Kikar Shabbos reported that the family explained that lately, when Rav Chaim would visit and the niftar’s name was said, Rav Chaim said, “He will get through this.” On Wednesday night, hours before he was niftar, when Rav Chaim was informed of his condition the gadol hador broke down in tears instead of saying his name and that “he will get over it.” Rav Shmuel was niftar a few hours later. Family members offered that it was clear to them at that moment, when Rav Chaim cried, that something was different.
Bnei Brak Mayor Rabbi Avraham Rubinstein served as driver for Rav Chaim for a week, as Rav Yeshayahu Epstein, Rav Chaim’s general driver, is sitting shiva for his father, Rav Shmuel Epstein. Rav Yeshayahu is also Rav Chaim’s aide, taking care of many of his scheduling functions. The mayor, Rabbi Rubinstein, is very close to HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, and seized this opportunity to honor him by using his influential position to show that true honor belongs to the rabbanim.
Shloshim Of HaRav Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth
It has already been a month since the passing of a great giant, HaRav Yehoshua Yeshaya Neuwirth, zt”l, who authored the popular sefer, Shemiras Shabbos K’Hilchasa. Since the Mishnah Berurah, there have been very few sefarim in halacha that have been so widely accepted.
The shloshim was held at Yeshivat Lomdei Torah in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood, where thousands of people gathered to show respect and hear hespedim for HaRav Neuwirth.
The maspidim included HaRav Yacov Benaim, rosh Yeshivas Nachlat Moshe; HaRav Yehoshua Eichenstein, rosh Yeshivas Yad Aharon; HaRav Dovid Behar, rosh hayeshiva Lomdei Torah; HaRav Aharon Feldman, rosh hayeshiva Ner Yisroel Baltimore; HaRav Pinchos Breuer, rosh Yeshivas Knesses Yisroel; and the niftar’s son-in-law, HaRav Aryeh Levi, mashgiach Yeshivas Chochmas Shlomo. Reb Shlomo Fishman, a talmid of the niftar, also delivered divrei hesped.