Ladder to the Heavens

In the year since Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s petirah, it seems as if there is no end to the stories and lessons gleaned from the gadol hador, whose legendary, unsurpassed diligence was matched by his supreme kindness and caring. One talmid was determined not to let those stories get away, but to consolidate close family retrospections into one kaleidoscope of memories 

The family had all just endured a week of mourning that would have sapped anyone’s strength. Masses of visitors — estimated at about half a million people over the course of the week — had flocked to Bnei Brak, hungering for insight into Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s life and character and eager to hear his children’s stories.

When the shivah was over, Klal Yisrael knew that the world was irrevocably changed, yet life went on and routine resumed. But there was one person who wasn’t willing to let the momentum slip away.

After Rav Chaim passed away last year on Motzaei Purim, leaving the Jewish world reeling with shock and grief, Rabbi Achi Cohen, a prominent educator in Israel who was part of Rav Chaim’s inner circle, immediately began working to preserve his legacy, tapping into his family’s memories to paint a vivid, intimate portrait of the gadol hador.

He spoke to all of Rav Chaim’s sons and sons-in-law, as well as three of his grandchildren, producing a collection of 11 videos featuring captivating interviews and priceless memories. In each segment, Rabbi Cohen gently asks a few probing questions, occasionally sharing a story of his own, and his interlocutor responds with a wealth of behind-the-scenes information and riveting stories.