessing!'
HaRav Avraham Rubinstein: Rain fell now and those farmers who plowed and sowed for animal fodder needed plentiful rain. Boruch Hashem, plentiful rain fell and they will be able to reap through Otzar Beis Din, which is an expression of `vetzivisi es birchasi.'
Maran: Surely! Surely! Undoubtedly!
HaRav Mendelson: The Sforno says that the Torah's inclusive promise of bounty for three years does not mean that farmers will have to work three times as much, since this is not a complete blessing, but that they will harvest as usual but the products will be blessed.
HaRav Rubinstein: According to that, the money dispensed by Keren Hashevi'is to enable farmers to sit and learn is also part of the Divine blessing.
Maran: True, true.
HaRav Binyamin Cohen: There was one Shmittah-observant farmer who told us that he went to the bank on Erev Rosh Hashana in order to withdraw a sum of tens of thousands of shekalim in preparation of leaving his fields fallow, and saw that he had a huge deficit in his account which threatened its liquidity. He went outside and davened that Hashem send help from Above. "From whence will come my help?" he wept. Suddenly, he noticed a call on his cell phone from an unknown source. He answered it: `We're called from the Keren Hashevi'is and we'd like to transfer your allocation to you today." He received the check that day: The sum appearing on it was fifty thousand shekels! Exactly the very sum he needed to cover his deficit. The blessing of Shmittah had directed the check at precisely the right time to save the day!
Maran (with satisfaction): Richtig! Emess!
