The Jewish Home | MARCH 24, 2022
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Sar HaTorah Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l
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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
By RaBBi avRohom SeBRow
lal Yisrael is in a deep state of mourning for the Sar HaTorah, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l. HaRav Binyomin Forst, shlit”a, remarked that we are no longer living in the same world. Before there was a world with Rav
Chaim, and now we are in a world without him. It was a catastrophic loss, a veritable sea change. Rav Chaim lived and breathed Torah. From a young age, Rav Chaim accepted upon himself a rigorous study schedule. He referred to this learning as chovos, literally debts. If missed, these chovos needed to be paid. When Rav Chaim became engaged to Rav Elyashiv’s daughter, Rav Chaim was overheard murmuring about his “chovos.” Alarmed, a family member from the Elyashiv family was worried that Batsheva Elyashiv would start married life with a husband full of debts! Someone explained that “chovos” referred to his learning – not actual debt! Rav Chaim kept this regular study schedule every
year, making a siyum on the entire Torah on Erev Pesach. Many people have a relaxed learning schedule during Bein Hazmanim, but not Rav Chaim. He constantly plowed through his rigorous learning schedule every day, finishing the entire Bavli and Yerushalmi once a year. He remarked that the seventh day of Pesach marked the beginning of an extra intensive week of “chovos.” Rav Chaim’s demanding schedule was fashioned after Talmud Bavli. While the Bavli has no Gemara in Seder Zeraim other than Brachos, the Yerushalmi does. It seems that Rav Chaim learned through the entire seder of Mishnayos Zeraim in one week (besides for Brachos). This is an impressive but understandable
