Once and for All: Can We Really Interpret "Signs" from Above?

Once, Rabbi Shach zt"l was asked by one of his yeshiva students about a marriage proposal he received with an excellent girl from a prominent family. On the surface, the match was suitable and respectable, pleasant and orderly. However, during the investigations, it became known that the family had a certain medical issue. Although those involved claimed that the illness was not hereditary and there was no need to worry about the girl's health, he did not know whether he could rely on that..

The rabbi listened to all the details attentively, and then he told the student that since it was not a simple question at all, he requested some time to consider the matter calmly..

However, the young man, who was taken by the marriage proposal, and whose heart was drawn by the distinguished lineage and the great honor that awaited him if it went forward, wanted to add another consideration. He argued before the rabbi that despite the concern, it might be worthwhile to proceed with the proposal since it emerged from several directions, with different people proposing the same suggestion without any connection between them. "The wonderful timing is a sign that the matter is from Hashem! Isn't that so?", the young man argued..

The entire conversation took place as Rabbi Shach was walking from the yeshiva to his home, but when he heard the last sentence, he immediately halted and responded firmly: "Are you also speaking like a child? Whoever talks and thinks this way can go far in the wrong direction! Can we interpret signs from the heavens? That is left to those with holy inspiration and not people like us," he declared emphatically..

Rabbi Shach often opposed the signs and omens that people adopt for themselves, as in the following case, where a child needed to undergo a certain surgery. At the hospital, a date was set for the surgery on a Sunday. Unfortunately, on the Saturday night before the appointed day, the child's temperature rose, raising suspicions of an infection and prompting the doctors to postpone the surgery..

A new date was scheduled for the following Sunday. In the meantime, the fever subsided, and everything seemed normal—until Saturday night again, when the fever spiked once more, repeating the pattern. The parents brought the child to the hospital, and after examination, doctors postponed the surgery again to the next Sunday...

Once more, the fever disappeared during the week, and again everything seemed fine until Saturday night, when the same thing happened for the third time. This time, when the child's fever rose, the parents realized that the surgery could not take place under these conditions, raising doubts and questions about the necessity of the surgery, given what seemed to be heavenly signs objecting to it.

For the time being, the parents decided to ignore their feelings, and a new appointment was set for the following Sunday. However, when the fever once again rose on Saturday night, they felt they could no longer ignore the clear 'signs' sent to them from above and decided to consult Rabbi Shach instead of returning to the hospital..

They recounted the entire incident from the beginning to the end. They described the bizarre phenomenon that no one had ever encountered before and then posed their gnawing question: "Shouldn't the repeated delays be seen as a sign from above that the surgery is neither desired nor appropriate? Should we not understand the message and cancel the surgery altogether?" they asked, and the rabbi firmly responded in the negative..

"Do the doctors believe surgery is necessary?" the rabbi inquired, and the father replied without hesitation: "Certainly, leading doctors have examined the child and concluded that the surgery is unavoidable!" "If so," answered the rabbi, "relying on 'signs' ostensibly indicating the inadvisability of the surgery might lead you to violate the prohibition of 'divination.' The Torah forbids us to rely on various 'signs' and draw conclusions based on them. If doctors believe the surgery should be performed, and you decide against it because of 'signs' that seem apparent to you—you are 'divining,' and as is known, this is a serious prohibition of the Torah. You must not do so. The surgery should be performed, and Hashem will help everything go well!", concluded the rabbi with a blessing, and the parents left his room..

Indeed, as the rabbi said, so it happened. A new appointment was set for the fifth time, for the following Sunday, and this time everything proceeded smoothly..

The child felt well, and the surgery was successfully performed, beyond expectations.

Courtesy of the 'Dirshu' website