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This was how [the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov The more that a person increases his knowledge,
and Rabbi Meir] learned: they would review the text understanding and intelligence, the more liable he grows
of the Gemara, and then go from the Gemara to the to gain an exaggerated sense of independence. He makes
commentaries of the Tosafot and the Rishonim. When use of the intellect that Hashem gave him to develop an
they were unable to understand a topic, Avraham excess of independence. That is because a person and
Yaakov (one of the group) would turn to his two brilliant his knowledge are one. Accordingly, since he thinks that
colleagues (the Chazon Ish and his brother, Rabbi Meir), he understands so well with his own mind, he is liable to
and say with absolute seriousness: “Let us turn to disconnect himself, heaven forbid, from Hashem, Who
Hashem. Let us plead with Him to illumine our eyes in is the One Who graciously grants knowledge—precisely
His Torah!” because he received that knowledge from Hashem. [This
corresponds to our sages’ description of people who
For a short while they would close the Gemara. The knew their Creator and rebelled against Him.] Therefore,
three of them picked up volumes of Psalms, and each the Men of the Great Assembly, [who composed the
went to a corner and poured out his heart in whispering Shemoneh Esrei], saw that it would be proper to begin
prayer to the One Who sits in the heights, reciting the [the supplicatory section] with the proclamation that
pleas of the pleasant singer of Israel with broken hearts “You graciously grant man knowledge and teach human
and many tears, asking Him to be gracious to them and beings understanding” before we begin [the requests of
sharpen their minds so that they might understand the the Shemoneh Esrei]. This blessing requests knowledge
words of a Rishon or an opinion in the Tosafot. After in order to implant in us the awareness that we are not
they recited a few chapters of Psalms with deep and the masters of that knowledge.
stormy feeling, the three returned to the Gemara, and
with their eyes still tear-filled they told each other: “Let See what the gaon, Rabbi Meir Karelitz, told about
us study this difficult passage again. Perhaps God will his brother, the master, the Chazon Ish. The family was
reconsider and help us understand something!” And they not at all surprised that he became the great leader of
began to review the material again and again, until the the generation and that he reached incredible peaks in
secret hidden between the lines was revealed to them. Torah and in developing new paths in in-depth study.
That is because when he prayed the Shemoneh Esrei he
The brother of the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Meir, was one made sure to pray at length, and he spent an especially
of this holy group. When he would tell about this in his long time on the term “from Yourself” in the blessing of
old age, he would add, “Now, in the evening of my life, “You graciously grant.” This is in contrast to others who
whenever I remember those days, my eyes brim over beseech Hashem, who are used to spending more time
with tears, and I cry and pray to taste such learning one requesting “knowledge, understanding and intelligence”
more time!” (or, in an alternative text of the Shemoneh Esrei,
“wisdom, understanding and knowledge”). A discerning
And the Chazon Ish engaged in another wondrous way to person will realize how truly awesome this attainment is.
approach to the blessing of “He Who graciously grants knowledge”
(Kovetz Chazon Avi, Essay 9):
