As tefilos are being recited around the world on behalf of Maran Posek HaDor HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv Shlita, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita was asked about adding a name to the posek hador. Rav Kanievsky, who is also Rav Elyashiv’s son-in-law, also heard discussion regarding differences of opinion among the medical team treating Rav Elyashiv.
Rav Elyashiv’s condition remains critical. He remains in a coma and on life support. The sharp deterioration in his condition is attributed to a severe case of pneumonia.
One of the questions posed to Rav Kanievsky was if a name should be added to the posek hador. The response was unequivocally no, not to add a name, explaining in this case, the gadol hador’s merits are all attached to his name and changing him into a new person as it were would have the reverse effect, chas v’sholom canceling his merit.
Rav Kanievsky added that Rav Elyashiv have the same response when approached years ago asking if a name should be added to HaGaon HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l. Rav Elyashiv stated a name should not be added for the reasons explained.
A kenos tefilla will begin later tonight, the eve of 13Adar at the Kosel, getting underway at 23:00. The tzibur is requested to continue being mispallel for Rav Yosef Sholom ben Chaya Musha b’soch kol cholei am yisrael.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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15 Responses
Adding a Name to a Choleh is only done in very rare cases and for young cholim r”l
You mean as in Rav Rafael Shmuel Berenbaum?
#2- Rav Refoel Shmuel Berenbaum was young when his name was added. Like upper 50’s low 60’s.
Nice try 🙂
Yes, Rav Refoel Shmuel Berenbaum was a young 75 when his name was added. And nice try, Asher. Happy purim.
#1 – Please list your credentials to Pasken for Klal Yisroel or at least the source where you get this Psak from.
can anyone please tell me where does it say that if someone changes his name he looses all his merits and mitsvos he has done in his life? as far as I know, nothing is lost from hashem’s book of chishboinos, the person is recognized by God by his spiritual neshamah and physical body that fullfilled the mitsvos, not just by his name or what people call him, call him shmuly or yanki makes no difference, he is the same neshamah. a name does make a difference in the person’s treats and midos, but it does not make him a different entity. the arizal mentions that many neshamos come back in gilgulim to complete many tikunim, he says that there are men that in previous life were women, and women that were men! so someone today that we call moishe, his name in past life could possibly been rivki or shandy, it makes no difference in God’s eyes, its the same neshamah.
#4 Your dead wrong. rav Shmuel had his heart attack when he was in his late 50’s low 60’s. THAT is when the name was added.
he then had a cardiac arrest when he was 75 and NO NAME WAS ADDED.
He was then sick for 18 months at the end of his life, and no name was added.
Your right, nice try., and please get your facts straight before publishing them.
Davidatshm
In that case we should ablish name changing all together after all what’s the difference hashem knows who’s who!
to ASAP
You have a good point there, but it’s not truely so, because by malach hamaves its the opposite, he only recognizes people by their names and goes to get them by their names, (like the gemarah chagiga 4b-5a relates the story about miriam megadla se’ar neshaya, veyesh nispe belo mishpat)therefore the minhag is to change the name to confuse the soton, like the chidah wrote in few places.
To #6- davidatshm;
you want to know “Where does it say” ??
Rav chaim kanievsky is not good enough for you?
You are a big mechutzaf!
To YeshivaRodefKesef:
Thank you for your common sense to stand up and make a protest for kavod-hatorah. It’s sad to see a Jew doubt a Gadol-Hador. It’s heartbreaking if he’s “supposedly” shomer-mitzvot. It’s disturbing enough to hear him mentioning it in public (rather than him approaching his Rav in private to ask his question respectfully.) It’s unbelievable to see him equate himself on par with that Gadol (like saying “as far as I know”…!!) And it’s insane to witness how low could someone descend to write it in a widely read media!!!
davidatshm, OY vavoy onto you for forfeiting a big chelek of your olam haba!
I think you’re beyond mechutzaf. “as far as I know” you’re a melagleg al divrei chachamim who is considered as an apikoros.
Sepharadys have on mi lismoch. Rav Kanievsky is one opinion among others. One late example is the name Hai added to rav yaacov yossefs name…
Asher- My info came from the Jewish Press http://www.jewishpressads.com/printArticle.cfm?contentid=28739
: My Machberes by Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum, dated Wednesday, January 16 2008, which states: “In 1996, he suffered and survived a second heart attack. The Rosh Yeshiva had the name Rafael added during his illness and was thereafter known as Rabbi Rafael Shmuel.”
After reading your comment, I asked an immediate member of the family when the name was added and you are correct; the name was added after the first illness when Rav Berenbaum was in his 40’s. Sorry. Thanks Tannenbaum.
Moderators response: Once again the jewish press comes shining through….Ah freilichen Purim.
to Hahoo_gavra.
How dare you judge me and call me names if you dont know what my intentions and thoughts were? you definitely were malbin pene chavero barabim and has no chelek leolam habo.
just for you to know, I never even had the slightest hava amina to argue with the gadol hador, he knows very well what he says, I have no doubt about that,I just simply did not know neither understand his sources,and all I wanted is to see if anyone here had an understanding.we aren’t allowed to ask? we arent allowed to understand? just because a gadol said something that means we are not allowed to ask for an explanation and for an understanding, or maybe an earlier source?? and whats wrong with asking a question in public?? the artical was put up publicly and I felt I had a small he’ara, why shouldn’t I say it? I’m not intittled to a question to understand something? I never meant it in a chutspa way or to disagree with gadol hador like you thought,or to be melagleg chas veshalom, I personally write him many letters and wait eagerly for two months to recieve his “two words” answer, and you have the chutspa to call me a melagleg or doubting his words? I think only a negetive person like you sees and reads things negetively the way he wants to see it.
davidatshm– I think your question is due to confusing the totality of Hashem’s cheshbonos and the purpose of a name change. My understanding is that the name change is supposed to change the mazel– assuming that the illness is due to some sort of spiritual lacking or aveira, changing the name gives the person a new start. There’s some source for it, that you can change location or name, or deeds in order to change mazal. So I believe that’s the purpose of the name change.
That’s why they would not want to apply it to the gadol hador. His merit is his mazel, and if Hashem is going to heal him, it will be because of this merit. He’s alive because of who he is, so you don’t want to change that.
Obviously Hashem’s cheshbonos include everything, but we can still change mazel in the ways that Hashem gives us.
Anyway, these are just my thoughts; I don’t have any sources to back it up.