Wonderful and Exciting Letter Handwritten by the Steipler and his Son, the Gaon Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, Shlit"a. Extremely Rare!!!

Shu"t in the hands of father and son, two giants of the generations. Question from the Steipler to his son, and the gaon Rabbi Chaim's response. The document before us confirms more than anything the description "Sar HaTorah, " with which the Jewish people have adorned the gaon Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky.

According to family testimony, when Rabbi Chaim was yet a youth, his father, the Steipler, rabbinic leader of the generation, sought a source for two sayings commonly used by the people: "One scoff repels 100 reproofs" ["ל[י]צנה[ות] אחת דוחה מאה תוכחות"] and "One damaging word repels 100 prayers" ["לה"ר אחד דוחה מאה תפלות"]. The gaon Rabbi Chaim responds to his father with these words: "It seems that Midrash Talpiot cites a midrash like this from manuscript." Indeed, the first expression has no source; apparently Rabbi Chaim does not indicate this out of respect for his father, and the second expression is indeed found in the the book Midrash Talpiot.

This letter before us demonstrates the tremendous esteem the Steipler had for his son Rabbi Chaim already in his youth, appealing to him with his questions, as well as demonstrating Rabbi Chaim's total mastery of all realms of Torah, already in his youth.

[1] notepad leaf, 8x13 cm, entirely in their hands. Moderate-fine condition. Aging stains. Fold marks, Tiny tears in the margins without damage to text.