Hundreds of thousands of people streamed to Bnei Brak on Sunday to attend the levaya of Sar HaTorah, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, z’tl. The crowd was estimated to be around 750,000 people.

B’Chasdei Hashem, Israel Police did an excellent job securing the event and the levaya ended without any serious injuries.

The levaya began exactly at 12 noon with the recitation of Tehillim by HaRav Chaim’s mekurav, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Smotney and the recitation of selichos by HaGaon HaRav Moshe Bauer.

HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein, HaRav Chaim’s brother-in-law, was the next to speak and moved the crowd with his weeping over the loss of what is described in Shir HaShirim as Eshkol (אשכול), the person who has everything, Mikrah, Mishneh, Talmud, Tosefta and Hagaddah. “Hakadosh Baruch Hu took the person who’s equivalent to the whole Am in order to be mechapeir on Am Yisrael,” HaRav Zilberstein said tearfully.

HaRav Zilberstein also described the time when HaRav Chaim was writing his sefer about locusts and “suddenly a locust appeared on his windowsill in order that that HaRav Chaim could see its shape.”

“When I told this to my father-in-law, HaRav Elyahsiv, he was astounded,” HaRav Zilberstein said. “HaRav Elyashiv, z’tl, said that only the Rishonim were zocheh to such a thing. And in these days we saw a person who was zochech to this!”

Rosh Yeshivas Ponevezh HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein then spoke and emphasized the need for the klal to work on yiras Shamayim now that the influence of HaRav Chaim, z’tl, is gone.

“How do we increase yiras Shamayim? Learning mussar is the only way,” HaRav Edelstein said. “Yiras Shamayim is against nature, we always need chizzuk and this can be accomplished via a daily commitment to learning a mussar sefer.”

The last maspid was HaRav Chaim’s son, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Kanievsky, Rosh Yeshivas Tiferes Tzion and Kiryat Melech. “Abba, how did you leave us so suddenly?” Rav Shlomo cried. “Hakadosh Baruch Hu took you without preparation and with mamash a misah neshika.”

HaRav Shlomo spoke about how HaRav Chaim’s greatness was seen in mundane matters. “When Abba would arrive home from kollel, the food was always ready on the table. Abba was makpid not to eat without Ima. If she wasn’t sitting at the table, he wouldn’t eat. And if it would take more than a minute or two before Ima sat down, he would immediately turn to his shtender and begin learning. These may seem like simple and minor things but we saw them with our own eyes. These things were symbolic of the way my father lived and the devotion he had.”

At the end of the levaya, HaRav Moshe Smotney appointed HaRav Chaim’s youngest son, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Shaul Kanievsky, as the Rav of the Lederman shul.

The levaya ended with the recitation of Kaddish by HaRav Chaim’s son, HaGaon HaRav Avraham Yeshaya Kanievsky. The levaya then proceeded to the Zichron Meir Beis HaChayim, where HaRav Chaim was buried amid profuse weeping and tefillos next to his late wife, the tzadeikeis, Rebbitzen Batsheva Esther Kanievsky, a’h.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)