The dust has settled, the hundreds of thousands have dispersed, and now life continues without Reb Chaim.
Click here to see a minute from yesterday’s funeral
With the passing of HaGa’on Harav Chaim Kanievsky zatzal, the Tzanzer Rebbe expressed himself that “The World Has Changed”. Reb Chaim Kanievsky is no longer in this world.
The world of Torah has certainly changed, the bulwark of Torah knowledge has passed, someone who was completely at home with ALL of the Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi, Toseftas, all of the Tur, the Rambam, the Bait Yosef, the Shulchan Aruch and all of its commentaries, like we are at home with the Shema prayer.
But not only the world of Torah, also the world of all those who observe it. Many people from all walks of life came to seek guidance from Reb Chaim, and he helped and blessed all those that came to him, no matter what the shape of their kipa was nor what political leanings he may have. And he solved their problems, sometimes in a miraculous way, the stories are now coming out by the dozens. For the ability to do wonders and miracles comes from Torah knowledge, and there was no one more knowledgeable in all of the parts of Torah than Reb Chaim.
The Rosh Yeshiva Rav Gershon Edelstein expressed himself in his eulogy that there was no one greater than Reb Chaim, and that really in terms of the level of “great men” that the Gemara speaks about, in whose merit sustenance and all kinds of good things come in to the world, Reb Chaim was the only one.
His very existence was a source of merit to Klal Yisrael.
And now he has left, and all of Torah Jewry feel like orphans.
Chazal (the Talmudic sages) say, Rashi brings this in Parshat Chukat, that the death of a righteous person, (there it was a reference to Miriam), brings atonement for Klal Yisrael. One of the super-commentaries on Rashi, the Maskil Ledavid, writes that this only works together with that which Chazal say “that anyone who cries and mourns over the death of a righteous person is granted atonement for all of his sins.” But it doesn’t work for someone who doesn’t take the passing of the righteous to heart.
For anyone who knew of Reb Chaim, it is imperative to understand what happened in the proper perspective. The loss for Klal Yisrael is immense, unmeasurable. But life goes on, and it is appropriate for anyone who feels so, to take something from Reb Chaim in order to lift himself up. I don’t imagine that any of us are going to be the next Reb Chaim, but to instill into our beings some aspect of that which Reb Chaim was famous for. For example, first and foremost to strengthen our Torah learning in terms of quantity and/or quality.
Hoping and praying for the deliverance of Klal Yisrael and the end of the exile,
Yours,
Rabbi Boruch Rappaport
Torah Online
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