HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky turned 93 on Tes Vav Teves, Tuesday night and Wednesday, December 30, 2020.
How does the Gadol HaDor celebrate his birthday? His grandchildren say that he “celebrates” like every year, with more dafei Gemara and more hours of hasmada, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported.
If those around him mention his birthday, HaRav Chaim relates to the day as the day of his bar mitzvah when began learning Masechtas Derech Eretz Zuta as part of his daily seder limud.
In the past, he even wrote to HaRav Shmuel Baruch Genut that “the concept of a birthday is found in the Torah only by Pharoah HaRasha and therefore there’s no need to note one’s birthday as a special day.”
Since HaRav Chaim, b’chasdei Hashem, recovered from the coronavirus, he returned to receive the public and thousands flock to his home each week.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Hebrew birthday or English birthday?
He appoints the Godol HaDor (the prime Litvishe Godol), but is referred to as the Sar HaTorah.
Must be some mistake with the translation. Avrohom made a mishte godol, a big party for Yitzchok. Rashi and the Rashbam both say it was his 2nd birthday. Bereshis 21.8
Zul zein gezunt and shtark l’arichas yomim v’shanim
Very interesting. In the battle with Amalek it is brought down in Rashi that he used soldiers whose birthday it was on that very day as their mazel is stronger on that day. My Rebbi, R’ Elya Boruch Finkel zt’l used to quote this Rashi and propose that if a birthday was even a source of power to a non-Jew, all the more so to a Jew. He was very much into a birthday.