Who is the new leader of Klal Yisrael?

Id say Rav Chaim

Look guys, if ZD and I agree on something, then it’s case closed, discussion over, issue resolved.

Next subject.

I don’t know about “leader” but Rav Chaim is no doubt Gadol Hador. He was sure as much or more of a gaon than Rav Shteinman…

Joseph,
I sure thought you would say Rav Shmuel A. Shlita

Does the Sephardeshe tzibur recognize Rav Chaim as their “leader” as compared to Rav Yosef? Clearly they respect Rav Chaim’s lamdus just as Maran Ovadia Z’TL held Rav Elyashiv Z’TL in great esteem. I guess the question could be framed in terms of whether both the Litvish and Sephardic tzibur hold by the same “gadol hador”.

This is very painful, to think of a world without R’ Shteinman. He represented a continuation of a chain going back to the greats of Europe. He kept the legacy of Rav Shach and Rav Elyashiv alive. I feel triply abandoned now.

Rav Chaim until now, while open to seeing the klal, has generally not been involved in klal issues, running of mosdos, politics, etc. He learns Torah. Period. Neither was R’ Shteinman when he was younger, although he was a Rosh Yeshiva all along, and was very involved in various mosdos. So R’ Chaim, to be the gadol hador in all aspects, as we need, would have to change his hanhaga. I wonder if he will, or perhaps the best for klal yisroel is Rav Chaim’s pure Torah, and someone else should fill the other roles. I would say it is likely to be Rav Edelstein, although there are a number of highly esteemed Roshei Yeshiva.

It is unlikely Rav Auerbach , He is head of the Peleg , would have been named by Rav Shteinman . The previous Gadol Hador names the names Gadol Hador in his will and Rav Shteinman and Rav Chaim were very Close (I think they were Shivers)

Winnie,
True, he was the last ‘European’ gadol..
I heard a while ago that Rav Chaim was mispalel every day on Rav Shteinman’s health so that he shouldn’t have to take on the Hanhagah..

Whats with Rav BM Ezrachi?

Many have argued that Rav Chaim shlita was the top gadol hador since Rav Elyashiv was niftar, like GAON said above, and Rav Shteinman zt’l and Rav Auerbach shlita came just after Rav Chaim.

A big reason why Rav Shteinman was accepted as the successor to Rav Elyashiv is because Rav Chaim told Klal Yisroel to do so.

The confusion here is the english translation of “Gadol Hador”. There really isnt any good direct english translation of Gadol HaDor , but we all know it means basically the final Posek (or the top Posek) of the time

jews have gedolim and gedolai hador. the desire for A gadol hador is foreign to our history. even Rambam or Rabbeinu Tam had others in their generation who contested their position.

the exceptions were few and far between. to expect one gadol hador to follow another is like trying to name the greatest physicist after Einstein died. i think our last acknowledged gadol hador may have been the gaon of Vilna.

I’m surprised none of you blamed the Lubavitcher doctor that was caring for him, for his death.

Chocom,
“surprised none of you blamed the Lubavitcher doctor that was caring for him, for his death.”

We tried but the doctor swears he is “still alive”!

In the USA, the Gadol haDor is a 5 way consortium, shared by the Noveminske Rebbe [Rav Yaakov Perlow] shlita, Rav Dovid Feisntein shlita, Rav Shmuel Kamanetsky shlita, Rav Aharon Feldman shlita [Ner Israel], & the Bobov Rebbe [Rav Ben-Tzion Halberstam] shlita. May we continue to benefit from these 5 American Gedolei haDor for many years to come.

there are only 2 gedolim who are still around who’s names appeared on almost all kol koreh’s from the litvisheh gedolim in the past 30 years those are rav chaim and rav shmuel aurbach all others have began only much more recently (ofcourse that doesn’t diminish their greatness in any way just basic history from before everything turned into machalokes and each side makes up whatever story they want)

The previous Gadol Hador names the [next] Gadol Hador in his will

Where did he get that idea?

ZD: I slightly disagree with your equating the “gadol hador” with the “poseik hador”. R’ Aharon Kotler TZATZAL was acknowledge as the Gadol Hador and he referred to R’ Moshe Feinstein TZATZAL as the Poseik Hador. It was only after R’ Aharon’s petirah in 1962 that R’ Moshe accepted upon himself many of R’ Aharon’s responsibilities that he became acknowledged as the gadol hador. At that time the leading poskim in EY were R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach TZATZAL and R’ Eliyashiv TZATZAL.

Who is the biggest Sefardic godol today?

iac…

“R’ Aharon Kotler TZATZAL was acknowledge as the Gadol Hador and he referred to R’ Moshe Feinstein TZATZAL as the Poseik Hador.”

Many are not aware before Rav Moshe was The Posek, many referred to Rav YE Henkin (more known as the directer of Ezras Torah) as the prime Posek of America, many psakim we follow are based on his psak. One that comes to my mind is opening refrigerators on Shabbos. However, he rarely got involved in any public hashkfah issues.. Another Posek was Rav Yonasan Steif (more known by Chassidim/Hungarians)

” At that time the leading poskim in EY were R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach TZATZAL and R’ Eliyashiv TZATZAL.”

They only became known later, at the time in EY there was Tchebiner Rav, Rabbi Shimon Aharon Polansky known as the ‘Tepliker Rav’, (another example of an unknown Posek Hador – who was long forgotten – I bet you there are probably one or two people reading this that have ever heard from him, in fact Rav Elyashiv got semicha from him ) Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank.

Reading the comments here makes me wonder just how childish most people’s views on yiddishkeit are and how uninformed they are about what happens in the world of gedolei torah.

• There is no such thing as THE Godol Hador who gets appointed and overnight becomes the supreme authority.
• No one has authority to pass on a mantle of leadership just because they say so, whether in their will or while alive.
• Those suggesting that Rav Shmuel Auerbach shlita would be stepping into Rav Ahron Leib zt”l’s shoes clearly have no clue about the Peleg issue.
• It is pretty obvious, however, that Rav Gershon Edelstein shlita will to a great extent take over Rav Ahron Leib’s position in klal yisroel.
• Rav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi shlita is a godol batorah, but he is not going to have Rav Shteinman’s authority or take over his role. Similarly, Rav Dovid Cohen shlita (who is relatively very young, not even being 70).
• Gadolhadorah suggested that one of the roles of a gadol was “administering mosdos”. Where did she get that idea from?
• Zahavasdad thinks that “Gadol Hador” requires being the final posek of the time. I don’t think either Rav Shteinman nor Rav Shach zt”l were considered that.
• 147 suggests Gadol Hador is a “5 way consortium”!
• Gaon – Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank zt”l was niftar in 1960 and the Tepliker Rov zt”l in 1948, well before the 1962 date that iac referred to. Among leading poskim in EY at the time were the Tchebiner Rov zt”l, , Rav Unterman zt”l, the Tzitz Eliezer zt”l, Rav Zolty zt”l. I’m not sure that Rav Shlomo Zalman zt”l and Rav Elyashiv zt”l were recognized at the time as the undisputed final arbiters of halacha.

It’s either R Aron or R Zalmen Leib . We’ll have to wait and see

Similarly, Rav Dovid Cohen shlita (who is relatively very young, not even being 70).

That has not kept many a gadol from being acknowledged as such.

I dont think Rav Dovid Feinstein or any other American Rav (or for that matter any Rav in Chutz L’Aretz) could be considered. It seems the consensus now is to pick a Rav in Israel

I’d love to volunteer. NextGadolHadorWannabe.com site is blocked… too much traffic.

ZD: I am not sure why you say that. Gedolei Hador can live anywhere.