He Promised to Stay Quiet and Was Blessed with a Son

Rabbi Shlomo of Zvhil, one of the great spiritual leaders of European Jewry, was known for the extraordinary power of his blessings. His advice and prayers were often followed by open miracles. One remarkable story was shared by Rabbi Nachum Cohen, who heard it directly from Rabbi Shimon Eliyahu Schlesinger, a firsthand witness.

One day, Rabbi Schlesinger was accompanying the holy Rebbe of Zvhil when a brokenhearted Jewish man approached them. With tears in his eyes, he explained that he and his wife had been childless for many years. “My wife is at her limit,” he said. “She told me not to come home unless I receive an explicit promise from the Rebbe that we will have a child. Please, I beg the Rebbe to have mercy on us and promise me that we will have offspring.”

The Rebbe paused for a few minutes, deep in thought. Then he looked at the man and said, “You want me to make you a promise. I am willing to do so but only if you are also ready to make a promise to me.”

Without hesitation, the man agreed. He didn’t even ask what the Rebbe’s condition would be. He just said, “Yes.”

The Rebbe then said, “I’ve heard that at the mikveh, you are the one who does most of the talking. Others gather around you, and the conversations go on and on. I want you to stop speaking there completely. And not just there. I’ve also heard that in the synagogue, you are among the loudest talkers during the prayers. I ask that from now on, you remain silent both in the mikveh and in shul. If you promise me this, then I promise you a child.”

The man agreed on the spot.

From that day on, the change in him was clear. Those who knew him were confused. They were used to his lively conversations, especially in those two places. But now he said nothing. He walked in quietly, did what he needed to do, and left without a word.

People didn’t understand what had happened to him. Some even looked at him strangely, as if something was wrong. But the man didn’t care. When it comes to the chance to hold your own child, a little discomfort is nothing.

A year passed, and the Rebbe’s promise was fulfilled. The man and his wife were blessed with a healthy baby boy. At the brit milah (circumcision), the Zvhil Rebbe was honored with being the sandak, the one who holds the baby during the ceremony.

After the bris, the emotional father approached the Rebbe with a question. “Rebbe, I understand the condition you gave me. But I wonder, why does staying silent in the mikveh and synagogue help bring children?”

The Rebbe smiled and answered with deep wisdom. “It is taught in the name of Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz that every person is given a portion of pleasure to enjoy in this world. When someone uses their time in holy places like the mikveh or synagogue to engage in idle or unnecessary talk, they are using up some of that allotted pleasure. If too much of it is used for things that don’t have spiritual value, there might not be enough left for something as great as the joy of raising a child. But when you gave up the pleasure of socializing in those places, you created a space for a higher kind of joy, the joy of having a child.”

From Kol Barama, shared by the Dirshu website