Maran, the Prince of Torah—Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky zy"a—Eulogized Rabbi Eliezer

With great sorrow and grief, the world learned of the passing of Maran Sar HaTorah, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky zt"l.

The strong connection that existed between our teacher, the holy Gaon Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a and his family, with the Kanievsky family in general and with Rabbi Chaim himself, is well known. The Berland family purchased the apartment of the Steipler, and they were neighbors for 20 years, as our teacher the Rav recounts.

With great pain, our teacher Rav Berland shlit"a eulogizes the Sar HaTorah, Rabbi Kanievsky

B"H, the holy Gaon Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a in a chilling personal eulogy for Maran Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky zt"l

"We were neighbors for 20 years, door to door. I would see him every day, several times. Praying with him at Lederman together; that was our regular synagogue for 20 years. My children, from the day they were born, all prayed at Lederman together with Reb Chaim, and they all merited to see him day by day.

Truly, such a thing has not happened for several hundred years; such a revelation of Divinity that is revealed from within flesh and blood is something that is impossible to contain and impossible to understand. It is impossible to measure him by any standard in the world at all. To live in the proximity of the giant of giants, 'the great man, the giant of giants,' to live right next to him day by day for 20 years.

And since the Rabbanit (Berland shlit"a) would teach until 4:00 PM, and the girls would return from school and there was no food, the refrigerator was empty. On a regular basis, from age 6 to 15, they would always go up to Batsheva (Rabbanit Kanievsky zt"l); she would feed them. This was a constant, day by day, from age 6 to age 15; all my daughters would eat at Batsheva's. She would come down and prepare food for them.

And we were attached to one another like a family, truly, more than a family! And Batsheva was truly a mother to my daughters; she cared for them and nurtured them. Because the Rabbanit, from 8:00 in the morning, was no longer at home until 4:00 PM; she was concerned with parnassah, she was concerned with everything. If not for Batsheva, who knows how they could have grown up. So this was the physical help that was entirely spiritual. Because Batsheva and Reb Chaim were the aspect of the Cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant! In every generation, there is a couple who are the Cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant. In our generation, it was Reb Chaim and Batsheva; they were the Cherubim whose 'faces were toward one another.'

And then we know the state of the generation; we know that Hashem forgives all sins. Because the death of Miriam was juxtaposed to the Red Heifer, for the passing of a tzaddik atones more than the Red Heifer.

'The departure of tzaddikim is twice as difficult as the destruction of the Holy Temple.'

This day is a terrible and awesome day; it is impossible to contain it at all, this terrible tragedy. This is the most terrible day that could be; it is impossible to describe it at all. We did not dream that such a thing would happen. We were certain that Reb Chaim would live until 120 with us together and would continue to lead us and guide us with his light and his advice. The very fact that he lives here in this world continues the Divine light, the holy Shechinah. Because the tzaddik is the Shechinah, and his wife is the helper of the Shechinah; she is the Sefirah of Malchut of the Shechinah.

Reb Chaim and Batsheva, both together, with their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who continue to illuminate the people of Israel, they continue to illuminate! It is forbidden to think that the soul departs. It is written in 'Gesher HaChaim' that the greatest sin is to think that the soul has departed; that is the greatest sin of all sins. The soul does not depart; it remains with us! Just as it is written in the Gemara Shabbat 152, that Rabbi Yehuda went to comfort someone and he had no family, so he brought ten people. And after the shiva, he came (the deceased in a dream) and said, 'I was there!'

Just as Rav says: 'Brothers, in eulogy, for I am standing there' (Shabbat 153a). 'Brothers, in eulogy!' No matter how much we eulogize, it is not even a speck of the sea; it is not a drop from the thousands of thousands and tens of thousands of kindnesses and favors that Rabbi Chaim did for us! By the very fact of his remaining among us, by the very fact of his influence that he bestowed upon us. All the Torah of the generation—sons, daughters, all the strengthening—it was all in his merit! Everything is his merit.

Just to see him for one second, one could learn Torah for all 120 years continuously without distraction, without taking one's head out of the book. And this is the lesson we learned from Rabbi Chaim, whom I followed for 20 years; in his life, he never took his head out of the book! Whether walking to the Chazon Ish Kollel, whether... She would run, run after him, I remember to this day. He wouldn't look at all if she was walking with him or not; on the way with the children to kindergarten, he is only holding the book! His face is only in the book. He barely knew the streets, how to get to the Chazon Ish Kollel! That is how I followed him for 20 years, day by day. Such a wondrous figure will not be again until our righteous Mashiach comes! He is the letters of Mashiach (the acronym of Maran Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim); his name was the letters of Mashiach.

He was the Mashiach of the generation without any doubt! If we had been worthy, he would have been revealed; we would have seen his revelation. Just as the Chatam Sofer says in Choshen Mishpat, sign 98, in the Likutim, that Mashiach is found in every generation. There is no generation without Mashiach! Only we, we do not have the merit; we do not have the merit that King Mashiach should be revealed to us. But he was the King Mashiach of this generation without any doubt. He was Mashiach in truth, and the fact that he passed away suddenly is due to the sins of the generation; it atones for the generation.

Because in truth, there was a decree of annihilation upon all the people of Israel, and he has now sweetened this decree!

Because in every generation there are decrees of annihilation, and therefore Mordechai could not devote himself to study because there were terrible decrees of annihilation, 'to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews.' Therefore, he was 'accepted by the majority of his brethren' because they did not understand that he had to fight against the decrees of annihilation. But the moment it stopped, he went up to the Land of Israel and returned to his study, after the Megillah. This was Rabbi Chaim, who sweetened all the decrees, sweetened them.

Everything that we live here in the Holy Land for 94 years already, living here without any enemy or destroyer, no enemy succeeds. There are endless enemies, and only the merit of Rabbi Chaim stands for us, and it will stand for us for our generation and for all future generations until our righteous Mashiach comes speedily in our days, Amen.