Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a Talmudic scholar and a revered figure among the world’s ultra-Orthodox Jews, died March 18 in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak. He was 94.

Rabbi Kanievsky was known for his analytical prowess and knowledge when it came to the Torah and the dozens of volumes of the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud, which he studied year after year. Blessed with a photographic memory, he could recite entire passages.

Rabbi Kanievsky wrote and published dozens of volumes on Jewish law, often focusing on rituals and their ramifications for modern life. Jews regarded him as a modern-day prophet, and would flock to his modest apartment to seek his advice on questions both profound and personal.