JSnopes

I have recently received “Gedolim Stories” via email that were refuted in subsequent emails. It could be that the original story was somewhat true or it was completely made up. Here is a story and rebuttal:

David Seidman a divorce lawyer from Lawrence, walked into a non Jewish attorneys office. On the wall behind her desk was a picture of Reb Moshe ZT”L. He had to ask her why she had this picture. She explained that she once had a client getting divorced who was not interested in Jusaism. Her mother kept on pushing her to obtain a get. After a while in order to placate her mother she agreed.

A bais din was convened consisting of Reb Moshe, Rabbi Bluth and someone else. The husband is sitting there and in comes the lady, her attorney and the woman’s dog. The

attorney explains that her client always brings along her dog, it has been with her during all the hard times and is her best friend.

They are sitting for a few minutes and Reb Moshe says in Yiddish that there will be no get written today. After everyone leaves Rabbi Bluth inquires why the R”Y didn’t do the get.

Reb Moshe says this dog was with her through all the years, saw the fighting etc. It would definitely have recognized the husband yet didn’t even bark or show any response as though he never saw this guy. The man is not the husband. They checked into it and it was not the husband, she brought along a guy so that she could get a get and make her mother happy.

This attorney was so impressed how Reb Moshe could read a person through a dog that she was inspired to be more careful at getting the proper information and facts .

One can see the power of Daas Torah.

Here are the responses:

Interesting story about R’ Moshe disqualifying a Get. The only thing I don’t understand is: aren’t there usually eidim that testify to the Beis Din that these two people requesting a Get are indeed the married couple. Why were these eidim not present, how could the Beis Din have even a “hava aminah” of issuing a Get without testimony that this is truly the man and woman involved. Hmm.. seems a little fishy, or should I say “far-fetched”.

I have to concur with the first response. I have participated in a few dozen gitten as an eid or a dayan. Though I have never seen eidim who knew the couple, brought in to testify on the identity of the couple (I have only seen eidim for the writing and transference of the get); I have seen Batei Din check documentation such as passport, drivers licencse etc. to verify who’s who.

By the way, I have noticed that the frumer the couple, the more acrimonious the get.

Rabbi Bluth told me that he never was at a get with the Rosh Yeshiva Rav Moshe and a dog.