New Sefer Written by Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l Published, Son Declares, “Father Is Rejoicing in Gan Eden”

A moving and intimate gathering was held Tuesday to mark the publication of a new sefer containing the handwritten Torah commentary of Hagaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, bringing to light another portion of the extraordinary Torah legacy he left behind.

The new sefer, titled Medrash Avraham Im Biur Ohel Avraham, is a collection of Midrashei Chazal relating to the life of Avraham Avinu, beginning with his birth and continuing through his petirah. The work includes a special commentary written by Rav Chaim himself, offering explanations and insights into the various Midrashim.

The project was undertaken by Rav Chaim’s son, Rav Avrohom Yeshayahu Kanievsky, rosh kollel of Orchos Yosher, who has devoted considerable effort to preparing and publishing his father’s Torah writings.

Rav Avrohom Yeshayahu had previously overseen the publication of several of his father’s works on the Megillos and various Midrashei Chazal, including volumes that were released during Rav Chaim’s lifetime.

The newly published sefer represents the culmination of a project that began in 5777 (2017), when Rav Chaim wrote his commentary on a collection of Midrashim that had been assembled according to his specific instructions and guidance.

The work is the latest in a series of seforim devoted to Midrashic teachings, including Medrash Noach, Sefer HaBahir, and other volumes.

The publication of Medrash Avraham required approximately two years of painstaking work to organize and prepare Rav Chaim’s writings for publication.

At Tuesday’s gathering, Rav Avrohom Yeshayahu spoke about the significance of completing the project and the special joy his father had always experienced whenever another sefer of Torah was brought to print.

He expressed his conviction that Rav Chaim was rejoicing in Gan Eden over the publication of the new work, just as he had rejoiced during his lifetime whenever another of his seforim was published.

“Father is rejoicing and happy in Gan Eden,” he said, describing the completion of the sefer as a continuation of his father’s lifelong dedication to Torah learning and the dissemination of Torah.

Among those participating in the gathering were Rav Yeshayahu Epstein and Rav Yitzchok Ohev Tzion.

Rav Moyal and Rav Ohev Tzion addressed the gathering, sharing personal recollections of Rav Chaim and describing his extraordinary dedication to writing and publishing Torah works.

Their remarks recalled Rav Chaim’s lifelong commitment to preserving, explaining, and making accessible the teachings of Chazal, an undertaking that occupied a central place in his daily avodas hakodesh.

Rav Chaim, whose extraordinary mastery of Torah earned him the title Sar HaTorah, authored numerous seforim covering a vast range of Torah subjects. His writings continue to be studied throughout the Torah world, and the publication of previously unpublished material has remained an important undertaking for his family and talmidim since his petirah.

The new volume offers readers an opportunity to study Rav Chaim’s explanations of the Midrashim concerning Avraham Avinu, prepared from the commentary he wrote in his own handwriting.