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In Torah Tidbits, issue 1372, Rabbi Shalom Rosner wrote, in part:

When Rav Shach turned 100, he told his students that he was going to accept upon himself a new resolution. The students were curious: What new practice is Rav Shach going to adopt at age 100? He told them: “I am going to be careful to always bentch (recite the blessing after meals) from a bentcher [=book].

I find this a little hard to believe. (No litotes intended. I'm not saying it's impossible — just that it's somewhat hard to believe.) After all, Mishna B'rura (185:1) says "one who is particular will take care to bless, l'chat'chila, from a book and not by heart", so I'd imagine this is something Rabbi Shach may well have been careful about already by the time he hit age one hundred. So I'm seeking a better source than Rabbi Rosner's say-so. Anyone have one?

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  • hidush.co.il/hidush.asp?id=6908 Says here this was a general piece of advice he would give. Further googling shows that this was something he meticulously followed all his life and when he was very old and a tube for eating was inserted in his body, he was very upset because he could no longer bentch. While I couldn't find a source for this particular story, considering Rav Shach's attitude towards bentching, I assume that the idea conveyed is that he was always looking to improve his bentching.
    – Harel13
    May 30, 2020 at 22:03
  • I certainly remember Rav Shach having made comments about the importance of bentching from a bencher before he was 100 yet
    – Schmerel
    May 31, 2020 at 3:38
  • You could ask Rav Rosner facebook.com/Rabbi-Shalom-Rosner-158564311186014 !
    – Avrohom Yitzchok
    May 31, 2020 at 16:13
  • @Avrohom I e-mailed him as soon as I had posted this question, inviting him to reply here.
    – msh210 ♦
    May 31, 2020 at 16:56

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