Rav Chaim Kanievsky Meets Old Yeshiva Mate 60 Years Later

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rav-chaim-kanievsky-naftali-lau60 years have passed since Rav Chaim Kanievsky and Naftali Lau-Lavi learned together at the renowned Lomza Yeshiva in Petach Tikva. Over the years, attempts have been made to bring the two together, but it hadn’t happened. Until last week, that is.

At the end of World War II, Naftali immigrated to Eretz Yisroel with his younger brother, Rav Yisroel Meir Lau, chief rabbi of Tel Aviv and former chief rabbi of Israel. Naftali stayed at the home of the Bais Yisroel of Ger, who advised him to study at the Lomza Yeshiva in Petach Tikva.

Naftali did as he was advised and was assigned to sleep in the same room as Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav Moshe Soloveitchik and Rav Yisroel Sorotzkin, uncle of Rav Eliezer Sorotzkin, current director general of Lev L’Achim, rov of Netanyahu and son-in-law of Rav Yisroel Meir Lau.

After leaving Lomza, Naftali engaged in other pursuits, becoming a diplomat, a journalist and a public figure in Israel.

Gedolei Yisroel, including Rav Shach zt”l and the Pnei Menachem of Ger zt”l, often consulted with him on security issues and other matters

In recent years, when Rov Dovid Lau, chief rabbi of Modiin and a nephew of Naftali, went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky to consult with him on various matters. Rav Chaim asked Rav Dovid how his uncle is doing and expressed interest in meeting him. Because of his age and disabilities, Naftali had not met with Rav Chaim before.

Last week, at the wedding of a son of Rav Eliezer Sorotzkin, Rav Dovid Lau fulfilled the request of Rav Chaim when he arranged a meeting between him and Naftali. They greeted each other with great joy and reminisced a bit about their days in Lomza some sixty years ago.

{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}


6 COMMENTS

  1. “After leaving Lomza, Naftali engaged in other pursuits, becoming a diplomat, a journalist and a public figure in Israel.”

    nice way to phrase it

    ‘After leaving Lomza, Naftali engaged in other pursuits, becoming’ a(Ma’arach) Labor Party insider and
    a journalist for Ha’aretz

  2. Re: Cohen (comment #1)

    Yiyasher kochecha for not passing up the opportunity to say something negative and cynical.

    May HASHEM bless you with a more happy life, so that you won’t feel the need to put down others.

  3. Rav Yisroel sorotzkin was a diligent and outstanding talmid Chacham. He was the youngest son of the renowned, Rav Zalman sorotzkin and son in law of Rav Reuven katz, chief rabbi and rosh yeshiva of Lomza in petach tikva

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