Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz | |
---|---|
Born |
Kosava, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire |
November 7, 1878
Died | October 24, 1953 Bnei Brak, Israel |
(aged 74)
Resting place | Bnei Brak |
Other names | Avrohom Yishayahu Karelitz |
Occupation | Rabbi |
Spouse(s) | Bashe Bei |
Parent(s) | Rabbi Shmaryahu Yosef Karelitz Rasha Leah Katzenellenbogen-Epstein |
Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, (7 November 1878 – 24 October 1953), known by the name of his magnum opus, Chazon Ish, was a Belarusian born Orthodox rabbi who later became one of the leaders of Haredi Judaism in Israel, where his final 20 years, from 1933 to 1953, were spent.
Avraham Yeshaya Karlitz was born in Kosava, in the Grodno Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Brest Region, Belarus), the eldest son of Rabbi Shmaryahu Yosef Karelitz, the Rav of Kosova; his mother was Rasha, the daughter of Rabbi Shaul Katzenelbogen. His younger brothers were Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yitzchak, and Rabbi Moshe. Rabbi Yitzchak Karelitz succeeded their father as the Rav of Kosova; he and his wife and daughter were shot to death in their home by the Germans in mid-1942. A sister, Miriam, married Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, the Steipler Gaon. The Steipler referred to his brother-in-law, Rabbi Avrohom Yeshaya, as his mentor as long as the latter was alive.
As a youth, Karelitz was sent to study under Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk. He did not take to the Brisker method of study, and later it became clear that he actually opposed it. After two years, he returned home and continued to study with his father who was head of the local Beth din. He married Bashe Bei.
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 Rabbi Grodzinski and with Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook’s help, the Chazon Ish settled in Eretz Israel, then the British Mandate of Palestine, in 1933. His house in Bnei Brak became the address for thousands who sought religious guidance.