Rav Chaim Soloveitchik C (1853 3-July 30, 1918) 1

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r Rav Chaim Solov C veitchik wa born in V as Volozhin to his father o Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik the Beis HaLevi, w Y S k, s who taught in the fa amous Volo ozhin Yeshi va. When he was a f few years o old, his fat thhr becam Rav in S me Slutzk. Rav Chaim qu v uickly became known for his br n rilliance an d remarkable unders standing. When Rav Chaim was 20, he married Lipsha, th daughte of m d he er Rav Raphael Sha R apiro, and the grandd daughter o the Netziv of who was the Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin. After Re Raphael w a eb moved to becom a Rav, R me Rav Chaim became a Rosh Yesh hiva with the Netziv in the yeshiv e va. Rav Cha aim began to teach gemara usin a new m ng method kno own as the Brisker e Method of learning Every ha g. alacha is an nalyzed an d classified like a scie d entist. This s helps ta almidei chachamim un nderstand the gemar and hala ra acha better This method r. of learning is now used in all modern yeshivos. R l y Rav Chaim created a n new t he vocabulary so that everyone could understand th gemara better. 2, e y v oved to Brisk In 1892 the Czar forced the Volozhin yeshiva to close. Rav Chaim mo where his father was the Rav When his father di ed, he bec h w v. came the R Rav. For th his reason, he is know as Rav Chaim Bris wn C sker. Rav Cha aim wrote a very imp portant sef called C fer Chiddushei Rabbeinu Chaim on the Rambam His shiurim were recorded by his talmid m. r y dim in note called "R es Rav Chaim's stencils. Much of his Torah has also be een passed down by his talmidi d im. He had six d udents; his sons Rav Moshe Soloveitchik ( s ed main stu (who move to America a), Rav Yit tzchak Zev Soloveitch (also kn hik nown as Ra Velvel o the Brisk av or ker Rav who moved to Yerushala o o ayim), Rav Baruch Be Lebowitz Rav Isse Zalman v er z, er Meltzer, Rav Elcho , onon Wasse erman hyd and Rav Shimon S d, v Shkop. The talmidim o of these 6 students have led th Torah wo h he orld. Only Em mes Rav Cha aim did not write dow his chidd t wn dushei Tor ahh imself His sons or a shoch f. het in Brisk, Reb Noac would do so. One Shabbos o Erev Chanuka, Reb Noach wa , ch, d on b as called to the house to record the chiddushim. Rav Chaim sp o e d v poke for se everal hour rs while Ra Chaim wrote 12 fu pages. Suddenly, R av w ull S Rav Chaim took the p pages and tore them be eyond reco ognition bec cause he said there w was a mista ake in his i ideas. His Torah co ould only be the truth b h. Only To orah During World War I, Rav Cha W aim Brisker and famil r lywere forc ced to flee to Minsk. A Rav wen to visit him. The house was in complete disarray. 5 children were slee nt h e n eping on a boa ard. There was little food. Rav Chaim was resting in a chair. R f C s Rav Chaims s son, Rav Velvel an his son-in-law wer trying to clarify the Torah the had just v nd re o e ey t

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learned from Rav Chaim. Rav Chaim awoke and started to correct the complicated topic he had just taught. Only then did he acknowledge the Ravs visit. Rav Chaim was able to ignore everything else that was going on because of his quest for the Torah. This Rav also mentioned how Rav Chaim had many locks on his doors when in Minsk. The reason was that city had many cruel Jews who were trying to take Jewish children away from Torah and did not do chesed for the poor properly. He locked the door many times so he would not learn from them. Once, they sent him special flour so he wouldnt get sick. He returned the flour to be given to others who were poorer and in greater need. Rav HaChesed Rav Chaim Brisker changed Torah learning all over the world. Yet, at the time he was niftar, this was not what was remembered the most. What everyone remembered was his chesed. On his matzeiva was written the description Rav HaChesed Rav Chaims house was open to all. In Rav Chaims living room, beggars would put notices up on the wall. They would sleep on his couches. He would always be careful not to disturb them. Sometimes, his wife or children would walk into the bedroom and find that Rav Chaim had invited some poor people to sleep there and noone in the family had beds. There was a huge fire in the town and many homes were destroyed. Rav Chaim devoted himself to helping the penniless survivors. Rav Chaim insisted in sleeping in the hallway of the shul. He asked how he could sleep in his bed if there were so many who didnt even have a roof over their heads. Rav Chaim was once having an important meeting with the Bais Din in Brisk. A pauper came into the room, ate Rav Chaims lunch and fell asleep on his couch. Rav Chaim warned everyone there not to disturb the poor man. Mothers would leave their babies on his doorstep if they were unable to take care of them or the babies were too sick. Rav Chaim hired women to feed the babies and cared for them in his home. The people of town paid Rav Chaim to be their Rav. However, whenever he got a pay check, he immediately gave it away to tzeddaka. They had to give the money to his wife to insure that they would have food. Rav Chaim had a rule. Anyone could ask for something and the family would need to give it without a complaint. Once someone asked Rav Velvel for his pen. Rav Velvel was in the middle of writing some of the chidushei Torah of Rav Chaim. Rav Velvel asked him to wait a minute. Rav Chaim got very upset and said what is going on here that we don't lend our pens..." (Holchei Nesivos - Middos Tovos) Rav Chaim changed the world of Torah. We are all talmidim of his because of the Brisker method, the yeshivos that were founded by his talmidim and from learning about his chesed.

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