So I told him, “They’re going to get divorced. Also, the Rebbe didn’t say no to them. The Rebbe wanted to save his cousin, but he just couldn’t do it because he publicly came out against adoption.”
The Rav was finally assuaged, and because the Rav was the Rav, I couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t give them a heter. After meeting the Rav [and not getting a conclusive answer], they wanted to meet him again. But the Rav backtracked and said he didn’t want to see them. Later he agreed, but when they knocked on his door, he didn’t answer. I called him up and said, “They’re knocking on your door…” He said, “I don’t want…” He was backtracking again.
Finally, he opened the door and took them in. Now, I had told the husband that the Rav understands the situation and I’m almost sure he’ll say it’s all right. After the meeting, I spoke to him and he said the Rav was going in that direction but then stopped and said, “Come back in a year. If you don’t have a child in a year, ask me again.”
It was a crazy answer. I called the Rav and said, “What happened?” He said, “I was going to do it. But then,” he said, “I told the Eibershter that if You don’t give this woman a child within a year, I’m going to give her the heter.”
About four or five months later, the man called me up and said his wife became pregnant for the first time. She gave birth several weeks before the year was up.
They wanted the Rav to be the sandek, so I went and spoke to the Rav. He started to laugh. “I’m not a rebbe, chas v’chalilah. I didn’t do it. What did I do?”