A Heart as Vast as the Heavens

From Krakow to Antwerp: A Life of Torah and Rescue

Born in pre-Holocaust Europe, Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth (1918-2001) studied at Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin and became known as the “Illui (prodigy) from Krakow.” When the Nazis invaded Poland, he miraculously escaped to Lithuania and later reached Israel. In 1941, he married Sarah, daughter of Rabbi Avraham Grodzinski, the mashgiach (spiritual supervisor) of the Slabodka yeshiva. After the war, Rabbi Kreiswirth returned to Poland to rescue Jewish children who had been placed in churches by their parents to save them from the Nazis.

A Torah genius with encyclopedic knowledge, Rabbi Kreiswirth also dedicated his life to the needs of widows, orphans, and the poor. He gave away his entire salary to those in need and helped marry off countless brides, no matter where they came from. Every bride who turned to him received generous financial help.

Chesed That Transcended All Limits

Even as a young man, Rabbi Kreiswirth was devoted to acts of kindness, a trait that intensified after a powerful encounter with the Steipler Gaon. At age 70, when doctors gave up hope for his recovery from a serious illness, he sought the Steipler’s advice. The Steipler encouraged him to focus on hachnasat kallah (helping brides marry), saying, “We say every morning that hachnasat kallah is one of the mitzvot (Divine commandments) without measure. It appears between visiting the sick and accompanying the dead, and its merit can save one from death.”

From that moment on, Rabbi Kreiswirth increased his efforts exponentially. He once danced with joy in the streets after marrying off the last orphan from a family he had supported for years. He viewed those children as his own.

On another occasion, after successfully arranging a match for the son of a wealthy man, he received a large matchmaker’s fee of $100,000. Within thirty minutes, he had given away the entire amount to those in need.

One of his close confidants, Reb Zalman, recalled how Rabbi Kreiswirth would go to the bank before Shabbat to withdraw money for orphans. “I’m their guardian,” he explained. “They can’t wait until after Shabbat.” He once told Reb Zalman, “You’ll merit the World to Come if you walk with me.” He would often tremble and say, “I’m afraid of a widow’s sigh.”

Humility, Gratitude, and Teshuvah (Repentance)

On one fundraising visit with a talmid chacham (Torah scholar) in Antwerp, Rabbi Kreiswirth entered the office of a wealthy donor. The man asked, “Is this amount—several thousand euros—enough, regardless of whether it’s for a widow, orphan, or a bride?” Rabbi Kreiswirth responded, “Double that amount would be enough.” The donor agreed, they shook hands, and promised to send the full amount by that evening.

As the rabbi turned to leave, he paused for a moment. The donor asked: "What is it?" Rabbi Kreiswirth responded: "The sages teach: ‘More than the host does for the poor person, the poor person does for the host.’” The donor replied, “Thank you for letting me do this mitzvah.” But Rabbi Kreiswirth paused again, and the donor asked again: "What is it?" The rabbi stepped back in and said, “You didn’t say: ‘See you again tomorrow.’”

In a separate encounter, Rabbi Kreiswirth met Rabbi Uri Zohar and asked, “How did you return to Torah observance?” Rabbi Zohar replied that it was due to Rabbi Yitzchak Shlomo Zilberman in Jerusalem, who inspired countless people to become baalei teshuvah (Jews who embrace religious observance). Rabbi Kreiswirth immediately resolved to meet Rabbi Zilberman himself. When he did, he said, “I want you to help me do teshuvah too. I’ve been searching for someone to shake me and wake me up.”

The message was powerful: even a Torah giant and a man of saintly character must never stop growing in teshuvah.

Lasting Impact Through Torah and Memory

A Jerusalem scholar who grew up in Chicago recalled how a chance encounter with Rabbi Kreiswirth changed his life. As a 19-year-old chemistry student, he told the rabbi about his studies. The rabbi asked him why he was studying chemistry, and the boy responded that he enjoyed it. Rabbi Kreiswirth replied: “What? If you had told me it was to help people, fine. But just because you like it?” The young man eventually turned toward Torah and is now a prominent Torah educator.

Rabbi Kreiswirth’s unique brilliance also extended to memory. One of his close associates recalled how he memorized a phone number by breaking it into segments and linking each number to a daf (page) in various Talmudic tractates. Years later, he was able to recall the number using this exact method.

Even decades after his passing, Rabbi Chaim Kreiswirth’s legacy lives on, not just through his Torah knowledge and leadership, but through the immeasurable kindness he extended to every soul in need.