Rav Gershon Ingber zt”l, Author of Kan Shlomo on Maseches Kinim

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Gershon Ingber zt”l, author of the sefer Kan Shlomo on Maseches Kinim. He was 78.

Rav Ingber devoted his life to the study, elucidation, and dissemination of this little-learned masechta, which is known for its complexity and limited practical application in our times.

For centuries, Maseches Kinim remained largely untouched, rarely studied by the broader Torah public due to its intricate content and lack of direct relevance in the absence of the Beis Hamikdash. Rav Ingber took it upon himself to bring clarity and accessibility to this challenging masechta, writing a groundbreaking commentary that made its study attainable for all.

His work, Kan Shlomo, is based on the earlier sefer Kan Meforeshes by Rav Tzvi Gutmacher zt”l, who passed away young and left no descendants. Rav Tzvi’s father, the famed Rav Eliyahu Gutmacher zt”l, promised that anyone who learns his son’s sefer would merit his intercession in Shomayim and receive divine assistance.

Rav Ingber labored on Kan Shlomo for four full years, dedicating the final six months solely to the last Mishnah in the masechta, a passage described by the Tiferes Yisrael as the most difficult Mishnah in all of Shisha Sidrei Mishnah. His sefer presents the text with clear explanations, colorful charts, and detailed diagrams that guide learners through the maze of calculations and concepts that characterize Maseches Kinim.

Explaining his focus on this area, Rav Ingber once said, “Learning Maseches Kinim is known as a special segulah for salvation and mercy. There are early sources that speak of this, such as Sefer Chassidim, which writes that studying neglected masechtos carries unique merit. The Chofetz Chaim expanded on this idea, writing that certain parts of Torah are like a meis mitzvah—abandoned and in need of someone to take responsibility. Every Jew is obligated to engage in such areas, precisely because no one else is.”

He credited the late Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky a”h for spreading awareness of this segulah, noting how many people followed her guidance and experienced miraculous salvations. He recounted the story of a Yid from Yerushalayim, Rav Davidovitz, whose friend was blessed with children after ten years of marriage after learning the masechta. Rav Davidovitz took this cause upon himself and began promoting the study of Kinim across the country, organizing shiurim, forming study groups, and encouraging others to embrace this forgotten corner of Torah.

Rav Ingber himself would travel each evening to give a shiur in Kinim, delivering it with passion and enthusiasm, and constantly working to expand the reach of the masechta’s study.

On Monday, Rav Ingber was laid to rest. The levayah departed from his home on Rechov Zechariah in Bnei Brak and continued to the Segulah Bais Hachaim in Petach Tikvah.

He is survived by his family, who continue in his path of Torah and avodas hakodesh.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com Israel}