Rabbi Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, The Chazon Ish

Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz (אברהם ישעיה קרליץ) (also "Yishayahu", "Yeshayah", "Yeshayah", "Yishaya" - in English Abraham Isaiah Karelitz) (1878-1953) known by his pen name as the Chazon Ish (חזון אי"ש) ("Vision [of] Man"), was a Belarusian born Orthodox rabbi who became leader of Haredi Judaism in Israel. His final 20 years were in Israel from 1933 to 1953. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... Orthodox Judaism is the stream of Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmud (The Oral Law) and later codified in the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). It is governed by these works and the Rabbinical commentary... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbÄ«;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbÄ«) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished, (in knowledge). In the ancient Judean schools (and among Sefaradim today) the sages... Haredi or Charedi Judaism, often referred to as Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1953 calendar). ...

Born in Kosava (today in Belarus 52°45′N 25°09′E), Karelitz received his education from his father, head of the beth din (religious court) there. In 1911 he published his first work on Orach Chayim and other parts of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law by Rabbi Yosef Karo) in Vilna, anonymously under the title Chazon Ish, the name by which he became almost exclusively known. A beth din (בית דין, Hebrew: house of judgment, plural battei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Orach Chayim is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Ashers compilation of Jewish Law, Arbaah Turim, that treats all aspects of Jewish Law primarily pertinent to the Jewish calendar (whether the daily, weekly, monthly, or annual calendar). ... The Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: Prepared Table), by Rabbi Yosef Karo is considered the most authoritative compilation of Jewish law since the Talmud. ... Rabbi Yosef (Joseph) Ben Ephraim Karo is one of the most important leaders in the history of halakha (Jewish law). ... Vilnius Old Town Vilnius (sometimes Vilna; Polish Wilno, Belarusian Вільня, Russian Вильнюс, see also Cities alternative names) is the capital city of Lithuania. ...

He moved to Vilna in about 1920, and became close to Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, consulting with him in all religious and communal matters. Encouraged by Grodzinski and with Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook’s help, the Chazon Ish settled in the British Mandate of Palestine in 1933. 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski HaGaon HaRav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940) was a world renowned pre-war Dayan and Posek (Halachic decisor) in Vilna. ... Abraham Isaac Kook (1864 - 1935) was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine, the founder of the (now) Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz Harav, and a renowned Torah scholar. ... Map of the territory under the British Mandate of Palestine. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Karelitz manifested unusual talent and diligence from an early age. He devoted his life to the study of the Torah and Talmud, although also learning such sciences as astronomy, anatomy, mathematics, and botany, since he felt that knowledge of these subjects was necessary for a full understanding of various aspects of Jewish law and practice. After his marriage, he continued to lead an extremely modest life, his wife providing for their needs while he spent day and night in deep Talmudic study. He did not have any children. Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. ... Tractate Brachos, folio 2a The Talmud (תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions of Jewish law, ethics, customs, and stories, which are authoritative in Jewish tradition. ... Radio telescopes are among many different tools used by astronomers Astronomy (Greek: αστρονομία = άστρον + νόμος, astronomia = astron + nomos, literally, law of the stars) is the science of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere (such as auroras and cosmic background radiation). ... Anatomical drawing of the human muscles from the Encyclopédie. ... Euclid, a famous Greek mathematician known as the father of geometry, is shown here in detail from The School of Athens by Raphael. ... Pinguicula grandiflora Botany is the scientific study of plantlife. ...

The reputation of the Chazon Ish for saintliness and knowledge was widespread and people from all walks of life would frequent his home, for scholarly discussions or to seek advice on religious, business, or personal problems, or simply to receive his blessing. When in 1933 he settled in the Land of Israel, his house in Bnei Brak became the address for thousands who sought his guidance. Satellite image of the Land of Israel in January 2003, including portions of the State of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon. ... Mentioned as one of the cities in the portion of the Tribe of Dan (Yehoshua 19:45), Bnei Brak is famous in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 32b) as the seat of Rabbi Akivas court, and in the Pesach Haggada as the site of the all-night Pesach Seder of Rabbi...

Holding no official position, the Chazon Ish nevertheless became a recognized worldwide authority on all matters relating to Jewish law and life. He was not appointed as communal leader, yet he exerted an enormous influence on the life and institutions of religious Jewry. He did not publish many responsa, but became the supreme authority on halakha (Jewish law). David Ben-Gurion, the prime minister of Israel, visited him once to discuss political-religious issues. Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

He belonged to no official movement. He loved and respected all beings and is equally admired by all, without exception – by Hasidim, Mitnagdim, Ashkenazim, Sefardim, Haredim, Datiim, Hilonim, Zionists, Anti-Zionists, and others. Today there is hardly a town in Israel without a street named in his honor. Although essentially an academic scholar, he applied himself to practical problems, devoting much effort to the strengthening of religious life and institutions. His rulings on the use of the milking machine on Shabbat and on cultivation by hydroponics during the sabbatical year are two illustrations of his practical approach. A model of modesty and kindness, the Chazon Ish wrote over 40 books in clear Hebrew, in polished and precise style, which are models of lucidity and brilliance. Hasidim can refer to Saintly Pharisees Hasidic Judaism This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Mitnagdim or misnagdim is a Hebrew word (מתנגדים) meaning opponents; this term was used to refer to European religious Jews who opposed Hasidic Judaism. ... Ashkenazi (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי, Standard Hebrew Aškanazi, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzî) Jews or Ashkenazic Jews, also called Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, Standard Hebrew Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew ʾAškănāzîm), are Jews who are descendants of Jews from Germany, Poland, Austria and Eastern Europe. ... In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal: ספרד, Standard Hebrew Səfárad, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄áraḏ / Səp̄āraḏ), or whose ancestors were among the Jews expelled from... Haredi Judaism, also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Judaism. ... Religious Jew is a term often used by Reform Jews to distinguish a Jew who observes religion from a Jew who does not. ... Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews, or even those of religious Jews working in cultural areas not generally considered to be connected... A bilingual poster in Romanian and Hungarian promoting a film about Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1930s. ... Shabbat (שבת shabbāt, rest Hebrew, or Shabbos in Ashkenazic pronunciation), is the weekly day of rest in Judaism. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Sabbatical Year, (in Hebrew: שְׁמִטָּה Shemittah -- [Year of] Remission) was promulgated in the Torah and was practiced within Judaism. ... Hebrew (עִבְרִית or עברית, ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ...

The true legacy of the Chazon Ish is the promotion of clarity in Talmud study, devotion in the worship of God, and loving-kindness in human interactions.