This is his story. Bunim suggested Lakewood, New Jersey, since it was out of town but not too far from New York. Rav Aharon himself provided for many of the students in the early chaotic days. Rav Aharons opposition led to an abandonment of the project. Following the shiur, a review was conducted by a gifted student named Pesach Horowitz and later by Shmuel Maslow, the latter of whom it was said would repeat the entire shiur without adding a single explanatory word or comment. The rest,as they say, is history. For that reason we must daven!. Rabbi Aaron Kotler | kevarim.com The early years of the yeshivah witnessed an interesting blend. He examined the two boys with his piercing eyes. When he was criticized for meeting with the leading Reform Rabbi Stephen Wise, Rav Aharon famously declared, Id work with the Pope himself, if it would help save the fingernail of one Jewish child., Rav Aharon was once berated publicly by an official from a secular organization that likewise engaged in rescue work. Following Pesach of 1906, Rav Aharon arrived in Slabodka together with RavYaakov. Torah education is being built, dinner is served and the ever present Mishna Berura never leaves his hand. Several had even gotten married in Europe. Hes building Torah in, When Rav Mordechai returned home, he had the opportunity to speak at a Torah Umesorah convention, and was still taken by this story. The Yeshiva, which now boasts more than 5,000 talmidim is a testament to his devotion and passion for Torah learning.18"x24" BannerEasy to display with metal eyelets; easy to store, just roll it While Lakewood would ultimately become a distinguished seat of Torah in America, its initial growth came courtesy of a well-marketed myth. The Torah Fire of Rav Aharon Kotler zt"l - Yated.com There was also a family connection as Rav Isser Zalmans ancestors had previously been rabbanim of the town. The travails of the months Rav Aharon spent on the road are evident in letters he wrote during this time. Over the years, I had many discussions with Rav Joseph Ber Soloveitchik. Photos: BMG Archives, Agudah Archives, DMS Yeshiva Archives, Wolfson Family, Hoberman Family, Kamenetsky Family, National Library of Israel, US Dept of State, Prof. Chaim I. Waxman, YIVO, Torah Umesorah Archives, Chinuch Atzmai Archives, Perr Family, Golding Family, Bunim Family, TAJ Art and Judaica, Feivel Schneider, A child is playing outside a shul. But it was his partnership with Torah luminary Rav Aharon Kotler as well as his important connections with Washington insiders that advanced his advocacy on behalf of Orthodox Jewry. The economy was finally on the upswing, but the depression wouldnt end until 1939 and funds were still tight for many. A very symbolic number indeed, as this was the exact number of students that had pioneered the launch of the Slutzk Yeshivah almost a half century earlier. During this time, Rav Aharon refused to commit to Lakewood. Their chosen location was White Plains, New York, an outer suburb of New York in Westchester. ), At the behest of the Ridbaz, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer led a group of 14 students from Slabodka to open a yeshivah in Slutzk. Eventually, Rav Aharon discovered that his mail was being censored and became extremely upset, and decided to leave the yeshivah. With the founding of Slutzk Yeshiva in 1897, the Alter dispatched Rav Isser Zalman to be its rosh yeshivah, leaving Rav Moshe Mordechai the sole rosh yeshivah of Slabodka. On occasion, the phone in the room would ring and Rav Aharon would answer the phone and speak with someone, sometimes for quite a long time. A controversy erupted over the return of a former rabbi to town. He told them unapologetically, Our task is to cause Torah to flourish, and Rav Aharon cannot be rebbi for students of a lower caliber. (Photo from the 1947 Torah Umesorah convention in Cleveland). It had the added bonus of a steady stream of Jewish vacationers who could potentially serve as a fundraising base. Rav Aharon delivering a shiur at the Bialystoker Synagogue on New Yorks Lower East Side. One day, David was asked to drive Rav Aharon from his home in Boro Park to a wedding in Manhattan. And I want everybody here to know that here is a man who supported Torah when very few people were willing to support Torah, and therefore I consider him a chacham bfanav, and Im going to deliver a hesped.. But what can I do? In an interview conducted with the president of Lakewood's BMG, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, a myth and legend that has been well-entrenched in the chareidi world about famous Jewish composer and. Brother of Malka Pines and Dvora Czerbuchowski. He took strong stances on many contemporary issues in both the US and Israel, and elicited anger from supporters with his vocal protests against Israels draft law for women as well as the ensuing proposal of Sherut Leumi. Hed clarify that his fundamental position hadnt changed; it was rather counterbalanced in individual cases when specific needs arose (such as financial straits, the military draft, etc.). Hakoras Hatov: The Surprising Middah of Winter - Yated.com There was no longer any doubt that one of the youngest students in Slabodka was also one of its greatest, for there was nothing more complimentary in yeshivah circles than being the recipient of a full-frontal attack by the great Rav Leizer Telzer who would regularly use barbs to buy time as his lightning-quick mind reworked his thought process. In Slabodka there was something of a caste system, with older students rarely acknowledging their junior counterparts, let alone conversing with them. As the Jewish Socialist party, the Bund, began to make inroads in the region, workers began to organize and demand better salaries and working conditions. Prior to Bunims appeal at the dinner he read a newspaper ad for dogs winter coats. That isnt where the story ends, however. Rav Aharon's sister, Malka, also in Minsk, traveled in different circles in Minsk than her uncle, the dayan. November 29, 1962 - Kislev 2 5723 Anyone with biographical information is asked to please send it in. rav aharon kotler's sister Thousands of yungeleit sit and learn all day with hasmadah and zeal championed by supporters, fellow bnei Torah who vie for the opportunity to contribute eye-popping sums to their heroes. In Lakewood, Torah iz di beste sechoirah is not a lullaby to put a child to sleep. America, Rav Mordechai Shapiro answered. He was the synthesis of both previous illuyim. In the highly politicized atmosphere of interwar Polish Jewry, education like every other facet of communal life generally operated within a political affiliation with a specific party and political platform. The news of Volozhins closure spread quickly as students returned home to their respective cities and villages, among them the town of visa (Sislovitz), located 250 kilometers from Volozhin in Grodno Province, where a respected alumnus of the yeshivah, a rav named Rav Shneur Zalman Pines, was hosting a bris for his son, whom he named Aharon. He continued as if he had never stopped. But Rav Aharons vision has prevailed. When Rav Aharon visited America in 1935, he observed with sorrow that Baltimore was the only city outside of New York that contained a proper Jewish Day School. You babble like a shaigetz!. Its simply not worth it for me to stay here and miss out on such blessings.), The Chanukas Habayis in Kletzk was an impressive event that enhanced the yeshivahs prestige. Rav Aharon Kotler, ZTL FIRST TRIP TO AMERICA Rav Aharon came to the United States in 1935 to raise funds for the Yeshiva. When I talk about Rav Aaron and mibeis abba, I dont mean just his scholarship, his Torah, but the qualities of a gadol, the warmth and other great middos. Years later in Baltimore, a former student at Knesses Beis Yitzchak, Mr. Harry Wolpert, described the scene: When Rav Leizer saw that hundreds of yeshivah students had arrived, he skipped the formalities and immediately launched into a shiurwith his trademark intensity. Silent Epiphany - Inyan Magazine | Hamodia It seems like a supernatural act. If you want to become a rabbi then get semichah, he was told, but learning all day without a career goal is nisht ungenumen (unacceptable) in this country!, Rav Yechiel Perr, rosh yeshivah of Yeshiva Derech Ayson, was a talmid in the fledgling Beth Medrash Govoha during those years. He was murdered in the Yanova Ghetto along with his community. We discussed this issue at a recent meeting, and it was decided that due to the current distressing financial situation there is nothing that should be done to prevent them from doing so., The poverty they faced was on display in another letter to Rav Yosef Shub where Rav Aharon urged, to give on our account to the bochur, Chaim Yehonasan, 50 volumes of Gemara Kiddushin, which are needed urgently. Young Aharon was left alone, bereft of both parents in a volatile world. (This building still stands and is fully functional today known as the old shul. The congregation eventually built a newer location on the corner of 6th and Madison.). Dershowitz Family Saga. He locked his arm with Rav Aharons arm and they walked through the door together. It laid the groundwork for the establishment of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, and for a seismic change in Americas attitude toward Torah learning and living. One Erev Shabbos he saw a small kiosk in Tel Aviv, and someone asked the proprietor for a pack of cigarettes. He is about 48 years, blue smiling eyes, small stature, powerful determination, and penetrating vision. The following day saw the Alters return. On August 3, Lithuania was formally incorporated into the Soviet Union. He used his wealth to assist the nascent mussar movement by supporting the Slabodka Yeshivah and other mussar-linked institutions. Rabbi Shlomo Lorincz was present when Beth Medrash Govoahs financial director Rabbi Yaakov Weisberg informed Rav Aharon that the yeshivah hadnt paid salaries for five months and suppliers were threatening to stop deliveries. The Vaad HaYeshivos, which was the brainchild of the Chofetz Chaim, would serve as an umbrella organization for the fundraising and budgeting operations of all member yeshivos. Drive slower, Rav Aharon told me, so that we arrive after eight. Initial quarters were located on top of a Chinese laundry on Fourth Street, and the annual rent was $105. Donate. In fact, he seldom mentioned it altogether, never evoking the memory of his own yeshivah nor engaging in nostalgia of his decades at its helm. It is well-known for quite a while that yeshivos are engaging in decentralized fundraising based on their individual needs. The calm before the storm Inside the beis medrash in Kletzk during the summer of 1939. Ill test you and if you pass, you are invited to join us for Shabbos. Rav Aharon took cover under a table, and someone nearby vividly recalled Rav Aharon praying, Ribbono Shel Olam, ich vill noch leben I want to live more! Rav Aharon is much more than just the rosh yeshivah of Kletzk!, Rav Aharon delivering a shiur in Kletzk In listening to Rav Aharon, one always sensed the genius of a deep and penetrating mind arriving at simple conclusions. ISBN9781510770232. From Lakewood To Yeshiva University: An Interview With Rabbi Aaron Another talmid, who had been raised in relative comfort, once commented to Rav Aharon that he was having a hard time with the austere kollel lifestyle. Senior yeshivos like Mir and Slabodka had alumni networks that greatly assisted with this process. Yekusiel, sing.. Rav Aharon Kotler, - The Early Years - The 5 Towns Jewish Times To each generation its exegetes, to each commentator his Maimonides; in twentiethcentury Orthodox Judaism, different elements have endorsed Maimonides as an authority granting legitimacy. In 1938 the journalist Hirsch Movshowitz (under the pseudonym M. Gertz) shared memories of his time in Slabodka in the Riga-based Yiddish newspaper Haynt in an article entitled: The Once-in-a Generation Gaon, HaRav Aharon Kotler, excerpted below: Thirty-two years ago, when I came to Yeshivas Slabodka, Knesses Yisrael had a number of bochurim that were renowned giants in Torah. Rav Aharon emphasized that while Rav Yitzchak Meir was his brother-in-law, he was submitting his candidacy strictly based on his merits. It had clearly made a deep impression on Rav Aharon. Kotler died at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City on November 29, 1962. He considered the Vilna Gaon, an eighteenth century Torah genius of exceptional greatness, one of his spiritual mentors. The Torah world watched as its emerging leader proceeded to build one of the greatest yeshivos of the era. Zeh hakatan gadol yihyeh, the mohelannounced. When her wealthy husband passed away in 1906, she vowed to donate her fortune to charity. Among the younger group, there were three younger bochurim [known to be exceptional], they were almost yingerlach (children): The Vishker Illui, Hershke Semiatytcher, and last but not least Arke Sislovitcher. It wasnt in the nature of the Sislovitzer to allow his true brilliance to be heard. Therefore, we ask Hakodosh Baruch Hu that you should be zocheh to be matzliach and constantly continue your efforts. Rabbi Aharon Kotler - NJOP Rav Aharon was so moved by this act of mesirus nefesh that he jumped up from behind the table to where Mr. Cohen stood. It is a great honor to stand at the helm of a packed beis medrash and teach Torah, that is RAM lofty and elevated. During Rav Aharons years at Knesses Yisrael, it was commonplace for elite students to go listen to Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitzs shiurim at the rival yeshivah of Knesses Beis Yitzchak. Other family members tried influencing him and even registered him in a religious haskalah school. This theme was sustained by Rav Moshe Shapiro, who extolled Mr. Wolfson as the fulfillment of Rav Aharons tireless bidding: Rav Aharon passed away 50 years ago, but his precognition endowed him with the faith that Reb Zev would bring blessing to the Jewish People. On June 15, 1940 only eight months after the Kletzk Yeshivah escaped to Vilna the Lithuanian government caved to a Soviet ultimatum and the Red Army entered the country. It was not until after one oclock in the morning that Rav Aharon returned home. About Rebbetzin Sara Pesha Schwartzman. Father of Rabbi Shneur Kotler, RY BMG-Lakewood; Rebbetzin Sara Pesha Schwartzman and Grunia Katz I have come only to help save, with your assistance, American Yidden, the centuries-old Torah centers of Europe. In 1943 Rav Kotler pulled off a historic accomplishment by opening one of the first European standard Yeshivos, Bais Medrash Gevoha in Lakewood NJ, on the shores of America. In fact a Kollel at Lakewood, N.J. has been established for this purpose. One of the great Torah builders of the next generation Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel is standing on the far right. This put them into a precarious situation, as seminaries of religious instruction were viewed by the atheist communist authorities as hotbeds of counterrevolutionary activity and ran the risk of being forcibly shut or even of arrest and deportation. John Pehle, Hon. Rav Aharon understood that any attempts to rescue the yeshivah students and Torah scholars in Nazi-occupied Lithuania was now an exercise in futility. They named it Beth Medrash Govoha. When the Alter acceded to the Ridbazs request and established a yeshivah in Slutzk, it was at great personal cost to his own yeshivah. The letter described how the yeshivah-farm could also open a cannery that would produce Kosher for Pesach products and serve as a summer camp as well, and ended on a note of optimism: The average worker on the Torah Farm Industrial Project would find more leisure time which may be devoted to the study of Torah, since he need not travel to or from work. Irving Bunim funded the initial purchase with donations from his brother-in-law Isidor Farber as well as his friends Samuel Kaufman and David Shapiro. Continued 55th Yahrtzeit of Rav Aharon Kotler, ZTL Most of the 2,000 Jewish residents in visa worked at local tanneries, which dominated the local economy. Of course, he did not attend. Rav Aharon translated his fiery energy into rescue activities and toward the rebuilding of Europes shattered Torah world. It didnt have the appearance of a private residence. [1] During his tenure, he developed the Lithuanian -style, Haredi but non- Hasidic yeshiva into the largest post-graduate Torah institution in the world. (While its unclear what became of his son Moshe, thankfully, his younger daughter Devorah was spared from this plague.). Rav Aharon Kotler: Builder of the Torah World - 9781614653370 - Menucha Zev became close to Rav Aharon, said longtime Chinuch Atzmai chairman Rabbi Henoch Cohen. One student of Rav Aharon related how he was berated by a venerated chassidic leader over his choice to study in Lakewood. He attempted to work with Reform and secular Jewish leaders and non-Jews as well. Rav Aharon Kotler was one of the very few Torah giants who contributed mightily to the transformation of the face of American Jewry in the middle of the twentieth century from one of Torah ignorance and mourning over the Holocaust to significant progress in Torah knowledge and partial recovery from the tragedy of the Holocaust. As they entered the beis medrash, it was clear they were uncomfortable with what they saw. Away from his illustrious father-in-law, Rav Aharon was now on his own. There were plenty of scientists and engineers. Franks Family Reunion: Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein (second from left) on a visit to America.