In his address to the Knesset plenum in the final winter session on Wednesday, 6 Menachem Av 5772, MK (Yahadut HaTorah) Rav Uri Maklev spoke of the late posek hador, Maran Rav Elyashiv ZT”L, speaking of the hundreds of thousands of people who attended the levaya and escorted the aaron to Har Menuchos. He explained this showed the level of “kovod hatorah” seeking to explain to his fellow parliamentarians that “the rav never addressed Knesset but words were heard. His rulings and his hashkafa were the subject of addresses and on more than a few occasions I was asked to describe the rav that merited being the gadol hador. I was also asked how so many people assembled in the short time between his petira and the levaya, hundreds of thousands from around the country to take part until late into the night. What brought them?”

“The response to the questions is simple, limud torah and his devotion to it. The hundreds of thousands that took part in the levaya came to show respect and admiration, to the image, the devotion to torah that was Rav Elyashiv ZT”L, until the age of 102, demanding, constant, in a weakened state but the same routine. Every moment was holy to the dedication of torah. This is the prayer and the hope of parents for their children from their birth.

“He embodied the chain of the generations and the continuation of torah that illuminates from generation to generation. Therefore, the message of those who attended was clear. They shouted that we are all of the same word, that we are aware that there is someone who chas v’sholom wishes to weaken the chain of torah, our life. Iron chains and a criminal record or the cell walls will deter us for we will not be weakened. We will all wave the torah flag and לקדש שם שמים.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)