Many years ago, Hagaon R’ Chaim Kanievsky Zt”l, was learning Maseches Chullin and a sugyah relating to chagovim, grasshoppers. Rav Chaim realized that he needed to see a very specific type of grasshopper to better understand the Poskim, and asked his daughter to bring him one. She tried, but reported to her father that she failed to find one.
He went back to the sugyah, and lo and behold, a grasshopper came hopping through the window, landing on his Gemara. After examining it, he let it go. As he continued through the sugyah, he realized that he needed to study the hind legs a bit more, but the grasshopper was long gone. Before closing his Gemara, a second grasshopper hopped in and on to his Gemara, giving him the ability to study its hind leg in detail.
Rebbetzin Batsheva A”H can be seen in the video below recounting the miraculous story:
Rebbetzin Kanievsky A"H recounts the famed grasshopper story. pic.twitter.com/6uxCCQKhOe
— 5TownsCentral (@5TownsCentral) March 23, 2022
The story continued that a specific individual questioned the actuality of the story to several neighbors. That very week his small apartment became inundated with grasshoppers and no matter what his exterminator had tried he couldn’t seem to get rid of them. After recounting his situation to a friend he recalled his doubt of the Gadol Hador. He decided to ask the Rav mechillah and soon after the grasshoppers were gone.
Rav Chaim Zt”l wrote a very unique Sefer on Chagavim and can be seen in the video below observing a grasshoppers features L’Halacha.
