HaGaon HaRav Avrohom Elyashiv ZT”L was niftar on Wednesday 28 Shevat 5774 in Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim. Among those leading the levaya was his brother-in-law, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita. following the levaya, the gadol hador visited the Kosel.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photos Courtesy of JDN)
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5 Responses
How does one drive right up to the Kotel? I have never seen it before.
1. When you become one of the gedolay hador you MIGHT have the same privileges.
I haven’t seen anyone drive up to the Kotel before either, but I’m glad that R. Kanievsky shlita can.
In the first picture, there’s a man standing right in front of R. Kanievsky using a smart phone. I see phones in other pictures as well.
Other people have stated that R. Kanievsky says that those with smart phones cannot be a witness at a wedding or divorce, and the gittin an kesubos they witness are invalid. I’m not convinced that R. Kanievsky himself actually said that. I sometimes think R. Kanievsky’s statements get stretched by those who report them.
To#1-3: If you look at the photo clearly you will see that the car did NOT drive all the way up into the actual Kosel davening area, (which according to many poskim is considered like the interior of a shul). It drove only up to the barrier wall BEHIND the davening area,which divides the actual davening area from the rest of the kosel area. This is a privilege allowed to most of the famous elderly Rabonim and Admorim, (and lehavdil to some famous secular dignitaries too).
To # 3 RE: smartphones: I have PERSONALLY heard from R’ Chaim Shlit”a the above statement concerning smartphones. It is quite obvious that the person(s)with the SP in the photograph(s)is/are NOT people who are of charedi circles who heed the psak of many gedolim in many different circles, (i.e. sfardim, ashkenazim,and chasidim)concerning the prohibition against smartphones.