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Chazal relate the story of a couple who wanted to get divorced because
they did not have children after being married for ten years. Rabbi
Shimon bar Yochai told them to first prepare a feast as they had done
on their wedding day, and only thereafter to get divorced. The husband
told his wife that she could take anything she desired to keep to her
father’s house. During the feast, the woman got her husband drunk and
had him taken to her father’s house. When Rabbi Shimon heard this,
he blessed them with a child. Why did Rabbi Shimon not bless them
immediately with children? Why did he instruct them to first prepare a
lavish feast? Furthermore, if he did not want to bless them, why did he
not facilitate the divorce immediately, as permitted according to
halachah?

Chazal teach us that “in the same way that a person judges his fellow, he
is judged by Heaven.” Since the couple was not blessed with children, it
indicated that they had performed a misdeed that had not been rectified.
Rabbi Shimon knew that in order for his blessing to be realized, the couple
had to improve themselves. Therefore, he sent them home to prepare a
festive meal so that they would intensify their amity and love for each
other. In this merit, his blessing would be validated. Rabbi Shimon
perceived their inherent love for each other when he heard the husband
telling his wife that he allowed her to take anything she wished for herself.

When Rabbi Shimon heard that the woman chose her husband over all her
worldly possessions, he blessed them with children. This is because the
woman had overcome her natural inclination for material pursuits and
instead had increased the harmony between herself and her husband. This
ultimately made her worthy of having a son.

This story is exemplary of indirect reproof. If Rabbi Shimon would have
admonished them directly to do teshuvah, they may not have listened to
him. However, after he sent them home, they were aroused to consider
improving themselves.
The Torah repeats the words “say” and “you shall say” in the pasuk. Rashi
The Torah states, “And you shall speak to each of the wise-hearted explains that this is in order to “enjoin the elders regarding the minors.”
people.” Wisdom stems from the mind and not from the heart. What does Moshe Rabbeinu instructed the people to be scrupulous in observing the

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