Coalition for Jewish Values marks with great sadness the passing of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l*, at the age of 94. He was widely considered the foremost Jewish religious scholar of our day and the leading guide for much of the observant Jewish world. He was the son of Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, the “Steipler Gaon” (who was so named due to his having resided in Hornostaipil, Ukraine), and Miriam (Karelitz) Kanievsky, sister of Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, the “Chazon Ish.”

“Reb Chaim,” as he was commonly known, was born in Poland in 1928, but was only six when his parents moved to the Land of Israel. Once in the Holy Land, he never left. He was a child prodigy but also tremendously dedicated in his studies, routinely learning (studying Jewish texts) upwards of 17-18 hours per day. He was a prodigious author of Talmudic commentaries, works on Jewish ethics and law, and books and writings in other areas of traditional Jewish studies.

In his later years, and especially following the passing of his father-in-law, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, in 2012, and that of Rav Aharon Leib Steinman in 2017, people around the world turned to him for his guidance in matters ranging from the global to the personal. His guidance was instrumental in the formation and success of the Eretz HaKodesh slate in the World Zionist Organization, the Chairman of which is also our President, Rabbi Pesach Lerner.

May his memory be a blessing for all of us.

*Zt”l—zecher tzaddik l’vrachah, May the memory of a righteous person be a blessing.

Photo: Rabbi Pesach Lerner with Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, courtesy of Eretz HaKodesh