Former Bnei Brak mayor Yerachmiel Bauer, who was HaRav Chaim’s neighbor for over 50 years, spoke with Kol Chai on Monday.

“I was zocheh to be his neighbor for over 50 years and to daven with him every day at Neitz. It’s not possible to describe HaRav Chaim, z’tl, in words – it’s impossible to describe his tzidkus, anava, his pashtus, knowing that he was the person upholding Klal Yisrael. His Torah protected Am Yisrael and from his view, it was like nothing.”

“I went to part from him on Motzei Shabbos and I saw the Rav on the floor. A Sefer Torah on the floor. I went up today to be menachem and the room isn’t the same room – the ruach hakodesh isn’t there. Everything that was there disappeared at once and is no longer there.”

Rav Bauer spoke about the period of time when he was the mayor, 30 years ago. “During that time he would always say: ‘Go to HaRav Shach, z’tl, go to HaRav Gedaliah [Nadel], z’tl.’ When I would part from him and ask what I should bless him with – he would say: ‘Give me a bracha that they’ll let me learn.'”

“At a certain point, when people began to come to him and ask him shailos about all types of topics – and he wasn’t well-versed in any worldly issues, what happened in the world didn’t interest him. I asked him with a bit of chutzpah: ‘HaRav, how can you answer shailos on topics that you’re not familiar with?’ He answered: ‘You’re right. I don’t know. Whatever Hashem puts in my mouth – that’s what I answer.'”

“The house had a special atmosphere. To enter and see him learning throughout the night. You could see him learning at 2:30 a.m. I don’t know when he slept.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)