The shtender of the Gadol HaDor, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, z’tl, the one he learned on for dozens of years until his very last day has been sold.
The buyer lives in the US and it’s believed that he paid millions of dollars for it.
The shtender can be seen below in Brooklyn being prepared to be sent to the buyer.
Various items from HaRav Chaim’s home have already been sold in the past, during his lifetime, in exchange for generous donations to mosdos Torah.
YWN notes that Rav Chaim learned at his table as well, and used the shtender to lean on. He used a table-top shtender as well.
According to a B’Chadrei Chareidim report, many gvirim around the world are interested in buying items that belonged to the Gadol HaDor, z’tl.
The most valuable item is the tallis that was used by the Steipler, z’tl, for sandakus, and then by HaRav Chaim, z’tl, for tens of thousands of brisos but it is unknown if the family is willing to part with it.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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19 Responses
Which mosdos hatorah will actually be receiving the money? Kabdeihu vichashdeyu.
Sickening how people are trying to make a quick buck off Reb Chaim ztl
The shtender in the video looks like a fake!
Why would the family sell these valuables?
I hope that the wood of the shtender wont be too shamed or depressed by its new owner! Probably better off for it to sit in the seforim cheder of its original owner.
rofehardamah You are 100% correct.
Family should keep it for generations….
Not surprising. Treating RCK ztl this way began in his later years. However, I don’t recall anyone selling the articles used by the gedolim of old. We sold copies of their seforim, not their benkel
Sickening how people can be so negative.
Firstly there is a limit how many items the family can store in tiny Bnei Berak diros. Secondly, for those that really appreciate Torah, all these items are relatively insignificant, they have the real thing – his mesores, his toros, his seforim, his legacy etc. etc. It’s us, who are so far removed, that can only have a connection by owning something tangible.
and mainly, it can bring no bigger nechomo and nachas, to both the niftar and his family, if even after his petira he is still beneftting Torah Mosdos and bnei Torah. (I imagine that it’s going in large to his sons Yeshiva etc.but even if it’s going to the famaily, that is Hachzokas Hatora too. They may not be R’ Chaim, but they are huge talmidei Chachomim in their own rights. (One of the sons makes a siyum every year on Bavli, Yerushalmi and maybe Rambam too. Not quite his father, but still pretty inpressive. R’ Yitzchok Kolodetsky and R’ Braverman, R’ SHraga Steinman are all his sons in laws. If his material possesions will give them the menuchas hanefesh to learn with out running around to gemachim, it’a a huge ilui neshomo.)
If something is really bad, make your comment. But please keep irrelevant negative comments to yourself.
Quite vile and disturbing statements here. Assuming the shtender wasn’t stolen and sold, the mishpacha made the decision to sell it. I don’t believe the wood will be shamed or depressed, a Jew was willing to give millions to TZEDAKAH, hachzakas haTorah no less, to have it.
I don’t understand all of the hate for selling these items. People sell these kinds of things on auction all the time. Just because it’s fresh ppl have a shock. Let the mishpacha sell what they want and enjoy life. They have his sefarim which are the most valuable, and even that, ppl sell all the time.
I would cherish an item that was used by a tzaddik. However, it does not replace the hasmodoh and dedication to Torah that Rav Chaim had. A lot more important that the objects would be the emulating his midos and behavior. That is something we can do for free. No need to expend lots of money, just zitz fleish.
not sure if there is a mesora to sell things like this.
Rav Chaim Zatzal encouraged everyone in his lifetime to give to poor Bnei Torah as part of Kupat Hair. Halevai that the millions raised will be going to this cause as a merit for his neshama.
RCK, Inc. doesn’t waste any time, I see!
Rabbi can you ask he was a great man, The way his family is constantly looking to get rich on his Saintliness leaves us with a bad feeling
Shame, this true Godol’s face was used for many years as a cheap fundraiser and this is continuing after his death. If the shtender actually belonged to Rav Chaim it forms part of his legal estate and until there is an order of the Court or a Rabbanut Beis Din dealing with all issues of yerusha, no one has any right to deal in the deceased’s property. Who is getting the money from this “sale”?
R’ Chaim z”l himself wouldnt have spent an extra penny on such a thing, let alone give away a second of learning for it.
Who are we emulating???
Wasn’t the takeaway from his life that we should learn every minute?
Ooops . Bye. Back to the Gemara.
With his gravy train gone, Yanky needs some way to live. When he was offered a job at the Shwarma stand he didn’t look happy.
Gotagoodpoint: Thanks for making a good point.
When the Sosover Rebbe was niftar he asked that personal possessions be sold and the money should go to chosson amd kallas.
A few weeks after I got married over 20 years I bough the rebbes embroided pillow cover that was uses at his Seder table.
I tell my children the story every, some people will spend hundreds of thousands on gashmius, so we have to give to ruchiyus equally if we value what it means to be a jew.