Alt-Neu Litvish - Rav Chaim Kanievsky Rolls Back the Litvishe Clock to the Golden Age of Lita

מרן שר התורה והיראה, גאון עוזנו, Rav Chaim Kanievsky זצ"ל, has passed on, ועזב אותנו לאנחות. So many words of הספד, הערכה, הזכרה have been shared, in so many places. But there is still room for more, ואף אני אענה חלקי, בעזר צורי וקוני. So let's try to evaluate and define Rav Chaim's place in and impact on the Litvishe Torah world, in addition to the velt at large.

Where did Rav Chaim stand, what did he stand for in that world? Although to outsiders it might seem an unvaried ocean of black and white, to those in the know that is far from the reality. 

As we wrote about here in the past, in one of our most popular posts, much of the Litvishe velt changed in certain ways over the last century or so (as there were changes in other segments of the frum world during that time). Two great דרכים that conquered large swaths of that world then, were the paths of Brisk, and Slabodka. Brisk meaning the דרך הלימוד associated with Rav Chaim Brisker and his followers. Slabodka meaning the דרך החיים associated with the Alter of Slabodka and his talmidim. Whether that was what was originally intended can be debated, but those movements prevailed in many corners of the so-called Litvishe Torah world, to one extent or another, leading to the popular image of the Litvishe yeshiva student as being a young man in somewhat Western dress (necktie, fedora, business suit), usually beardless, whose עיון studies consisted of studying and utilizing Brisker type analysis to address Talmudic dilemmas.

But there were other Litvishe schools and ways too. Like the way of the Chazon Ish in learning, an opponent of the Brisker method. The way of Novhardok in mussar and הנהגה. The way of Telshe. And others. While perhaps not as popular or well-known as the former ways, they had their adherents and hung around, biding their time. The Chazon Ish זצ"ל, was, of course, Rav Chaim's uncle, and a great, if not the greatest, influence on him. The Steipler Gaon, זצ"ל, Rav Chaim's father, and another great influence, was part of the Novhardok movement in Europe. So it is no surprise at all that Rav Chaim, although also attending Lomzha yeshiva briefly, followed ways more in accordance with the Chazon Ish, with a splash of Novhardok perhaps, rather than those of Brisk and Slabodka (we are talking generally here. Of course, Rav Chaim was very broad, and could and did learn and use Torah from other schools at times as well).

The Glory of Sinai

Rav Chaim's way in learning was based on massive בקיאות, knowledge of vast swaths of Torah, even obscure and less-studied parts, and פשטות, simple, straightforward understanding. He was a personification of what Chazal called סיני, the חכם with wide Torah knowledge. That type of learning might not produce the exciting fireworks of others, or at least not so quickly, but can be very fulfilling in a quieter, less apparent way. It is a long-term investment, which requires patience and diligence, but the dividends keep on maturing and expanding exponentially over time. That is what we saw with Rav Chaim.

Once his towering Torah stature became apparent, even those of different, or even opposing schools could not deny it, and also came to see, accept, and consult with him as a symbol and personification of גדלות בתורה. As his influence grew, and people sought his advice, his עצה ותושיה, he shared it, by word and by example. Not identically with everyone, the same prescription was not dispensed to all. But to some who merited it, he shared certain direction, among which were the importance of בקיאות, of acquiring great amounts of Torah knowledge. And at times he advised petitioners to adopt an older Litvishe way of appearance , to go back to a pre-Slabodka sartorial mode.

Now that he has left us, physically at least, we need to think about how to continue in his ways. And it seems that the way is elementary. To follow the דרך התורה with simplicity and sincerity, to live simply materially, but learn broadly.

May הקב"ה help us follow in those ways, and reap the massive long-term ensuing gains. 

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