The Shiur in His Home
I recall over forty-five years ago when I studied in the
yeshiva where Rabbenu, the Steipler ztvk'l, was Rosh
Yeshiva. It was once announced that the Rosh Yeshiva would
not be saying the usual shiur in the yeshiva, but in
his home. We all came to his house, only to find him abed. We
gathered around him and thus, covered by a sheet, he
delivered the shiur.
When we turned to leave, I inquired after his health, for I
wished, at least, to fulfill the mitzvah of bikur
cholim. He confessed that he was not ill at all, but that
his trousers had torn and he did not own another pair into
which to change . . . This was no reason for him to call off
the shiur, however, and therefore, the only way he
could still deliver it was in this manner, until his
Rebbetzin succeeded in mending the tear.
Why Are There Troubles in the World?
The Steipler once told me why there is so much suffering in
the world. In ancient times, poverty was rampant even in
extreme form. People were accustomed to hardship, penury,
deprivation but they did not complain. They accepted their
lot, even willingly. This attitude actually averted many a
tzoroh.
Not so in our present day where there is no real extant
poverty with which to compare; today's Jew has become inured
to comfort and yet, is not satisfied with his lot but wants
more and more. This brings on much suffering and distress.
He added that people need a rebbe. "They come to me, thinking
that I am an Admor who can help them. This world is full of
troubles and people think that I am the address to provide
their solutions . . . "
The Mashgiach's Question
The Steipler once told me that HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein
zt'l came to him with a question. He had been
accustomed, all the years, to eat only two slices of bread
per meal, but now that he was weak, he sometimes felt the
need to eat more. Was he permitted to eat more without saying
another blessing, since he may not have had it in mind at the
beginning of the meal?
The Steipler replied that he should state this conditionally
one time, and that statement would suffice for the rest of
his life. Each successive meal he ate would be on the
precondition that if he felt the need to eat more, he could.
Thus, it would not be considered an afterthought that would
require a new blessing.
Avodas Hashem in Old Age
My master-and-teacher once explained a verse in Koheles
(7:10) to me: "Do not say that the former days were
better than these, for you do not inquire wisely concerning
this."
He said that in one's youth, a person is more effervescent,
driven, high spirited, and his avodas Hashem is
similarly more fervent and energetic. When he grows older,
his vigor wanes and loses momentum, as does his G-dly
worship. Shlomo Hamelech reassures the older man that this is
how life is and he must not be distressed over his lack of
vitality.
The Steipler's Orphanhood
The Steipler told me that his father used to study with him
every Shabbos from the age of seven until he was eleven, when
his father passed away. They studied Emek Hatefilloh
together. This is the first volume of Emek Habrochoh
by the Admor, HaRav Mordechai Dov zt'l of
Hornesteipel, the son-in-law of the Divrei Chaim zt'l.
The Steipler told me that his father was his chossid;
he traveled to him every year. His father taught him this
particular volume in order to instill in him yiras
Shomayim, since all the other volumes involved
pilpul dialectics.
HaRav Chaim Kanievsky shlita told me that in his
youth, his father, the Steipler, taught him the work Bas
Eini as well as the chassidic and mussar works of
the Admor of Charkas zt'l, who was the aforementioned
Admor's grandfather; in fact, the Steipler was named after
him.
The Steipler told me that he was five when his father took
him to the Rebbe, R' Mordechai Dov, whose figure he still
remembered very vividly.
The Steipler did not have the opportunity to fully fulfill
his filial obligation of kibbud ov, since his father
passed away when he was eleven. He then traveled to the
yeshiva in Hommel. Subsequently, the yeshivos in Poland and
Russia were his home; he never again saw his mother, who
remained in Russia.
When he came to Eretz Yisroel, the Steipler renewed
contact with his mother by correspondence. She lived to a
ripe old age and died in Russia in 5697 (1937), when her son
sat shiva over her. She was a righteous woman, as the
Steipler's wife testified. The Rebbetzin told that she had
written to her mother-in-law to request a photo of her so
that the Rebbetzin would know, at least, how she looked. She
replied that she had never allowed herself to be photographed
and did not wish to do so now, either.
The Steipler honored his parents, nonetheless, by naming his
work Bircas Peretz for them. This is what he writes in
his introduction: "And in order to fulfill the commandment of
kibbud ov vo'eim, as is brought in Kiddushin
31b, to honor them in their lifetime and to honor them
after death, I have called this work Bircas Peretz, in
memory of my father R' Chaim Peretz z'l (whose
yahrtzeit falls on Rosh Chodesh Nisan), and in memory
of my mother Brochoh o'h (whose yahrtzeit falls
on 2 Iyar). May they repose in Gan Eden until they arise in
techiyas hameisim together with all other deceased,
speedily, in our days."
Plea for Pardon from the Rebbetzin
After his Rebbetzin passed away, the Steipler gathered ten
men to her room, where she had been lain on the ground, and
tearfully asked her for forgiveness, twice, in his name and
in the name of his daughter Yosefa and his son Chaim, and all
the children.
He said: "I hereby ask forgiveness if I did not treat you
properly in your lifetime, or they, either. Please forgive me
and them."
Three Garment-Rendings over Gedolei Yisroel
R' Chaim Kanievsky told me that his father instructed him to
rip his outer garment on the left side, by the heart, and
with a blessing, over the Brisker Rov zt'l. He
declared that the Brisker Rov was the godol hador.
When the Steipler heard of the passing of the Gaon of Tchebin
zt'l, after Shabbos, he went to his room and made a
tear — in the hem of his coat, I believe. The Steipler
told me that he, too, was the godol hador and his
passing represented the last of the great figures.
The Steipler likewise rent his coat over HaRav Aharon Kotler
zt'l, before the burial. We arrived at the middle of
the funeral in Jerusalem, coming by bus from Bnei Brak. The
Steipler waited until right before the actual burial before
rending his coat.
Guidance in Shidduchim
When I was looking into a match for a young girl in my
family, the Steipler gave me two guidelines about what to
look for in the chosson: the first was to seek
yiras Shomayim, and the second, to seek
straightforward common sense.
He also advised me to seek a young man with the following
attributes: fear of Hashem, love for Torah, diligence in
study. In our times, one who devotes ten hours to Torah study
can be considered a masmid. He added that once,
fifteen hours was the norm for such a title. The candidate
should know how to learn and to thoroughly clarify a topic
with poskim — Tur, Shulchan Oruch.
It was not necessary, he noted, for him to innovate or be
exceptionally gifted. He mentioned the prayer of Channah in
which she asked to be blessed with a son who was middling in
everything. He added that it was important to ascertain these
points by extensive questioning, and not to rely on the word
of the bochur's rosh yeshiva alone.
The Steipler told me that generally speaking, the gifted,
brilliant students become problematic after marriage when
they see that they are not progressing as quickly or
thoroughly as they would like, and sometimes they fall by the
wayside.
I actually heard about a certain young man who was reported
not to daven minchah. The matter was looked into and
verified, upon which the Chazon Ish ordered that the match be
dissolved without the need to ask mechiloh from
him.
The Steipler Refuses to Impose Upon the Rebbe of
Tchebin
There existed a very active correspondence between the
Steipler and the rov of Tchebin for many years on various
Torah subjects. HaRav Avrohom Horowitz was generally the go-
between when he went to visit his father-in-law, HaRav C.
Auerbach, in Shaarei Chessed. R' Avrohom was also the trusted
messenger for verbal halachic questions.
R' Avrohom once summoned up his courage and confronted the
Steipler with a question, "Why don't you find the opportunity
to go to Yerushalayim and meet the Gavad of Tchebin, to talk
with him in person?"
The Steipler replied, "I am hard of hearing and am certain
that a conversation would be taxing on the Rov. I don't want
to tire the godol hador."
Hashem Protects from Mishap
R' Avrohom told in the name of the Steipler Rebbetzin: When
the Chazon Ish left over some of the food she served him, she
would ask him why he had not eaten it. He would apologize and
explain, "Just as I was about to eat, something came up to
distract me. One person came in and afterwards another. I had
to conclude that there was something amiss with the food if
Heaven was thus preventing me repeatedly from eating it, so
as to spare me from sinning."
The Rebbetzin checked into the matter and discovered that she
had forgotten to ma'aser one of the ingredients. On
another occasion, it was discovered that the food had been
left uncovered for some time (meguloh). Each time that
he saw an impediment in eating, he concluded that something
was amiss, which was invariably verified.
Is a Ben Torah Considered a Pauper?
Regarding evyonim, paupers, Maran told me that one who
begs for handouts on the street is not necessarily a poor
man, for many of these street beggars have thousands of
shekolim stashed away or in bank accounts. And it
specifically says that one who owns 200 zuzim to his
name for his year's outlay is not considered penniless. In
today's terms, this is about ten thousand shekolim.
This being the case, a yeshiva student certainly qualifies as
a poor man.
Seeking Counsel from Sages
R' Schneur Sholom Hakohen, an American Jew who was one of the
steady mispallelim in the Chazon Ish's beis
medrash, would give his entire pension to the Chazon Ish
to distribute to poor Torah students. Maran showed special
care towards him and would advise him concerning every letter
he received.
One Friday, an hour before candlelighting, a water pipe burst
in his home. He came running to the Chazon Ish, asking that
he call a plumber. "I don't do a thing without first
consulting the Rebbi," he said.
Maran told him to return home and he did so, only to discover
that the pipe had stopped leaking. But when he came home
right after Shabbos, he saw that the water was flowing again.
Now he had no choice but to seek a plumber himself.
And the Plane Fell
HaRav Eliezer Horowitz heard the following story from
Rebbetzin Kanievsky:
The Chazon Ish's sister, the wife of the Steipler, tended to
her brother's needs in the latter years of his life when they
lived under the same roof. About a year after the
establishment of the State of Israel, a clean-shaven,
impeccably dressed European came, asking to be admitted to
the Chazon Ish. The Rebbetzin saw nothing unusual about this,
since all kinds of people came for blessings. But when he
went in and remained for a long time, she was very
surprised.
When he had gone, the Chazon Ish emerged from his room and
washed his face many times. The Rebbetzin could see that he
had been weeping and couldn't help asking who had just been
in to see him.
"Didn't you recognize him?" he asked his sister. She
hadn't.
"As a youth, he studied with me. (The Chazon Ish had a few
students in chutz la'aretz with whom he studied.) He
went astray and became caught up with Communism and shook off
all vestiges of his Judaism, as did many youths in that time.
His talents propelled him forward in the party ranks and he
eventually became a high-ranking diplomat in the Foreign
Ministry until he was appointed supervisor of all the Russian
ambassadors. At some point, he came to Eretz Yisroel
the check over the embassy here, and he was looking through
some documents involving Eretz Yisroel and came across
the names of prominent rabbis. He saw my name and decided
that when he came to Israel, he would pay me a visit a day
before he left.
"I asked him if he wanted me to pray that he be killed. He
did not reply. I understood from his silence that he agreed,
or at least, was not opposed to the idea." I don't remember
exactly which way Maran put it."
A day later, the newspapers had an item about a plane flying
from Israel to Turkey with a Russian diplomat; it had crashed
and he had been killed. When the Chazon Ish was informed of
it, he said, "Maybe he repented right before his death."
The first yahrtzeit of HaRav Horowitz zt"l was on
26 Elul. This material is taken from the fifth volume of
Orchos Rabbenu.
