[COMMUNICATED]
News spread quickly last Friday afternoon that the Gadol HaDor, Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, had passed away from a major heart attack. Just three days before his passing, however, the Rav was in the news:
For several years now, Rav Kanievsky has been the face & voice of most of Vaad HaRabbanim’s charity campaigns. Thousands of people rely on help from Vaad HaRabbanim to cover their most basic needs. Last week, Rav Kanievsky revived an ancient tradition: The writing of a kamia.
Rav Kanievsky created a limited number of copies of a handwritten letter originally composed by Rav Yeshaya of Kerestir, a rabbi whose students experienced “miracles beyond the limits of nature.” A limited amount of those who donate to Vaad HaRabbanim’s fund will receive their ‘kamia,’ as a symbol of protection and success.
The demand for the kamia has shot up since Rav Kanievsky’s passing as this was the last charity campaign the Rav zt”l was involved in, after decades of lending his support.
What did Rav Chaim zt”l, a Litvish godol, have with Kerestir, a Hungarian Hasidic Rebbe?
Seems quite a stretch.
That’s not the only stretch.
What role did he play in “creating” these copies?
Did he hit “enter” on a computer keyboard?
(I doubt it.)
Maybe a voice command to trigger the software’s churning out of the copies?
(I doubt it.)
Maybe he hit “enter” on a copying machine — or maybe he fed the handwritten copy into the copier?
(I doubt it.)
So what role DID he play?
Confirmed STIPLER, not Chazon-Ish. Period.
Take a closer look
Rav Chaim was actually not from Lita, he was Russian, and his father the Steipler Zatz”al was from Horenstepel.
Was done a Litvish Gadol have with a mikva in his house??
Actually Rav Chaim ztz’l and indeed the Steipler ztz’l hailed from chassidishe families. It is known Rav Chaim wore a gartle under his jacket….
Reports like this remind me of Ronald Reagan’s approach of “trust but verify”
How much is Matzav being paid for these infomercials?
AND it is known that The Steipler Gaon AND Rav Chaim Zichronam li’vrachah, BOTH wore a shtreimal in their homes.
It is ALSO well known that a “gartel” under OR over ones jacket has little to do with chasiddus. The Shulchan Aruch (based on a Gemorah in Maseches Shabbos requires a special belt be worn for the davenning as an expression of hikone/preparation for the davenning REGARDLESS if one is wearing a belt or other similar separating article of clothing. Some have suggested that by buttoning ones jacket this REQUIREMENT is fulfilled. Others are of the opinion that today the very donning of the jacket fulfills the REQUIREMENT of hikone. The Mishnah Berurah – not a chosid – also wore a gartle. In fact his gartle is still worn by family members on certain occasions. He writes that EVEN if today it is not an bsolute requirement, it MOST CERTAINLY IS a “MIDAS chasidus” to do so. I heard from a daughter of Rav Yerucham Levovitz ztzvk”ll that he TOO wore a gartle as did “The Brisker Rav HaRav Moshe Yeudah Leib Diskin ztzvk”l. I also heard from grandchild of a resident of Vilna, who was a member of the “GRAniks”, that they wore gartlach for dvenning.
I am quite certain that the CHaSa”M Sofer ztzvk”l wrote kameiyos. He was neither chossid nor litvak.
The Gemorah speaks of them.
Why must we take any and every expression of Yiddishkeit which goes outside of our comfort zone and label it as chasidus? Why can’t it be called exactly what it is; deveikus, avodah, kadesh atzmechah b’mutar lach, aliyah, bikush, etc.?