Rav Dovid Kviat zt”l

4:05 a.m. EST: It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Rav Dovid Kviat zt”l, renowned rov, rosh yeshiva and mechaber seforim, a gaon in Torah, avodas Hashem and middos, and one of the last links to the Mirrer Yeshiva of pre-war Europe. He was 89.

As reported here yesterday, Rav Kviat had been unwell and was hospitalized several weeks ago at Maimonides Medical Center in Boro Park. Talmidim and bnei Torah across the globe davened for rachamei Shomayim for Rav Dovid ben Chaya Reisha, but his pure neshama returned to its Creator last night.

Rav Kviat was the rov of Agudas Yisroel-Snif Chofetz Chaim of 18th Avenue in Boro Park for over 35 years and a R”M in the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn. He was also a member of the nesius of Agudas Yisroel of America and authored over 40 seforim, including his famous works titled Sukkas Dovid. His dozens of seforim are still in use today and talmidei chachomim all across the world use the Sukkas Dovid on Shas to prepare shiurim and understand the depths of sugyos haShas.  

The remarkable determination Rav Kviat demonstrated in continuing to write seforim and learn Torah under all circumstances was unique and spoke volumes about his gadlus in Torah and hasmada.

Rav Kviat was one of the few surviving Mirrer Yeshiva alumni who learned at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Poland and made their way to Kobe, Japan, and then Shanghai, China.

Rav Dovid was born in 1920 in Bialystok, Poland, which was at the time part of Belarus, and had two older brothers, R’ Yaakov and R’ Yisroel. Rav Kviat’s father was Rav Avrohom Eliezer Kviat, a Slonimer chossid who was a talmid of both the Slabodka Yeshiva and the Novardok Yeshiva in Europe.

The Kviat family was extremely poor, as were most residents of Bialystok at the time. When Rav Dovid was three years old, his mother, Rebbetzin Chaya Reisha a”h, passed away. Rav Dovid’s aunt helped take care of him after that.

The Torah education system in Bialystok was unique in that the cheder and the mesivta were both in the same city and under the same educational system. Most other cities only had a cheder. Rav Dovid’s two older brothers continued after mesivta in the Slominer Yeshiva, Toras Chesed. Rav Dovid chose to go to one of the Litvishe yeshivos instead, and the choices were between Kaminetz and Mir. Rav Dovid chose Mir.

On 2 Tammuz, 5707, the evening of June 19, 1947, Rav Kviat married his first wife, Rebbetzin Devorah, nee Lieberman, a”h, in Brooklyn. Rav Kviat went on to build a mishpacha of bnei and bnos Torah and respected talmidei chachomim. He was marbitz Torah for decades, with utmost devotion to his talmidim, and with unparalleled humility and simplicity.

Rav Kviat is survived by his devoted wife, Rebbetzin Rochel Kviat, and his children, Rav Eliezer Kviat, Rav Shmuel Binyomin Kviat, Rav Yitzchok Kviat, Rav Yisroel Kviat, Mrs. Chaya Waldman, Mrs. Faigy Fishman, Mrs. Suri Kaluszyner, Mrs. Breindy Dorfman, Mrs. Rivky Ostreicher and Mrs. Leah Weinrib.

The levaya is currently scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. at the Agudas Yisroel of 18th Avenue, located at 5413 18^th Avenue in Boro Park, and at 3 p.m. at the Mirrer Yeshiva, located at the corner of Avenue R and Ocean Parkway in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The niftar will then be flown to Eretz Yisroel.

The family is sitting shivah at 1748 45th Street in Boro Park. Shacharis is at 8 a.m., Minchah is at 4:15 p.m., and Maariv is at 6 p.m.

Yehi zichro boruch.

 {Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter}