There is a need for effective teachers and for the right kind of rabbis and Lakewood will produce these too. By Rabbi Yair Hoffman This Shabbos will mark the 53rd yartzeit of Rav Aharon Kotler zt"l. Below is part one of a short biography. The offer was tempting, considering his low salary at the Agudah. I go, Rav Hutner answered, simply to hear Rav Aharon Kotler utter the word Torah.. Staff knows nothing about it. But Rav Aharon trusted the young activist who regularly drove him around and helped obtain appointments with donors. Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz also known for his musical gifts shared how on Seder night, the townspeople of Krinik would gather outside Rav Zalman Senders window to hear him sing. He was orphaned at the age of 10 and adopted by his uncle, Yitzchak Pines, a rabbinic judge in Minsk. Though he came from an illustrious rabbinic family, Rav Aharon Kotler (1891-1962) was faced with the challenge of being orphaned from both parents as a child. At an emergency fundraising meeting, he put it in approximately these words: I dont want you to misunderstand me; I dont want to mislead you. Nein! In his memoirs, visa resident David Lewis (later a leader in the Canadian Bund) described how soon after the onset of Shabbos, local youths would paste their leaflets to the door of the main shul in town, knowing that they couldnt be removed by the Shabbos-observant attendees. He was quiet, calm, easygoing, a boy tender as silk, who spent day and night learning and serving the Creator. We went to see Secretary Morgenthau in order to get permission to transfer these funds. I could not break out of what sounded to me like a harangue against secular study. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. I sat quietly and listened, until we passed through a tunnel I believe it was the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, which had been built just a few years before. "The Rosh Yeshiva shared with me that a Rav called his Zeide, Reb Aharon Kotler, in 1945. Rav Aharon in an animated discussion with Rav Avraham Farbstein while attending the engagement party of of future Mir rosh yeshiva Rav Refoel Shmuelevitz 15 Shvat 1962. The main attraction in Lakewood remained its hotels, which by then numbered more than 100, many of which catered primarily to Jewish patrons. 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. He gave lie to the myth of the cold Litvak, the fire of his great soul manifesting itself in his personality as in his words and deeds Hillel Seidman. This second group included people like Irving Bunim and his son Amos, Stephen Klein, Samuel Feuerstein and his son Moses, Mike Tress, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, Marvin Schick, Zev Wolfson, Rabbi Henoch Cohen, Julius Klugman, Ernst Bodenheimer and others. When Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky was encouraged by Rav Aharon to open his yeshivah in Philadelphia, he expressed concern: what kind of chinuch would his children receive in a city that lacked a proper religious educational infrastructure? The Lomza rosh yeshivah, Rav Yechiel Mordechai Gordon, was stranded in the US during the war, and he was hired to serve as rosh kollel. They were concerned that love of Zion and Jerusalem would compete for adherents among Jewish youth, and that the latter love would take the place of the former.. Like most devout Jews in visa, Rav Shneur Zalman struggled to protect his children from the winds of change sweeping Eastern European Jewish youth. This noble endeavor created a framework for laborers and merchants to benefit from a Torah environment, replete with batei medrash and shiurim in every locale. Something like I would imagine the Chasam Sofer and Rav Akiva Eiger spoke. But I persuaded him and persevered, visiting him five times until he was convinced.. In recognition of his status, as well as the fact that he was an orphan, Rav Aharon was provided by the Katzovisheh Shul with a significantly larger stipend than others. Rav Aharon Kotlers sister Malka was relentless in trying to convince him to leave Slabodka, enroll in university, and join the modern world. He mentioned that when Torah Vodaath couldnt afford to pay its teachers, Mr. Herskowitz conducted an appeal at his daughters wedding. Rabbi Aharon Kotler " Rosh Yeshivah, Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, New Jersey Date of Death: Thu. The house of the rabbi shone with the splendor of(his son) the gaon. Where are you from? Rav Mordechai went on. I cant refuse a bona fide talmid chacham!. There is a need for roshei yeshivos in this country and elsewhere and Lakewood will produce them. Bunim suggested Lakewood, New Jersey, since it was out of town but not too far from New York. Eventually, the Epsteins made their presence known. Rabbi Shaul Robinson shared a powerful story that he heard from a congregant describing Rav Aharons deep appreciation for Torah supporters. This group, known as the Yad Hachazakah, included future Torah leaders such as his son Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, his son-in-law Rav Yehuda Leib Plachinsky, Rav Reuven Katz, Rav Alter Shmuelevitz, Rav Pesach Pruskin, Rav Moshe Yom Tov Wachtfogel, and Rav Yosef Konvitz. 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. What he said was magnificent. Their immediate needs were assumed by Rav Aharon, who had obtained a large quantity of saccharin as well as locally baked black bread. He arrived on September 10th, 1935 having left Europe from Cherbourg, France aboard the Majestic. Their operatives held show trials and published newspapers exposing yeshivah students and teachers as counterrevolutionaries who were systematically poisoning the masses. In 1904 Rav Chaim Rabinowitz departed for Telz and was replaced by the rav of Halusk and a prime student of Rav Chaim Brisker, Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz. He was murdered in the Yanova Ghetto along with his community. Rav Shach remained in Kletzk through the early 1930s. Rav Aharons opposition led to an abandonment of the project. Rather, it is the clarion call that brought a revolution to Americas yeshivah world. Even while seeing success at Slabodka, there were constant pressures from family members as well as the Jewish street to conform to the pressures of modernity. While their fellow Jews were suffering in Europe, there were no sweets or meat to be found, with the exception of Shabbos. Sensing the danger which was to confront the yeshivos under a potential Soviet dominion, he called upon all of the yeshivos to flee posthaste to Vilna. The wedding was celebrated on 8 Adar, 1914 in Slutzk. He choked up, and remained crying at the podium for ten minutes without saying a word. Yankele Ochsenkrug, the proprietor said. Modern machinery and long winter evenings are also conducive in affording more leisure time. 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.. The Torah will begin to rise in a new place before its current locus goes dark. He served as the Mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoha for a half-century before his passing in 1998. One of the students who accompanied Rav Aharon signaled that he was going to try and silence the provoker. Sighet native David Weiss (Halivni) survived the war and arrived in America as an orphan, where he became a student of Rav Yitzchok Hutner at Chaim Berlin. Kotler was buried in Israel[14][15] on Har HaMenuchot. Their chosen location was White Plains, New York, an outer suburb of New York in Westchester. Mrs. Golding also founded the yeshivahs sisterhood, galvanizing local women to support young men dedicated to Torah learning. You will live for many years in Eretz Yisrael; HaKadosh Baruch Hu will yet help you, and in Eretz Yisrael you will come up with great chiddushei Torah., After hearing such things from the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Isser Zalman declared, I wouldnt stay here for all the money in the world! They also began to open small hotels that were marketed as kosher to cater to Jewish clientele. Unfortunately, the trend toward socialism wasnt limited to labor unions, and ambivalence toward religion soon turned into animosity. He encouraged him to forge ahead with the plan. Though Rav Aharons name is most closely linked to Lakewood, the impact of his Torah trailblazing goes far beyond a single yeshivah. Rav Aharon would only travel to Lakewood for the weekends. Come Shabbos, Rav Aharon would move into the yeshivah, sleeping in the dorm and eating all the Shabbos meals with his beloved talmidim, then personally thanking the cook for the delicious meals. In Slutzk he was paired with the Beis HaLevis son Chaim, who would soon light up the world as a young rosh yeshivah in Volozhin. Some of these shuls hosted kibbutzim, small groups of young men that studied there. From year to year he grew in his brilliance, and now he is among the giants of the generation. The mashgiach, Rav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel (pictured with current rosh yeshivah Rav Malkiel Kotler) was a product of Mir, Kaminetz and Kelm, and was among the founders of the White Plains Kollel. Prior to Pesach of 1905, Rav Aharon journeyed to Minsk and joined a kibbutz of older talmidim at the Katzovisheh (Butchers) Shul. Perhaps the most noteworthy seed planted by Rav Aharon on this trip occurred following his visit to Yeshiva Torah Vodaath. 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. When this failed to produce the needed funds, Rav Aharon was forced to procure loans in order to complete the costs of the building. Another day school, a yeshivah gedolah, kollelim that dotted the fruited plains. At the time, Rav Aharon was living on the Upper West Side and was completely occupied with rescue work, but still found time to deliver shiurim on Zeraim in his apartment to a small group of Torah Vodaath students, including Rav Avrohom Pam, Rav Elya Moshe Schisgal, Rav Yisrael Kanarek and Rav Simcha Schustal. Rav Aharon Kotler and the Cab There is a famous story of Rav Aharon Kotler zt"l wherein he hired a cab driver to take him somewhere. A rapid Sovietization of Lithuania ensued. Without total submission to Torah learning, he said, without fundamental lomdus, toil and perseverance, Torah cannot takeroot in the individuals soul, cannot change hisbeing or essence. Disappointed, the new Mafia chiefs bid farewell to Rav Shneur and left. The calm before the storm Inside the beis medrash in Kletzk during the summer of 1939. Sinister as his motivations may have been, Bradshaw arranged the donation of a plot of land, on the other side of the tracks, at the intersection of Park Avenue and Fourth Street for a synagogue. The younger students would remain with Rav Isser Zalman in Slutzk for the time being. During the week, the longtime mashgiach Rav Nosson Wachtfogel ran the yeshivah. One of his childhood friends later reminisced in the towns Yizkor (memorial) book: I would visit the house of the rabbi as a friend of the delightful child Arke (today Rav Aharon Kotler). Tell your rabbi that hed better appear at our headquarters by tonight!. For the remainder of the war, Rav Aharon along with Rav Avraham Kalmanowitz and his close confidante Irving Bunim would lobby diplomats, legislators and anyone who would listen in the corridors of power in Washington to assist in various rescue schemes. The Vaad Hatzalah had been able to procure limited above-quota visas designated for clergy, and Rav Aharon was offered one. I cant answer, Rav Zalman Sender replied. But when you got to know him on a more private level, you could talk to him about. The history of Chinuch Atzmai and Rav Aharons leadership thereof is beyond the scope of this article. So he hired a shadar an official fundraiser, who in the case of Kletzk kept a full 50 percent of all earnings (a typical arrangement at the time). No such thing. 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 In 1885 he was appointed rabbi of Maltch. Only you, Rav Aharon said, well understanding that a Torah revolution would never take hold in America if there was nobody willing to marry yeshivah bochurim and embrace a Torah lifestyle and all that came with it. Rav Aharon contacted Irving Bunim and made plans to petition government officials in Washington to prevent this. I have increased Torah among the Jewish People. He supported thousands of Torah students; they study Torah due to his efforts. Thank you. An early student at the yeshivah described how it was such a novelty at the time, that visitors to Lakewood hotels would occasionally peer into the windows of the beis medrash and stare in astonishment at the men avidly learning. The Alter, in his genius, was likely testing their resolve. February 2, 1892 / the fourth of Shevat 5652. Rav Noach himself was questioned as to his preference to which he responded softly that had he wanted to stay in Kletzk, he never would have come to Mir. Rabbi Perr is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Derech Ayson, Far Rockaway, NY. Succumbing to a long battle with stomach cancer, Rav Chaim Ozer passed away on August 9. Slutzks 10,000 Jews comprised more than 75 percent of the population. Due to fundraising concerns, yeshivos generally refrained from overt association of this sort. Funding during this time was provided by both the Joint Distribution Committee, as well as a new organization established at Rav Chaim Ozers request to assist the refugee yeshivos continue to function. It was a lesson that many young Americans absorbed, because in addition to producing a cadre of future Torah leaders, Rav Aharon sought to educate a new generation of balabatim about the primacy of supporting Torah and mitzvah observance. Rav Aharon was overcome with stage fright because of the presence of one one unfamiliar person, so acute was his shyness. When Rav Aharon got on the line, the caller respectfully referred to him as Kletzker rosh yeshivah. Rav Mottel exclaimed, Kletzker rosh yeshivah? See CONTACT page for details. 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. Another son, named Boruch Peretz after Rav Isser Zalmans father, also died in infancy. The incredibly successful dinner was lionized in a documentary produced by the grandchildren of Irving Bunim entitled, An Unprecedented Gathering in Support of Torah, the highlight of which is the keynote address of Rav Soloveitchik: When I look at Rav Aharon or listen to his words as they flow forth impatiently, rapidly when I feel his presence, I feel bound by a sense of achrayus and am reminded of Gedolei Yisrael. He was orphaned at the age of 10 and adopted by his uncle, Rabbi Yitzchak Pinnes, a Dayan in Minsk. The townspeople now welcomed Rav Aharons group of yeshivah students with open arms. By 1924 the desperate financial straits of the yeshivos in the region led to the founding of one of the most unique organizations in the annals of the yeshivah world: the Vaad HaYeshivos. Shortly after he arrived in New York, Rav Aharon attended a meeting of the Agudath Harabonim and declared, I am the father of sons who are wandering aimlessly from one place of exile to another, totally abandoned, forsaken. 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. As the yeshivah grew in size, Rav Aharon worked to ensure it grew in quality as well. Another organizer of the New York event was a former Slutzk talmid named Zadok Kapner, a brilliant scholar who had become a successful physician but was still said to be one of the greatest Talmudic minds in America. The knowledge, research and published words of the following distinguished individuals, both past and present, aided in the preparation of this article. The rest,as they say, is history. Fearful of these. 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. One of Rav Aharons maxims was One should imagine that his entire spiritual standing is literally dependent on how he utilizes the present moment, for the time that comes afterwards is a completely different entity., He wrote, The great benefit that a Yeshiva brings to Klal Yisrael, accrues to the entire nation, even to those who have distanced themselves from the Torahs ways. America has embraced and nurtured a vision of Torah learning for its own sake. In marrying into the Meltzer/Frank family Rav Aharon merited a wife who had grown up in a home steeped in Torah, and solidified a connection with a family that was influential in the Torah landscape over the last century. When Rav Aharon noticed, he said to the student, Let him speak, perhaps hes right.. A person supporting Torah, who is Zevulun, doesnt have the simchah of growing in Torah every day. Had all his communal responsibilities been merely ceremonial roles, that would have been impressive enough. The story is told that the Beis HaLevi asked the two youngsters which was a bigger lamdan. The Va'ad Hatzalah brought Rabbi Kotler out of Nazi controlled Europe, where he had been a highly regarded scholar and the head of the Yeshiva in Kletsk. Rav Aharon passed away in 1962, and her husband Reb Shneur became Rosh Yeshiva. In the postwar period, Rav Aharon would be universally recognized as an Agudas Yisrael leader in the United States, and more surprisingly, even in Israel. He told my father that he hoped to eventually have over a hundred students. Even more astounding is that his reach wasnt limited to the United States. These factors made him more amenable to the idea of traveling to the United States on his own, sensing that he could perhaps facilitate the exit of the yeshivah from there, and expedite the process by breathing new life into rescue work. Contents Address of Rav Aharon Kotler Chinuch Atzmai Dinner 1956 50th yartzheit of harav aharon kotler zt l lakewood Following a quick stop in Cincinnati, he arrived at Penn Station on April 21, 1941. The Bund sought to organize the Jewish working class, and to remake Jewish identity as well, with Yiddish culture replacing religious observance. Years ago he knew a little child in Minsk, and he remembered giving money for this childs ticket to Slabodka. [He presented] complicated mathematical problems that would be hard for a licensed engineer to solve, and the Sislovitzer resolved them in no time. Left to right: Irving Bunim, Hon. Even then, he displayed a sense of concern and responsibility for the wider Torah world, taking initiative and accepting burdens far beyond his own yeshivah. We studied together with his father of blessed memory, and we spent many a mishmar (all-night learning session) together. Following the founding of Torah Umesorah, he worked in lockstep with Dr. Joseph Kamenetsky, Rabbi Alexander Gross and Rabbi Bernard Goldenberg to found day schools in cities across America, making it clear that he was willing to sacrifice a day saying an intricate shiur on a sugya in Yevamos to ensure that a Jewish child in Minneapolis or Seattle would have the chance to learn the Alef-beis. Herbert Tenzer at the December 1945 Vaad Hatzalah Dinner. By 1915, a secular Yiddish school was dedicated in town, and within four years the cheder was shuttered. Though we knew that once Rav Aharon was in America our own chances of being able to leave would improve, we felt lost and forsaken. After all, hadnt they been recruited by a trusted student of the Alter? He never ceased to praise the tireless efforts and the exceptional brilliance of Rav Aharon. Vilna was to be transferred from Soviet-occupied eastern Poland to independent and neutral Lithuania. Kletzk was forced to leave Yanova and split up to evade detection. Many of the stories have become the stuff of legend. Was it possible? Ill test you and if you pass, you are invited to join us for Shabbos. Perhaps hed be willing to become my communitys shochet.. Rav Leib Rotkin, one of the Kletzkers who survived the war in Siberia and came to Lakewood, recalled that in Europe, Rav Aharon had delivered mussar shmueussen only once a year, on Yom Kippur night. Rav Aharon theorized that the girl might think, Hes a bit short, but if he were to insert slats in his shoes hed appear taller, therefore it would be considered deceitful. Mrs. Bertha Rayner Frank was born in Baltimore in 1847 into a prestigious Jewish family of German origin. Until the last day of his life, Reb Zev lived with a shlichus a mission that he learnt and felt from Rav Aharon.. Rav Aharon himself was personally involved in commissioning the sefer Torah; he hired a resident of Kletzk, a reliable sofer named Yechezkel Peikuss, to write the Sefer Torah, which was completed in time for the Chofetz Chaims second yahrtzeit in 1935. The principal of the Kovno Gymnasium found out that among the bochurim there was an illui a wunderkind. Upon returning, they received a stark reminder as to why they had departed America in the first place the lack of a world class yeshivah faithful to European Torah values. Eventually, Rav Aharon discovered that his mail was being censored and became extremely upset, and decided to leave the yeshivah. Instead, he wanted to ensure that the shul was built away from the towns hotels, because he believed that a visible Jewish presence would diminish their value. [3] At first, he settled in New York City's Upper West Side, and in 1949, he moved to the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. With his trusted associates Irving & Amos Bunim at a Torah Umesorah dinner in 1956. Some roshei yeshivah felt that the college challenge could be solved by creating an external college option for yeshivah students. The activities of the Vaad did not cease with the end of the war, because there were still Jews in Europe who desperately needed help. Rav Dovid Cohen related to us a postscript to the story. Upon hearing that neurologists believe that people have access to only a fraction of their brains potential, he declared to his student Rabbi Dr. Dovid Fox, They never knew Rav Aharon Kotler; every brain cell was full of brilliance!. 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. And he (Zev) has a tremendous part in this accomplishment (to strengthen Chinuch Atzmai), through lobbying efforts and other means. You wont do well there, there are many apikorsim there. When the bochur made it clear that he still planned on utilizing the certificate obtained on his behalf by Rav Isser Zalman, Rav Aharon asked him to leave the yeshivah. He managed to view even his beloved yeshivah, which carried his hope and vision for the future of American Jewry, through the pure prism of his priorities in building Torah worldwide at any given moment. Father of Rabbi Shneur Kotler, RY BMG-Lakewood; Rebbetzin Sara Pesha Schwartzman and Grunia Katz In interwar Poland, one would be hard pressed to find a rosh yeshivah younger than Rav Aharon Kotler; most of his fellow roshei yeshivah were twice his age. Supporters of the yeshivah accused the opponents of being biased against poor war refugees. The challenges quickly subsided. When they felt themselves beginning to suffocate, one of them told Rav Aharon they couldnt remain any longer. Uplifting and filled with achrayus. Aharon Kotler (February 2, 1892 November 29, 1962) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania and the United States; the latter being where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. In Slabodka there was something of a caste system, with older students rarely acknowledging their junior counterparts, let alone conversing with them. In summarizing the shmuessen, Rav Nosson Wachtfogel once remarked, The rosh yeshivah had just one shmuess the requirement to study Torah, the need to accept upon oneself the yoke of Torah., In eulogizing Rav Aharon, Rav Moshe Sherer utilized the Gemaras description of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel at the Simchas Beis Hashoeivah celebrations in the Bais Hamikdash. In 1903 he was offered the rabbinate of the larger town of Krinik, which he accepted on condition that he could open a yeshivah there as well. Rav Aharon traveled by boat on his first trip there in 1945. (His son Rav Shneur had already departed for Palestine using a certificate received from his grandfather Rav Isser Zalman.). It was Rav Aharon, who immediately initiated rapid-fire questioning regarding the situation on the ground there. Chassidic lore has it that Slutzk was condemned after the town mistreated the Baal Shem Tov.). Rav Naftali Trop had recently passed away, and the students in Radin invited Rav Isser Zalman to deliver a shiur, after which they pleaded with him to remain as rosh yeshivah. It wasnt just the working class who bought into the warm weather fallacy and filled the numerous resort hotels that lined the streets along the lake. As the community grew and more Jews began to spend their winters in Lakewood, Charles Goldstein began to envision a permanent home for the budding kehillah. Still short of $10,000, he personally borrowed the funds. Kletzk Yeshiva in Yanova. Though its focus was always financial, the Vaad ventured into other areas of yeshivah and even communal activity, including printing seforim, placement of applicants, and publishing its own newspaper. Although. The emergence of an experienced administrator for the kollel, helped it gain both legitimacy and financial backing for its initial months. Rav Chatzkels daughter, Rebbetzin Zlata Ginsburg, recalled the exuberance of the Kletzk townspeople when they learned of this exciting development. Rav Aharon very much enjoyed zemiros and while not personally blessed with a good voice, he would encourage his talmidim to sing for him, most famously Shlomo Carlebach and Rav Elyakim Getzel Rosenblatt. Mere minutes before sunset, a participant proclaimed, Rabbosai, Minchah!, He was interrupted by Rav Yitzchok Hutner. Just weeks after Rav Aharons arrival in Americaon Erev Pesach of 1941, the Nazis invaded Soviet-occupied Lithuania andbrought an end to the golden age of Torah study in Eastern Europe. He acquiesced and blessed him to become a talmid chacham. The economy was finally on the upswing, but the depression wouldnt end until 1939 and funds were still tight for many. A report on that Knessiah in Hapardes states that, Rav [Elchonon] Wasserman, Rav [Aharon] Kotler, Rav [Mordechai] Rottenberg from Antwerp and rabbis from Czechoslovakia and Hungary were in agreement in rejecting any proposal for a Jewish State on either side of the Jordan River, even if it were established as a religious state, because such a regime would be a form of heresy in our faith in the belief in the coming of the Messiah, and especially since it would be built on heresy and desecration of the Name of G-d.. As a rosh yeshivah himself, Rav Aharon understood the predicament and advised the Vaad to look the other way, in a letter to Vaad secretary Rav Yosef Shub in 1933: You understand that at this point individual fundraising is now viewed as permissible. He understood that the future of the Torah world lay in the United States. You live in the Holy Land and serve as a rosh yeshivah. Rav Aharon wouldnt be deterred and climbed in through the window to hear the shiur. Goldstein now turned his attention to building the shul and he began to fundraise. Many young orphans found themselves in Aix-Les-Bains after the war, and Rav Leibel realized that if he didnt act quickly, he would lose these drifting young Jews to the various secular refugee aid groups. The yeshivah had been founded in 1897 by the Alter of Slabodka at the behest of the rav of Slutzk, Rav Yaakov David Wilowski (the Ridbaz). Years later he heard that this child had somehow ended up in America and opened a yeshivah. Back in Slutzk, the remnants of the yeshivah were forced underground, and many talmidim, seeing no future under Soviet rule, crossed the border to Kletzk. If you study Torah lishmah and inculcate that value in others, Rav Aharon told him, Hashem will care for your children. Rav Shmuel often repeats this promise to parents moving to distant locales to spread Torah. 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. I would disobey his request but I am afraid of him! With that he sat down, satisfied that he had both complied with the request and also conveyed his sense of reverence. A Lithuanian tradition from the Vilna Gaon advised adding a prefix when using the name in the future. [3] He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Shneur Kotler, as rosh yeshiva. He and his shtender and the Gemara were so attached to one another, that aside from the fact that by his bar mitzvah he was already an exceptional illui, he was less noticeable than the other two, because he and the Gemara were fused together as one, from one skin. After hovering at around 150 talmidim for several years, the yeshivah experienced a growth spurt in the early 1930s and by 1932 counted 230 talmidim. If a student interrupted, he would yell at him, Du redst vie a shikere Turk!
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