Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz - The Chazon Ish

About

Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz was born in Kosava, in the Grodno Governorate of the Russian Empire (now Brest Region, Belarus), the son of Shmaryahu Yosef Karelitz, the rabbi of Kosava; his mother was Rasha Leah,  the daughter of Shaul Katzenelbogen. Avraham Yeshaya was born after his older brother Meir. His younger brothers were Yitzchak, and Moshe. Yitzchak succeeded their father as the rabbi of Kosava; he and his wife and daughter were shot to death in their home by the Germans in mid-1942.

His oldest sisters were Henya Chaya, Badana, Tzivia and Batya. Rabbi Karelitz's youngest sister, Pesha Miriam (Miril) married Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky. Rabbi Kanievsky referred to his brother-in-law Avraham Yeshaya as his mentor as long as the latter was alive.

As a youth, Karelitz was sent to study under 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 of Kvėdarna and developed a close relationship with Moshe Rosen (Nezer HaKodesh).

He moved to Vilna in about 1920, and became close to Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, consulting with him in all religious and communal matters. Encouraged by Grodzinski and with Abraham Isaac Kook’s help, Karelitz 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.

Rabbi Karelitz, his brother-in-law Rabbi Kanievsky and Yaakov Galinsky were extremely close.

Rabbi Karelitz devoted his life to the study of Torah while simultaneously gaining knowledge in secular sciences such as astronomy, anatomy, mathematics, and botany. After his marriage, he continued to lead an extremely modest life, his wife providing for their needs while he spent day and night studying Torah in-depth. He did not have any children.

Though he served as a religious leader for much of his life, he never received formal ordination as a rabbi

Rabbi Karelitz did not publish many responsa, yet still achieved recognition as a leading authority on halakha. Like his brother-in-law Rabbi Kanievsky, Rabbi Karelitz "held no official position but nevertheless became a recognized worldwide authority on many matters relating to Jewish law and life."

He declined to participate in any of the religious-political movements which were very active prior to, and during, the formation of the State of Israel in 1948. Yet, he had an immense influence on Haredi Judaism in Israel, whose formative period coincided with his years in Israel. He maintained an anti-Zionist viewpoint taking exception to the notion of a national identity separate and apart from the religious tenets of Judaism, as evidenced by the following anecdote: When the Chazon Ish saw a sign advertising the opening of a "Religious Zionist" (Dati Leumi) school in Vilna, he immediately ripped down the poster, tore it to shreds, and explained to his students: "The very name 'Religious nationalist' expresses a need to add to religion and declares that the nationhood of the Jewish people is something other than their religion. Thus it deviates from our emunah! (faith)" Although his view of the state after creation has been characterized as grudging acceptance' the Chazon Ish remained firmly opposed to it and predicted it would not last, saying: "One day we will wake up in the morning and look out the window and behold! There will be no more medinah (state), for gezeirah avida d'batlei (a bad decree is destined to be annulled).

In recognition of his deep insight and interest in many fields of study, many sought his guidance on social and political issues. David Ben-Gurion, the prime minister of Israel, and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, who became the second president of Israel, visited him once to discuss political-religious issues. Rabbi Karelitz cited one of a pair of metaphors from the Talmudic discussion : one is about two camels which meet on a narrow mountain pass as a metaphor. A camel without goods was expected to defer to a camel laden with goods; similarly, Rabbi Karelitz contended secular society should defer to religious society, which bore the "goods" of tradition