#volys-1a:

RABBI ABRAHAM ISAAC KOOK 1865-1935

FROM World Mizrachi Site

Biography:

Perhaps the most difficult of personalities to portray is that of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who had an immeasurable influence on Jewish life. He was born in Greiva, Latvia and was one of the select few to be recognized as a true genius from early childhood. His memory was astounding, yet the ability to assimilate and understand information was definitely his greatest asset.

While attending yeshiva he applied himself not only to the Talmud, but studied Bible, Jewish Philosophy and the Hebrew language as well.

By the time Rabbi Kook arrived at the famed Volozhin Yeshiva at the age of nineteen, he spoke Hebrew perfectly and did so at any and every opportunity that presented itself. The Rosh Yeshiva at the time was the "Netziv", who was one of the few leaders of the Torah world who supported the beginning of the return to Zion. Under this influence, Rabbi Kook grew in knowledge and became engrossed in kabbalah, Jewish thought and devoted prayer. In 1888 he went to serve as the Rabbi of Zimel for seven years, until he moved to Boisk, Lithuania, where he was the rabbi of this community until 1904. It was in Boisk that he published his first essay on Zionism in which he accepted the movement in all its aspects as being a legitimate factor in the quest to revive Jewish nationalism.

In 1904, Rabbi Kook moved to Eretz Israel and became Rabbi of Jaffa and its surrounding agricultural communities. Here he began to espouse his particular brand of religious philosophy. It was a blend of the mystical, unworldly kabbalah, and the practical realities of the day. At its cornerstone rested the belief that the Jewish people were not only bringing about a new historical era in their determination to reclaim the land, but were entering into the phase of history foretold by the prophets as the "It’chalta De’Geula" or the Beginning of Redemption. Thus he viewed even the most irreligious as fulfilling the word of God, and the Zionist movement as the instrument that God had chosen to usher in this new era.

Rabbi Kook reiterated over and over again that each and every Jew retains a holy spark within the soul and that the Jewish people as a whole, in beginning to revive their national aspirations and rebuilding the Land, were igniting this spark â€" which most assuredly would bring about the full and complete redemption.

At all times Rabbi Kook desired to keep peace between the religious and irreligious segments of the community, while trying to preserve and teach that the traditional way of life cannot be abandoned without abandoning the very soul of the Jewish people. The sabbatical year of 1909 was marked by the controversy (as in 1888) as to whether the Jews should be allowed to work their land. To this end he published a treatise "Shabbat Ha’Aretz" in which he allowed, for technical reasons, the working of the land.

In 1914 Rabbi Kook was invited to the Agudat Yisrael convention in Europe and went with the hope of convincing the leaders to take a more positive stance in regard to the Zionist movement. While their World War I began and he could not get passage back to Israel. For more than a year he resided at the house of Abraham Kimche in Switzerland and spent most of his time writing.

From 1915-18 he was appointed as temporary head of the "Machzeike Ha’Dat" congregation in London and tried to convince the Jews of London to take a more active role in Zionist ideology. He was present at the announcement of the Balfour Declaration on November 2, 1917, which was the first document recognizing the need for a Jewish homeland.

Immediately after the war, Rabbi Kook returned to Eretz Israel and became Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. When the institution of the Chief Rabbinate was set up in 1929, he was elected to be the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, a post which he held until his death in 1935. One of the most important contributions that Rabbi Kook made to the world of Torah, aside from his writings, was the setting up of a yeshiva in Jerusalem devoted to higher studies, which has become known as ‘Mercaz Ha’Rav’ (Ha’Rav is a shortened phrase used to this day to refer to Rabbi Kook.) He wished to produce spiritual leaders and teachers for the community.

The end of Rabbi Kook’s life was marked by controversy, as the yishuv (settlement in Eretz Israel) divided between Revisionist and Labor Zionist philosophy. He defended Stavsky, one of the accused in the Arlosorof murder, and by doing so angered the Labor Zionists who were convinced of Stavsky’s guilt. (It should be noted that the Arlosorof murder until this day has not been solved, and is a constant source of friction between the various political factions in Israeli society.) Rabbi Kook, in addition, had to face the constant vilification and degradation of the ‘Neturei Karta’ who were violently opposed to him and his philosophy, viewing it as heretical and Rabbi Kook as an apostate.

After Rabbi Kook’s death in 1935, his only son, Zvi Yehuda (1891-1982) took over as Rosh-Yeshiva of Mercaz Ha’Rav. It is due to Rabbi Zvi Yehuda’s credit that so many of his father’s works have been published. He devoted time to compiling, editing and footnoting the compositions and letters of his father. Some of the most famous of these books are: Orot Hakodesh, Iggorot Ha’Rayeh, and Orot Ha’Teshuva.

The teachings of Rabbi Kook (and his son) changed the face of Orthodox Judaism in the pre-state years and afterwards. He synthesized Torah study and adherence to its Mitzvot with the revival of Jewish nationalism as no other person was able to do. He explained to the religious and non-religious that the ‘galut’ is not permanent, and that the time had indeed come for the foretold beginning of redemption. The influence of Rabbi Kook is boundless.

He was a visionary and realist; a man who stood alone and was the spiritual leader of thousands. At a time of travail and sorrow he was able to see beyond the present moment to an era of unity and peace of the people of Israel in Eretz Yisrael.

Rabbi Kook died on the third day of Elul 5695/1935, after serving as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for sixteen years, and for many years as the Chief

Ashkenazi Rabbi of Eretz Israel. from

http://www.mizrachi.org/leaders/index.asp

A spiritual master of our own times, Rabbi Kook (1865-1935) was the Chief Rabbi of Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel.

Rabbi Kook represents the most significant renewal of the Jewish mystical tradition in modern times. This volume presents to the English reader the major expressions of his thought, and a biographical sketch that sums up his basic teachings The Lights of Penitence, Lights of Holiness, The Moral Principles, Essays, Letters, and Poems by HaRav Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook

Edited by Rabbi Ben Zion Bosker

Translated by: Ben Zion Bosker

Part of the "Classics of Western Spirituality - Judaism" series

Confirm for me not in cages

Of substance or of spirit

I am lovesick.

I thirst, I thirst for God.

More than the deer for water brooks.

I am bound to the world, to life,

All creatures are my brothers.

But how can I share with them my light?

- Abraham Isaac Kook Confirm for me not in cages

Of substance or of spirit

I am lovesick.

I thirst, I thirst for God.

More than the deer for water brooks.

I am bound to the world, to life,

All creatures are my brothers.

But how can I share with them my light?

- Abraham Isaac Kook (415 Pages)

http://www.judaism.com/search.asp?type=books&sctn=065

NAHUM B. UZZIEL KAPLAN (Reb Nahumke Grodner):   

By : Herman Rosenthal    Peter Wiernik  

Preacher and philanthropist; born 1811; died at Grodno Oct. 25, 1879. (Born in Beysegela, Shavli district, northern Lithuania, Studied in the Volozhin Yeshiva- A student of Rabbi Eliezer Freed .E.) Though he was a great Talmudist, he preferred to hold the humble position of "shammash" (sexton) in the synagogue Ḥebrah Shas and to pass his life in poverty. But his untiring energy in behalf of the distressed of all classes and the implicit confidence reposed in him made him famous throughout Russian Jewry. He spent a great part of his time in going from house to house, collecting from residents of Grodno and from visitors money or articles of necessity and bestowing them wherever they were most needed. He exercised much influence also by his great piety and simplicity of life. He was a preacher of much force and was adored by the Jewish masses, to whom he spoke, usually on Sabbath afternoons, on plain moral truths in a language and manner suited to their feeling and understanding. Numberless anecdotes about his kindness and liberality, and about the esteem in which he was held by high personages, are still current in Grodno, where his memory is revered. His funeral is said to have been the most imposing ever seen in Grodno. Bibliography: Gurvich, in Razsvyct, 1879, No. 7; Lipshitz, Nekrolog Rabbi Nokhim iz Grodno (reprinted from Russki Yevrei, 1879, No. 9), St. Petersburg, 1879; Ha-xẒefirah, 1879, No. 42; Ha-Meliẓ , 1879, No. 43; Friedenstein, 'Ir Gibborim, pp. 95-96, Wilna, 1880.H. R. P. Wi.

From the net;
...famous rabbis of Grodno were Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, ... who lived in the 18th century, and Rabbi Nachumke of Horodne, who died in 1880. ...
Reb Nachumke was the sexton in a synagogue of learned men in Grodno in ...
Rabbi Nachumke of Grodno, spiritual mentor of the Chafetz Chaim, following a move by his family to a new town and a new school when he was ten years old, could not succeed in Torha learning. He lost his love for learning and fell into a depression, deciding that he was incapable of it. He then joined up with a gang of wild boys and would wander around the town. It was decided to send him away so that he would not have a deleterious influence on other boys. He left the house of study, returned home, ceased studying, started collecting edible nuts from the forest and selling them to assist in supporting the family, and only a long time later slowly got back on track
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The world renowned Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisroel Meir (HaKohen) Kagan (1838-1933), had a rebbe who was not nearly well known as he was. His rebbe was a saintly man from the town of Horodna, Lithuania, named Rabbi Nachum Kaplan (1812-1879). Those who knew him referred to him lovingly as Reb Nachum'ke. The Chofetz Chaim made it a point to observe carefully Reb Nachum'ke's every action and deed, for he knew that anything that Reb Nachum'ke ever did was done with forethought and good reason.

It happened one night during Chanukah that the Chofetz Chaim was in the home of Reb Nachum'ke. The time for lighting Chanukah candles came and the Chofetz Chaim waited for his rebbe to recite the blessings and light the candles, but Reb Nachum'ke let the time pass and made no move to light the menorah. The Chofetz Chaim was a bit surprised that his rebbe would let the time slip by -- but he didn't dare say anything.

More time elapsed, and still Reb Nachum'ke went about his regular routine without saying anything about the lighting of the Chanukah candles. An hour went by and then another hour, still the menorah was not lit. The Chofetz Chaim simply could not understand his rebbe's inaction and apparent inattentiveness to this mitzvah.

Finally, deep into the night, there was a knock at the door. The Chofetz Chaim ran and opened it; it was Reb Nachum'ke's wife. Almost immediately after she came in, Reb Nachum'ke began his introductory prayers, recited the appropriate blessings and then lit the Chanukah menorah.

The Chofetz Chaim felt that there had to be a lesson here and so once the flames were flickering, he respectfully asked his rebbe to explain to him why he had let so much time elapse before finally lighting his menorah. Reb Nachum'ke explained patiently to his beloved student. "The Talmud (Shabbos 23b) poses a question: What is the law if a man has money to use for only one candle on the Friday night of Chanukah? Should he spend it on a Shabbos candle and fulfill the mitzvah of lighting Shabbos candles? Or rather spend the money on a candle for his Chanukah menorah and thereby fulfill the mitzvah of Chanukah candle-lighting?"

Reb Nachum'ke continued. "The Talmud states unequivocally that one is obligated to spend the money for a Shabbos candle, the reason being that the Shabbos candle, aside from the mitzvah involved, adds to shalom bayis (peace and tranquility of the home). Thus a candle that fosters shalom bayis takes precedence even over the mitzvah of lighting a Chanukah candle." (See also Codes of Jewish Law - OC 678:1)

"I have no doubt," continued Reb Nachum'ke, "that had my wife come home and realized that I did not wait for her with the Chanukah candles, she would unquestionably have been distraught. There would have been tension, and perhaps even anger on her part that I didn't show her the courtesy to wait until she returned. Thus I delayed and delayed until she came home."

"You see," added R' Nachum'ke, "the Talmud itself used Chanukah candles as a focal point to emphasize the importance of marital harmony. Should I then have taken these same Chanukah candles and through them caused a lack of shalom bayis? I had no choice but to let the ideal time for candle lighting pass, and wait until later to kindle them at a time that was still consistent with Jewish law.

When Rabbi Sholom Schwadron retells this story he adds an interesting insight. "Shalom bayis in this instance also meant that Reb Nachum'ke didn't complain to his wife -- when she finally arrived -- that her lateness had caused him to wait so long to perform a mitzvah. He understood that to complain would have fostered ill will as well and minimized shalom bayis."

Rav Gavriel Ze'ev Wolf (Velvel) Margolis (1847-1935). Born in Vilna, from age 14 to 17, he studied under R' Yaakov Brit, one of the teachers of the Chafetz Chaim. In 1864, he married the daughter of R' Nachumke of Horodna (Grodno). Beginning in 1876, R' Margolis served as rabbi in several Lithuanian towns. In 1880, after the death of his father-in-law, he settled in Grodno where he taught for 27 years. In 1907, he was brought to Boston, Massachusetts as its Chief Rabbi. In 1912, R' Margolis moved to Manhattan's Lower East Side as rabbi of the Adas Yisrael congregation. R' Margolis' Torah commentary Toras Gavriel was published in the 1920s
R' Gavriel Ze'ev Wolf (Velvel) Margolis z"l was born in Vilna on 27 Cheshvan 5608/1847, the son of the scholar and kabbalist R' Yechiel Yitzchak Margolis. From age 14 to age 17, young Velvel studied under R' Yaakov Brit (1797-1883), one of the teachers of the Chafetz Chaim. In the letter of semichah/ordination that R' Brit gave R' Velvel in 1869, the teacher wrote: "He became great and greater still, not like the greatness of students who succeed in their studies after five years - he, in a short time, volume his friends; they chased him but could not catch him, because his belly was filled with Talmud and halachah." In 1864, the young R' Margolis married the daughter of another teacher of the Chafetz Chaim, the famed tzaddik R' Nachumke of Horodna (Grodno).
Beginning in 1876, R' Margolis served as rabbi in several Lithuanian towns. In 1880, after the death of his father-in-law, he settled in Grodno where he taught for 27 years. In 1907, he was brought to Boston, Massachusetts as its Chief Rabbi. In 1912, R' Margolis moved to 203 East Broadway on Manhattan's Lower East Side as rabbi of the United Hebrew Community of N.Y., Adas Yisrael of New York Congregation in the same building. A Bais Din, under his leadership, flourished there until his demise. He was also the leading proponent of irrefutable kashus standards in N.Y.C. He died on 11 Elul 5695/1935. His demise and funeral made headlines in most New York major newspapers.
R' Margolis' five volume Torah commentary Torat Gavriel was published in the 1920's together with his commentaries on

SHAPIRO, AVRAHAM DUBER KAHANE was born in Kobryn in 1871, he studied
at the famous yeshiva in Volozhin founded by his great great
grandfather. He was known in Volozhin as the Iluy from Kobrin. At the
age of 21 he married the daughter of the great Yerucham from Minsk,
Rav Yeruchom Y. Perelman of Minsk, father-in-law of Rabbi Avrohom
DovBer Kahana-Shapiro studied in Kovno in his youth.

.Shapiro served as the Rabbi of Smolvitz at age 26 and published three
volumes of Talmudic research In 1912 he became Chief Rabbi of Kovno
Rabbi Avraham Dubar was the son of Zalman Sender Kahana of Kobrin and
was the grandson and the great-grandson of rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. He
was born in 1871 and died in 1943. In 1912 he became the head rabbi of
Kovno. He was 43 years old. He was the Representative of the Jews of
Lithuania He was the head rabbi of Kovno for thirty years. other then
a few years during World War I, he had to leave, and was replaced by
Rabbi Israel Nisan Prak. When he returned he was the president of the
Rabbis of Lithuania. He was a Zionist and wanted to go to Eretz Israel
but did not get the chance. He was already sick before the second
World War and went to Switzerland.His son, Yerucham Yehuda Leib, was a
well known lawyer in America. He sent him a telegram asking him to
leave Europe in 1939 as war started. He refused to leave saying that
it is like a captain leaving a sinking ship before others. He returned
to Kovno. In 1941 he walked in front of the rest of the Jewish
community when the Germans made them register. He would give advice to
the Jews in the Ghetto and Rav Ephraim Oshry recorded it in a book..
Rabbi Abraham Duber Shapiro died on Adar 22nd 1943. He died of
illness, it was only one day after the Yahrzeit of his most
illustrious predecessor Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spector.
Despite of the danger many Jews attended the Burial of Rabbi Avraham
Duber Shapiro, Chief Rabbi of Kovno, who died after a long illness in
ghetto Kovno.

When the situation grew critical, some students consulted the Chofetz
Chaim's son-in-law, Rav Tzvi Hirsch Levinson, who thought that the
Goral HaGra, a special lottery involving various combinations of
pesukim, should be used to deter - mine the yeshiva's future. The
startling reply he received was, "With my staff I crossed the Jordan,
and now I have become two camps."

After receiving this reply, the Chofetz Chaim, Zvi Hirsh, and a large
group of students fled to Russia. Some students, though, had to remain
behind in Radin, because the citizenship papers they possessed made it
highly dangerous for them to transfer to Russia.

While the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Levinson and Rav Naftali fled to Russia,
Rav Moshe remained with those students who had stayed behind in Radin,
seeing to all their needs. He was assisted by Rav Yosef Leib Nendik,
who served as mashgiach.

They moved from Radin to Smilowitz, while the cannons of the First
World War raged. The events of World War One had an impact on the life
of the yeshiva, which was nonetheless like an island of daled amos
shel halocho in the vast ocean of blood and tears. One of the
students, Ephraim Leibowitz, who had come from Memel (a city on the
German border), was suspected by the Russians of espionage on behalf
of Germany. According to the emergency regulations, all German
citizens had to appear before the authorities, who would then transfer
them to Eastern Russia or to Siberia. In the yeshiva of the Chofetz
Chaim, at that time, there were three students with German
citizenship. Out of pity, the yeshiva's administration ignored their
citizenship and its requirements, even as it feared the repercussions
of their being in the yeshiva illegally. After the fast of the 17th of
Tammuz 5675 (1915), calamity occurred. In the middle of the night,
agents of the KGB, accompanied by police from Lida and Vilna, raided
the home of Reb Leib Matlis, the brother-in-law of the Chofetz Chaim,
where their suspect lived. During the search, a precise sketch of the
blueprint of the fortress in Kovno was "found" among Leibowitz's
belongings, on a piece of paper which had been maliciously stuck into
the student's pocket by one of those very secret police. The threat of
death loomed over the student. He was expected to be put to death
within no more than a day or two. With much effort and money, his
trial was postponed. Many efforts were also made which were finally
successful in releasing Reb Leib Matlis from the prison in which he
had been detained for a number of weeks as an accessory. The boy's
family came to plead with the Chofetz Chaim not to be angry at him,
and not to curse him. The Chofetz Chaim replied that he never curses
anyone. It was two years later that they learned that Leibowitz was in
a prison in Panze, and that his trial was about to take place. It was
precisely on Shemini Atzeres 5677 (1916) that a letter arrived with
the news that Ephraim Leibowitz was about to be tried. The following
day, Simchas Torah, when the Saba Kadisha was called up to the Torah,
he banged on the table and burst out into tears. "Ribono shel olom,"
he cried. "Why do you let your sons suffer so? The Torah which Ephraim
studied with great hasmodoh is before You, and now he is suffering
terribly, even though he has committed no crime." Those present cried,
while the Chofetz Chaim asked his son-in- law to calm them, saying,
"It's Simchas Torah today." After the davening, the Chofetz Chaim sent
a special messenger to the well known lawyer, Oscar Gruzenberg of St.
Petersburg, who was famous as one of Russia's greatest jurists.
Gruzenberg had achieved his fame in some of the biggest criminal
trials of his time. In the Jewish world, he became known for his
defense of Beilis. Gruzenberg, a Jew who barely knew about
Yiddishkeit, tended toward the radical left, and was far from the
Jewish experience. Along with this, he was a humanist, and was thus
always among the first to take the side of the downtrodden, and as was
natural in those times, they were often Jews who suffered from
pogroms, expulsions, blood libels and more. This time, however,
Gruzenberg refused to take the case. He was afraid to become involved
in a trial which was being held in the wartime atmosphere of hostility
to Jews and Judaism. Upon hearing the reply, the Chofetz Chaim decided
that he himself would go to see Gruzenberg . In time, it was related
that Gruzenberg asked the Chofetz Chaim if he could personally testify
that the accused was completely innocent of espionage. The Chofetz
Chaim replied that he was certain of this, and that the very fact that
a man as old as he had come all the way from Shomiatz to St.
Petersburg for that purpose, should be proof enough of his own
conviction. "Rabbi," Gruzenberg said with emotion. "I'm pretty young.
But if you have the energy and vigor to make such a dangerous trip
then we, who lack such a feeling of responsibility, should be
considered old." Then to his wife he said, in Russian: "In our times,
when life has so little value, would a Russian notable be willing to
embark on such a dangerous journey, just in order to save a single
young boy, who isn't even his relative?" Gruzenberg apologized for a
moment, and left the room. "He's a good person," the Chofetz Chaim
told those who had come with him. "It's a pity he isn't oriented
towards avodas haBorei. If only he had been educated in a yeshiva . .
. " Gruzenberg returned and announced that he could not accept the
defense of the young man. "I don't feel brave enough to stand before a
military court at this point," he said. "I called a friend, non-Jewish
lawyer, who agreed to accept the case. He also thinks that it's best
that the defending lawyer be a Christian and not a Jew." The trial was
held in Vitebsk in Teves 5677 (1917), before a military tribunal which
was made up of three Russian generals. The entire procedure of the
trial is an amazing story. Among the witnesses were HaRav Elchonon
Wassermann, Reb Tzvi Hirsch Levinson, the son-in-law of the Chofetz
Chaim, and the Chofetz Chaim himself. Throughout the trial, the
defense related accounts of the sterling character of the Chofetz
Chaim, in order to illustrate the extent of his ethical level. Even
when the reliability of the stories was questioned by the judges or
the prosecution, the defense insisted that it is not only the story
itself which proves the point, but even the fact that such a story is
even told about him, even if it is not precise. The prosecution, for
its part, explained that although the honesty and sincerity of the
Zidovski Rabinn was not in doubt, all this still did not prove the
innocence of Leibowitz who, in his wily manner, had deceived his
mentors. The accused was sentenced to death, but out of consideration
for his age, the sentence was commuted to twelve years in prison, with
hard labor. The accused fainted in fear, and from the observer's
benches, wails were heard. The students who left the court were
shocked. They also didn't know how to convey this to the Chofetz
Chaim. Some advised telling him that Leibowitz had been sentenced to
only two years in prison. Reb Yechezkel was the one who broke the news
to the Chofetz Chaim, telling him that Leibowitz had not been
sentenced to death but to six years in prison. It is related that the
Chofetz Chaim ordered Reb Yechezkel to lock the door of the room.
Agitated, he looked to and fro, and when he saw that there was no one
else there, he whispered to Reb Yechezkel: "What makes them certain
that they will continue to rule for even six more months?" Two months
passed, and Kerenski and his revolutionary government took over the
reins of government, while Czar Nikolai was deposed and, a short while
later, assassinated. This was on the 22nd of Adar, 5677 (1927)!
Ephraim Leibowitz, the "Jewish spy," was freed along with other
political prisoners, thanks to the efforts of Gruzenberg, and the
yeshiva community. In Brisk it was said that R' Chaim Soloveitchik had
commented on this story: "The Chofetz Chaim deposed Nikolai." Reb
Yechezkel took the remaining secrets to his eternal rest.

Both yeshivos suffered greatly during this period. In Russia, Just as
they were to return to Radin the Chofetz Chaim suffered the great loss
of his beloved son-in-law Rav Tzvi Hirsh. He passed away in the year
5681 (1921).

Rabbi Avraham Dovber Shapira, son of Zalman Sender Kahana Shapira was
born in
Kobrin in 1871 and was both the grandson and the great-grandson of the
rabbi Chaim of Volozhin. He studied in the Volozhin Yeshiva and in
1913 he became the head rabbi of Kovno.
He died in 1943 in the Kovno ghetto. His father;Rav Zalman Sender
Kahana-Shapira, born in Nisowiz, in the Minsk region, to Rav
Moshe Shapira Kamenetzky, av beis din of Lida and son-in-law of Rav
Chaim of
Volozhin. Rav Zalman sender learned under the Beis HaLevi and his son,
Rav Chaim Brisker, in Volozhin. He married and lived in Kobrin, where
he raised 5 children (4 boys and a girl). When his wife tragically
passed away, he married the widow of Rav Binyamin Wolf Hayahalomstein,
Rav of Maltsch, and moved to that city. He eventually became Rav of
Maltsch and started a yeshiva there, Anaf Eitz Chaim, modeling it
after Eitz Chaim of Volozhin. In 1902, he moved the yeshiva to Kriniki
where he became Rav. Among his students there were Rav Yaakov
Kamenetzky and Rav Aharon Kotler. In 1921 he moved to the Shaarei
Chesed section of Yerushalayaim. (1851-1923) in the Yeshiva of the
city of Krynki that was under the direction and supervision of the
Gaon Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Sender Kahana Shapira of holy blessed memory,
who served as the rabbi of Krynki for many years.
Rabbi Zalmen Sender Kahane Shapiro and his yeshiva

Rabbi Zalmen Sender, son of Rabbi Yakov Kahane Shapiro, rabbi of
Krinki between 1903-and 1915, was the great grandson of Rabbi Chaim
Volozhiner and came from Niesvizh. He was a child prodigy and later
acquired the reputation of a prominent man, a sagacious scholar well
versed in the Talmud. In 1885 he was appointed rabbi of Maltsh and he
founded and was head of a yeshiva there, which became one of the best
and most respected yeshivas in Lithuania. His educational method was
based on inspiring the students to grasp each Talmudic topic according
to its content and root. Among the rabbis who studied in the yeshiva
of Maltsh, Rabbi Yisroel Iser Unterman, chief rabbi of Palestine, must
be remembered.
After the death of Rabbi Baruch Lavski, the Jewish community of Krinki
offered the rabbinical chair to Rabbi Zalmen Sender and he accepted
the office on condition that he could continue to devote himself to
his yeshiva, a part of which was to come over to Krinki. Established
in Krinki, the yeshiva, called 'Anaf Etz ha-Chaim', with Rabbi Zalmen
Sender as its head, kept its reputation as one of the most outstanding
yeshivas and it attracted as many as 80 students from near and far.As the rabbi of the town Rabbi Zalmen Sender was widely accepted,
respected and liked by the Krinki public. However, "he did not find
favor in the eyes of the Krinki manufacturers because he associated
too closely with the workers", tells us A. B. Miller. Once his
attention was called to this and he was asked: "Is it not written:
Rabbi, honor the rich?" Rabbi Zalmen Sender answered at once, "The
rabbi knew who was rich but I don't know…". Rabbi Zalmen Sender, as
Yosl Kohn and B.Patchebutzki tell us, would often stand up for the
craftsmen and reprimand the manufacturers. He even refused to pray in
the bes-medresh of the wealthy and preferred to pray in the
'Caucasian' prayer house together with the common people and the
toilers.As an accepted authority, Rabbi Zalmen Sender used to influence the
sick and the weak and even order them to eat on Yom Kippur. He would
even send a doctor to examine the sick and if it turned out that a
person would not be able to survive a fast day, Rabbi Zalmen Sender
would go himself to him and force him to eat, even before his very
eyes. In 1915 when the front was approaching Krinki Rabbi Zalmen
Sender moved to Tule (Central Russia) with a group of his students and
after the war he made aliya and settled in Jerusalem where he spent
his last years and died in 1923.
His son, Rabbi Avrom Dober Kahane Shapiro, was the last chief rabbi of
Lithuania and rabbi of Kovno and he is the author of the well-known
classic book entitled Shaale u-Tshuve Devar Abraham [Devar Abraham
(Rabbinical Responsa)]. He died in the Kovno ghetto in 5703 (1943).
Rabbi Zalmen Sender's second son, Rabbi Chaim, was at first rabbi in
Koznitze and later in Slobodke, a suburb of Grodno.
One of Rabbi Zalmen Sender's grandsons – Rabbi Avrom Dober's sons who
were raised in Krinki – Chaim Nachum Shapiro was professor of Hebrew
and oriental languages at the University of Kovno. He was a prominent
scholar of new Hebrew literature and author of two books, among others
– one on new Hebrew literature and the other on Haskalah literature in
Central Russia – which were published in Palestine. He perished with
the entire Kovno Jewish community. Rabbi Zalmen Sender's other
grandson, Dr Noach Shapiro, was associate professor of chemistry at
the University of Kovno and he made aliya in 1935 and became professor
of chemistry at the Bar-Ilan University. He died in 1964. Father of
Emmanuel Shapira M.D and Ph.D. Genetics (born in Kovno in 1933- died
in New Orleans in 1998) ? Performances were given in the ghetto's
Police House, the former building of the Slobodka Yeshiva. They were
coordinated by the ghetto's director of education and culture, the
noted linguist Chaim Nachman Shapiro (who was also the son of Kovno's
chief rabbi)The Department of Semithology at the University of Kaunas
(since 1930 Vytautas the Great University began its work at the
beginning of 1926 when its Head became Dr. Nachman Shapira, a son of
A. D. K. Shapira, the Chief rabbi of Kaunas and Lithuania. The
Department trained teachers for Jewish schools. In 1932 the decree of
the President of Lithuania conferred to Dr. N. Shapira a degree of the
Associate professor. N. Shapira was a prominent scholar. He wrote a
lot of scientific articles, several monographs. His "Modern Hebrew
Literature" (I part) was simultaneously published in Kaunas and Tel
Aviv (in 1940). The second edition was published in already
independent Israel in 1967. November 25
The Education Office is established under direction of cultural leader
Chaim Nachman Shapiro. Shapiro also launches a secret archival project
and encourages artists and writers to begin documentary efforts.
linguist Chaim Nachman Shapiro and his family weree killed at Fort IX
after being led to believe they were to have safe passage to
Switzerland. 1943 December 2
Due to the death of the author in Kaunas ghetto in 1943 the book
remained unfinished.

Shapiro Khaim Nachman
Khaim Nachman Shapiro was born in Russia in 1900 to Avraham Dov and
Rakhel. He was a university professor and married and had a child
Itamar. Prior to WWII he lived in Kowno, Lithuania. Khaim perished in
1942 in Kowno. This information is based on a Page of Testimony
Shapiro Rakhel
Rakhel Shapiro nee Perlman was born in Russia. She was a rabbi's wife
and married. Prior to WWII she lived in Kowno, Lithuania. During the
war was in Kowno, Lithuania. Rakhel perished in 1942 in Kowno. This
information is based on a Page of Testimony (displayed on left)
submitted on 19/04/1955 by her daughter-in-law; Mina Shapira of Tel
Aviv

Mirla Bornstein
Mirla Bornstein nee Kahana Shapira was born in Miechow, Poland in 1885
to Av beit din, Rav Moshe Natan Kahana Shapira and Golda. She was a
rabbi's wife and a widow of Rabbi Szmuel. Prior to WWII she lived in
Zgierz, Poland. During the war was in Warszawa, Poland. she perished
in 1943 in Treblinka at the age of 58. This information is based on a
Page of Testimony (displayed on left) submitted on 18/04/1999 by her
son Aron Israel, a Shoah survivor who lives in Natania

PRUZHANY YZKOR BOOK

1983

THE LAST TWO RABBIS IN PRUZANA

By Dr. Anna Krakovski

A. Rabbi Elyahu Feinstein

Hagaon HaRav Eliyahu Halevi Feinstein was born in Slutzk, Russia, in
1843. his father, the Gaon Rav Aharon, was at that time the head of
the Yeshivah in Slutzk, which flourished under his leadership.
Financial difficulties, however, forced him to leave the Yeshiva in
1844, and take up the rabbinate in the nearby town of Storobin.

While Eliyahu was still a child, he astonished all the Torah scholars
of the region with his intellectual capacities and devotion to
learning. At seven he had mastered Seder Nezikin! The Gaon Reb Yossele
Slutzker, who was Rosh Beth Din (Chief Rabbi) of Slutzk and one of the
most prominent Gaonim of that period, took a strong interest in the
child prodigy and bestowed on him a great deal of fatherly affection.
He expressed the belief that Eliyahu was destined for greatness, and
when the boy turned ten, Reb Yossele invited him to his home where he
taught young Eliyahu personally and introduced him to many leading
Torah authorities.

At the age of 13, Eliyahu became engaged to the daughter of the Gaon
Reb Yitzchok Yechiel Davidowitz, the Rav of Karelitz, a descendant of
the "Seder Hadorot." As an engagement gift, Reb Yitzchok Yechiel gave
Eliyahu a rare copy of "Yad Malachi" and the youth filled the margins
of the book with notations. After the engagement young Eliyahu left
for the Yeshivah of Volozhin.

At that time, broke out in the Yeshiva of Volozhin the famous dispute
between the "Natziv" (Reb Hirsh Leib Berlin) and Reb Yosef Dov
Soloveitchik. The two sides decided to bring their case for a Din
Torah before the leading authorities of the time: Reb Dovid Teveli
from Minsk, Reb Zeev Wolf from Vilna, and the aforementioned Reb
Yossele from Slutzk. When the Roshei Yeshivah came to greet the
members of the Beth Din upon their arrival in Volozhin, Reb Yossele
asked them: "and how is my Reb Elyenke?" The Roshei Yeshivah were very
surprised; they knew that Reb Yossele did not bestow titles lightly,
but they had to admit that they did not know of a Reb Elyenke. Reb
Yossele replied that this ignorance indicated that something was amiss
in the running of the Yeshivah...

After this incident, the Roshei Yeshivah paid attention to R. Eliyahu
and recognized his superior abilities. The "Natziv" himself stated
that the young student had already achieved in-depth command of the
Ran and the Rashbah commentaries on the Talmud.

Just before turning 18, R. Eliyahu married his fiancée, Guta. She was
remarkable for her kindness, her humanity, and her first-rate
organizational skills. While her own generosity was limitless, she was
also very adept at raising funds from others. The story is told about
a known miser who was unable to turn down any of her requests. When
his wife would tell him that the Rav's wife was approaching, he would
often hide himself for fear of the "monetary loss," he knew, he could
not prevent if directly approached by her. Until her last day she
decided her energies to all who needed her. Many charitable
foundations were set up with her help. In addition to her work on
behalf of the orphan's home, the old age home, and other institutions,
she was very involved with helping young couples get settled. A most
important foundation was established to build housing for needy
couples, and she supported this project above and beyond her
capacities, at times even jeopardizing her own family's financial
position for its sake.

After the marriage, Reb Eliyahu stayed about 2 years in the home of
his father-in-law. Scholars of the time related that during that
interval, he reviewed every part of the "Shulchan Aruch" four times
and knew the entire work by heart.

During Pesach of 1863, his father passed away and the people of
Storbin unanimously chose the young prodigy, Reb Eliyahu, still not
20, to replace his father as their Rav. R. Eliyahu, however, was
reluctant to assume the obligations of such a position; he wished
still to devote himself exclusively to the study of Torah. Reb Yossele
from Slutzk intervened, and insisted that R' Eliyahu accept the
position. In a moving demonstration of his deep affection for Reb
Eliyahu, he stated publicly: "I wish to merit seeing my Reb Elyenke
serving as a Rav in my own lifetime...'"

R. Eliyahu acceded to his request on one condition: his contract must
specify that he was to be free from all communal obligations every day
until 12 o'clock, apart from deciding questions of Halacha and Dinei
Torah. In fact, he spent his entire morning engaged in Torah study,
still wrapped in his tails;

He contented himself with only a glass of water upon awakening, and a
cup of milk after Shacharith.

Soon communities were competing to obtain Reb Eluyahu as their Rav.
After the Rav of Brisk (the Gaon R. Isser Yehudah, author of "Ezrat
Yehudah") died, the community of Brisk invited R. Eliyahu to accept
the Chief Rabbinate there. He declined the honor, however, preferring
a schedule that allowed him to spend most of his day studying. Later,
in 1870, he was asked to accept the rabbinate in Kletzk. This
precipitated a dispute between Kletz and Storbin, and the issue was
settled by a Din Torah; according to the decision of the Gaonim Reb
Aryeh of Yhuman and Reb Gershon Tanchum of Minsk, the town of Kletzk
attained the young Gaon as their Rav.

At that time in Russia a draft was in effect and each community was
required to provide a certain number of youth for army service. The
landlords took advantage of their wealth and power to free their own
children from army service, at the expense of orphans and children of
the poor, who were conscripted against any consideration of justice to
meet the required quota. This terrible situation called for a
courageous leader and Reb Eliyahu, despite his total immersion in
scholarship and despite his modesty, rose to the occasion. With
forcefulness and fearless pursuit of justice he fought relentlessly
against the corrupt landlords for the rights of the poor. His fame
spread throughout Russia and caused other courageous rabbis to model
after him and join his efforts.

Pursuit of justice and acts of outstanding generosity mark this Gaon's
life story again and again. He made many personal sacrifices to uphold
the high moral standards he held himself to, and only a few of these
will be mentioned here.

In the winter of 1874 his father-in-law the Gaon R. Yitzchak Yechiel
z"l passed away, leaving a wife with six children. The family now had
no means of support and no resources, and it seemed that the only
solution would be to have R. Yitzchak's son-in-law R. Dovid Feinstein
(father of HaGaon R. Moshe Feinstein who lives now in New York)
replace his father-in-law. The people of Karelitz were opposed to this
plan because they felt R. Dovid was still too young, but they were
willing to have R. Dovid assume the post in three years' time if R.
Elye would serve as their Rav in the meantime. For R. Elye to give up
his post at Kletzk and move to Karelitz was an act of sacrifice that
even his wife Guta thought was much beyond duty. It meant leaving with
a new family from a large well-organized " Kehilla " for a relatively
small town where conditions were so much harder!

Nevertheless, R. Elye spent the next three years in Karelitz. During
that time he received requests from many communities to accept
rabbinical positions which became available, but he refused them all,
abiding by the agreement made. It was only about ten days before the
three years were up that he accepted an offer from the city of
Chaslavich in Reisin. A few days later he received a letter from R.
Reuven of Amchislov asking in his own name and on behalf of his
community that R. Elye agree to replace him, as he was moving to
Dinaborg. Although this new offer was a much more attractive post than
the one he had just accepted, R. Elye refused to consider backing down
from his previous commitment.

In Reisin R. Elye found himself in an unfamiliar environment, among
people of totally different temperament and customs, and in an
atmosphere that was highly charged, due to the Czar's draft. Here he
had to begin anew the old struggle to ease tensions between the
landowners and the poorer people. Again, he succeeded in managing the
complex situation. But other problems emerged, and a new chapter in R.
Elye's life-work began. At that time, a movement was beginning among
the Jews to settle outside the "Pale of Settlement" in towns such as
Smolensk, Oriol, Kursk, Charkov, etc... Because this settlement was
illegal, only small numbers of individuals would move out little by
little. Assimilation posed a great threat to those people, isolated
from the established communities. It was necessary to ensure somehow
that they had access to rabbis, shochetim, mohelim, teachers, and
scribes. Hagaon R. Eliyahu set about the risky task of securing from
the government permits for rabbis and others to settle in those
locations. Thus he laid the cornerstone for Jewish life in that
region, and up until World War II the Jewish inhabitants there were
still recalling his achievements.

R. Elye felt a strong responsibility not only to his community but to
Eastern European Jewry in general. He understood political,
economical, and educational realities, and was not afraid to take a
lone stand and present a dissenting view to that of other Torah
authorities when he felt important aspects of reality were being
overlooked. He courageously confronted the issues and brought to them
a lucid viewpoint which was vindicated by future events.

Two such occurrences stand out because they occurred in well-known
congresses of the leading Jewish authorities of the time.

The first congress was held in Petersburg, after the pogroms of 1882.
Reb Elye was the youngest participant at the meeting, which included
R. Issac Eichanan from Kovna, R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik of Brisk, R.
Hirsh Leib Berlin of Volozhin, R. Eliyahu Chaim Meizel from Lodz, and
R. Reuven from Dinaborg. The most important issue to be discussed was
what steps the congress should take in the face of the pogroms. The
proposal that received the most attention was one calling for a
delegation of Jewish leaders to meet with the Czar, complain about
what was happening and outline to him the awful consequences stemming
from the fact that the enlightened classes stood by passively while
the destruction took place.

Most members of the congress were satisfied with this proposal. They
viewed the Czar as essentially neutral on the Jewish issue, having
been misled by his advisers, and easily to be swayed by confronting
him with the negative image that would ensue. R. Elye dissented. He
believed that the pogroms had all occurred with the full knowledge and
assent of the Czar who was actively involved in the plan of using
persecution of Jews as a way of distracting the public from real
causes of dissatisfaction with the regime. R. Elye felt that such a
delegation would be useless, that it would only be subjected to
humiliation by the Czar who would merely reproach the Jews for
non-existent "crimes", and make a casual promise to help, on condition
the Jews mend their ways. Sadly, R. Elye's predictions proved all too
correct; the situation, moreover, worsened for the Jews.

In 1910 R. Elye participated again very actively in the second
congress, which took place in Petersburg. Here again he called
attention to important problems and offered solutions with great
foresight. He was especially concerned about the issue of education.
He felt that, because of important changes that had taken place in
Jewish society, there was a need to improve the quality of education
in the Chadarim and in the Yeshivohs, and to introduce certain
subjects such as mathematics and language, so as to enable the young
people to prepare for future vocations which they would eventually
have to assume.

This proposal, however, met with a great deal of resistance. Vladimir
Tyomkin, the well-known lawyer and community leader, writing about the
congress, sharply criticized the proceedings and the participants.
Only one man was spared his criticism. He wrote thus: "Amongst the
participants I found only one 'enlightened' individual, Rav Eliyahu
Feinstein of Pruzana. He alone displayed clear thinking and surprising
depth in understanding the cultural, political, and economic
situation."

Perhaps, had R. Elye's ideas been carried out, part of the subsequent
turmoil in Jewish society could have been avoided...

In 1884, as mentioned above, R. Elye was appointed to be Rav of
Pruzana, amidst great ceremony. In his contract, he stipulated those
conditions for which he had already turned down proposals from larger
cities, namely, that during half the day he was to be free of devote
himself to study, research, and questions of Halacha except for
emergency situations. A large part of this time was devoted to
She'elot U'Tshuvot ; he was recognized world-wide as the greatest
authority in Talmudic response.

Pruzana did not escape the great cholera epidemic which ravaged the
county of Polesia, taking thousands of lives. In response to the
situation, aid committees were set up, equipped with the most modern
instruments available at the time, and public kitchens and tea rooms
were established to serve free hot meals for the Jewish and non-Jewish
population. The driving force behind all this activity was the Rav of
Pruzana. The man who never spent a moment on himself, for whom the
time for studying was more precious than anything, who was never seen
to leave his study for even a brief walk to get some fresh air, this
man went personally to visit the sick victims of cholera, attended to
all their needs, and personally checked the functioning of the
institutions, choosing not to rely on official reports.

On one occasion he noticed that the wealthier people paid for the food
they consumed in the public tea rooms. Despite the employees
'explanations that this helped in the maintenance of the institution,
he forbade the practice, explaining that it could embarrass those who
could not afford to pay. Instead he urged the wealthy to make
donations to the institutions, but to refrain from paying when they
ate. Furthermore, he stipulated that the youth from the wealthy
families volunteer to help serve and clean the buildings without pay.

He forbade fasting on Tisha B'Av, during the epidemic; however,
despite his fragile health he did not allow himself to eat that day.

During the first days of Selichot, many serious cases of cholera were
declared. After one grueling day, late in the evening, he asked his
oldest son to accompany him to visit a sick person. On the way there,
the son related that Meir the coachman had died, and that the health
authorities had forbidden his pregnant wife and their children to
leave the building. The Rav retraced his steps and went straight to
the health commissioner. Despite the late hour, he was received and
his request, to allow the woman and the children to spend the night
elsewhere, was granted, on the condition that the burial take place
very early in the morning.

The Chevra Kaddisha, however, concerned about the danger of infection,
refused to enter the house of the deceased. Rav Elye issued an order
to close all the synagogues and not to hold Selichot services. A large
group of people came to the main synagogue, where the Rav was to be
found, but he categorically rejected their demands to permit the
Selichot services. He then stated: "It must be that from On High I
have been designated to perform this Mitzva myself." And he left for
the house of the deceased, accompanied only by one person. Upon seeing
this, people began to gather around the house to try to persuade the
Rav to go home and let them perform the task. He remained there,
however, until the Tahara had been completed, and it was only after
the burial that the synagogues were reopened for Selichot.

The eyewitness who relates this story tells of having overheard R.
Elye speaking alone in the Beth Hamidrash: "Ribbono shel Olam", he
said, "What will become of us if the plague continues how can one
demand of people to expose themselves to the danger which the Tahara
entails, especially when they do not fully comprehend the meaning of
Met Mitzvah? How can they be expected to perform such an act of
courage?" and then, R. Elye, who had such distaste for excessive
display of emotions, broke down and cried. "From that day on," says
the witness, "not one person died of cholera in Pruzana," and he
continues, "the greatness of soul of the Tzaddik saved the city."

Even the gentiles who heard of the rabbi's act of self-sacrifice
proclaimed "we owe him our well-being." Likewise, many years later,
after a great fire devastated half the city, the people remarked: "and
this happened while the rabbi was away from the city."

In fact, that fire disaster took place when R. Eliyahu had gone abroad
to undergo prolonged treatment for a stomach ulcer. Scarcely had he
begun the cure when he received a telegram from a community
representative describing the disaster and entreating him to return.

Paying no attention to the doctor's insistence on his remaining for
treatment, he left immediately for Pruzana. There he was confronted by
a most difficult situation, since the government, never too generous
in helping with such misfortunes, was even less interested in
providing assistance for Jews. R. Elye acted quickly and decisively.
He went to see the head of the Gubernia (regional government), who was
an admirer of the Rav and presented him with what appeared to be a
modest proposal. He asked that the government allow all donations of
building materials, furniture, etc. to be transported to Pruzana
without the usual tariffs levied for transportation.

The governor was quick to present the Rav's request to his friend the
minister, and pressed him to fulfill the small request. At this, the
minister smiled knowingly, acceded to the request, and remarked dryly
that it would cost the Czar's treasury dearly. The result, indeed, was
that Pruzana became an important relay station in the shipment of
wood, building materials, and furniture to the whole of Western
Russia. The money saved because of the tariff exemption was donated by
the merchants for the rebuilding of the town. Thus Pruzana rebuilt
itself in a remarkably short time.

An incident which occurred during the short occupation by the
Bolsheviks (in 1920) illustrated additional qualities of his
character. When the Bolsheviks defeated the Poles they knew a
counter-attack by the Poles would not be long in coming.

The first step taken by the Russians was to draft all young men 18 and
over. It was clear, however, that the Bolshevik occupation was only
temporary, for they would not be able to retain control in the face of
the counteroffensive mounted by the Poles and their Western allies.
The unfortunate parents realized that, if drafted, their sons would be
forever separated from them, as they would have to retreat with the
Russian troops to the heartland of Russia. They felt desperate, and,
as in every time of crisis, they came to R. Elye to seek his help. 1

The newly set up draft committee was housed in the Mostovlansky hotel
directly opposite the Rav's home. Through its windows, one could see a
constant flow of men and women entering and leaving the Rav's house.
Since the young men did not come to enlist and were not to be found at
home, it seemed that the Rav was advising them to hide out. It was
decided to keep watch one or two more days on those who came to see
Rav Eliyahu, and if indeed these were the parents of the potential
draftees, then R. Eliyahu and his son-in-law would be arrested. A
local gentile shoemaker who belonged to the draft committee passed
this information on to the Rav's household and urged them to close
doors to all visitors.

The household members pleaded with R. Eliyahu to do so. His reply was
brief: "One does not close the door before despondent people who are
seeking help." That very evening the police came to arrest the Rav and
his son-in-law, but warned ahead, they had gone into hiding. The
household stayed up all night, waiting fearfully to know if the police
would find the hiding-place. At dawn shots were heard. Terrified,
everyone went out to see what had happened. Reb Pesach the Baker
hurried by to report that the Poles had returned, and the Bolsheviks
had fled the town.

The stories abound of his personal courage and acts of sacrifice for
individuals and for the community as a whole, but we are prevented
from bringing more, due to lack of adequate documentation. Those who
can remember him bear the image of a giant of spirit, a humane,
sensitive, and humble man with affection and understanding for all
people, regardless of social standing or age. Indeed, he was visibly
affected by the innocence of children and showed a fine pedagogical
sense in his interactions with them. He knew how to speak to them and
always showed them respect. They, in turn, responded to him with great
warmth.

Devoted as he was to the study of Torah and to the welfare of Pruzana,
he turned down many offers from large and important communities.
Despite this, after being asked twice to assume the Chief Rabbinate in
Jerusalem, he agreed, because of his intense love of the land, and his
great desire to live in Jerusalem. However, unforeseen circumstances
prevented him from accepting the offer.

Rav Eliyahu's approach to the Talmud was strongly influenced by the
method of the Vilner Gaon. His character and personality were
particularly well suited for such an approach: deep, calm and logical,
with an innate distaste for glossy appearances. He was sharply
critical of complicated "pilpulim" or artificial dichotomies
attempted more as an intellectual exercise than as a way of
determining the true essence of the subject.

Of his many writings only one part has been published, under the title
Halichot Eliyahu.

He passed away on the 27th of Tishrei, 1929. A pillar of Palestine was
taken on that day. There were many eulogies given in the Diaspora and
in Israel. Characteristic was the one given by Rav Sonenfeld (head of
the extreme orthodox "Ey'da"), in which he stressed the loss to the
nation, and expressed the thought that the religious aspect of
Palestine could have been quite different if only R. Eliyahu had
fulfilled his desire and assumed the Chief Rabbinate of Palestine.
Alas we did not merit it.

Of the sons who lived after him, three lived in Russia, and one
remained in Pruzana. All were learned in Torah, but chose secular
livelihoods. They were businessmen of means and were active in
community affairs. The oldest son R. Aharon was well-known in
Ekaterinoslav (later called Dnieproptrovsk). His second son, R.
Issachar Dov, who lived in South Russia, in Vinitza, quietly devoted
energies and personal funds to many Zionist projects. Sadly, these
families remained in Russia, as well as the son and daughter of R.
Isaac, the third son, and the family of Leib who was a notable of
Moscow.

The daughters of R. Eliyahu all married leading Torah scholars of the
generation. The eldest daughter, Badana, was the wife of the Gaon R.
Menachem Krakowski, famous Rabbi of Vilna. Of his many writings only
two volumes were published, the "Avodat Hamelech" on Rambam, and a
book of sermons "Arzei Halvanon". Badana herself was a charming person
and a devoted helpmate. Her sister Pesha, wife of the Gaon R. Moshe
Soloveitchik, was known for her intellect and wide knowledge of Jewish
subjects. She helped her husband a great deal and was a strong
influence in the education of her sons. We have already spoken, in
another section of this book, of Zlata, the third daughter, wife of
the Gaon R. David Halevi Feigenbaum, and the last Rabbinate of
Pruzana. The last daughter Sara Rivka married the Gaon R. Eliezer
Isaac Meizel, the beloved grandson and successor to R. Eliyahu Chaim
Meizel. She, like her sisters, was cultured and well-versed both in
Jewish and secular fields of knowledge. She died at a young age in
Lodz before World War II. Her only child Mina perished with her father
in the Warsaw Ghetto.

B. Rabbi David Faygenbaum

With the last Rabbi of Pruzana, the Gaon Rabbi David Halevi
Faygenbaum, comes to a close in the most tragic fashion a long line of
great scholars who served in that community for centuries. Among them
were such luminaries as Rabbi Yehuda Leib Perlman (Hagadol from
Minsk), Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Meizel (who then became Rabbi of Lodz),
and Rabbi Eliyahu Halevi Feinstein.

Rabbi David Faygenbaum was born not far from Kiev in the Estate of his
maternal grandfather, Rabbi Abraham Goldinberg, in 1889. Rabbi Abraham
Goldinberg distinguished himself by his sharp talmudic mind and
through his thorough understanding of business affairs. He had a
weakness unusual for someone of his origins: a nostalgia for landed
property. He felt that few things were more real than the possession
of land. In order to fulfill his dream, which did not fit with the
legal framework set by the Czar who forbade Jews the possession of
land, he bought a large estate in the name of a Polish nobleman. The
arrangement made was that the nobleman would guarantee the value of
the estate by transferring to Rabbi Abraham's name some of his town
properties. The financial guarantee provided, however, amounted only
to a small percentage of the estate's value. Several years later, at
the death of the nobleman, this arrangement unfortunately resulted in
the fraudulent dispossession of the estate by the nobleman's sons who
did not respect their father's commitment.

The years on the estate were years of great satisfaction and peace of
mind for Rabbi Abraham. His house was truly a patriarchal house: all
his sons and daughters had settled there, and Rabbi Abraham, who was
very taken up by his business but nevertheless did not want to neglect
Talmudic studies, had brought to his domain a well-known rabbi to help
him keep to a regular schedule of studies.

This small community, made up of his family, employees, and farm
workers, was perceived as exemplary by those living in the surrounding
area. All those living on the estate held Rabbi Abraham in great
esteem and were very devoted to him. His intelligent and highly
educated wife, Dina, great­ granddaughter of Rabbi Meir of
Constantine, elder son of Rabbi Yaakov Emden, helped him in many ways
in establishing these good relations with the inhabitants of their
little community.

The warm spiritual atmosphere was in harmony with the beautiful
countryside and the young child, David, imbibed from both avidly. He
was attracted by the fields and the forests which, to him, were full
of mystery. In the stories he told as an adult, these early childhood
memories which had made such a strong and agreeable impression on him,
became intertwined with the stories told him by his parents, family,
and friends, into a single integrated image.

His unusual memory had enabled him to store a wealth of Jewish
folklore: miraculous tales of Rabbis, anecdotes concerning the lives
and acts of great Rabbinic authorities from all corners of the
Diaspora. David had, since early childhood, an acute sense of the
relevant, of the apropos. Sayings from scholars, particularly striking
works were always cited to the point, or brought in to illustrate in
an especially effective manner the argument being made. His mother,
Rabbi Abraham's daughter Bracha, whose education was far more
extensive than that of young women of her time, was known for her
strict principles and her strong will. She had known how to infuse her
sons with an infinite love for the study of the Talmud, as well as a
profound admiration and respect for her ancestor, Rabbi Yaakov Emden.
Her husband, Rabbi Moshe Yaakov, while possessing a deep understanding
and knowledge of the Talmud, was also well versed in philosophy, and
in many aspects of general culture. In addition, his exceptional moral
qualities and harmonious personality made him react with aversion to
any form of extremism. His preference was for the golden mean, the
derech hamelech.

Nevertheless, as concerned the education of his sons, he did not
object to the methods of his wife, which emphasized Talmudic study to
the exclusion of secular subjects. This silent agreement was no doubt
rooted in a personal experience of his youth. Rabbi Moshe Yaakov, with
his reputation as an illuy , represented a valuable target of
opportunity for the spokesmen of the haskalah. It was their numerous
efforts to attract him to their fold which left in him unpleasant
memories. His conviction, however, was that young people were exposed
to atheism not so much through the study of secular subjects, but
because of the importance attached to that study. The elevation and
promotion of Science to the level of the sacred, to the standing of a
religion, implanted in the minds of young people unjustified doubts
which deprived them of the integrity of belief.

Rabbi Hayim Aron, Rav David's brother, was older by five years. He was
an accomplished Talmudic scholar with extensive knowledge and a strong
analytical ability. He was quick to perceive his younger brother's
outstanding intellectual gifts, and reacted to them with almost
fatherly pride.

It was with such a warm and congenial atmosphere that the lad was
surrounded until the age of fourteen. His teachers could not find
words enough to praise his excellent memory as well as his exemplary
devotion to study. Tanach, he learned until the age of eight. From
then on he pursued only the study of Gemara, Posskim, and Te'shuvot.
The extraordinary familiarity with Tanach that he had managed to
acquire remained with him to the end of his days. He was able to find
more appropriate Hebrew words and phrases than those commonly used by
drawing from memory upon the texts of the Mishna and Tanach.

He could evaluate and weigh all the expressions and phraseology of the
various writers, authors, and philologists, and explain the origin of
particular expressions, their exactitude, or lack of precision. Rabbi
David's method in the study of the Bible rested upon an in-depth
examination of its texts, upon linguistic and logical comparisons, all
of it against a varied background of Talmudic interpretation. His
approach to Talmud was also based upon an exact, and logical, analysis
of the texts. It was in Berdichev, residence of his family, that he
studied until the age of fourteen. His parents then decided to send
him to learn with the great Rabbinic authorities of the time so as to
refine and enrich his knowledge further. Among these should be
mentioned Rav Abraham Benyamin Kluger (son of the Gaon, Rabbi Shlomo
Kluger), with whom the young David remained for several years. It is
from him that he received his first "Semicha".

In a letter, Rav Kluger had underscored the young man's sharp
analytical mind, and his deep and exact knowledge of all areas of the
Talmud, Rishonim and Acharonim. Before the age of twenty, Rabbi David
had received several other "Semichas" from other renowned authorities.
His reputation as an Illuy having spread far and wide in the rabbinic
world, it was not long before marriage proposals began to arrive in
large numbers. When Zlata, the daughter of the Gaon of Pruzana was
introduced to him and his family, their decision was instantaneous.
They were impressed by her moral, intellectual, and physical
qualities. According to an eyewitness, Rabbi David's mother (who was
known for her keen critical sense), would have exclaimed at the time:
"My most audacious dream has become a reality! I have found better
than I thought was possible!" For his part, the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu,
was very impressed by the young " Illuy ".

They were married two years before the first World War. In the family
the story is told to this day of the impact that the young couple's
physical appearance and demeanor had upon the wedding guests. The
memory has persisted among family members and friends, about the young
woman's majestic beauty. Poets and artists, who did not dare address
directly compliments to her, were admitting that she was for them a
source of inspiration. (Of all this she was totally unaware).

Despite all her beauty and charm there was no trace of feminine vanity
in her--only a genuine search for self-betterment, a deep interest in,
and understanding of, other people. It was these values also that
guided her in her concept of what one should look for in a life
companion. When it was mentioned to her that one was not forced to
renounce worldly possessions in marriage, she would reply that the
greatness associated with wealth left with it. The only real
greatness, she would add, was that which derived from the Torah.

On the human plane, her relations to other people were full of
devotion, but also deep and nuanced. She went beyond the superficial
goals set by society, beyond the superficial reasons for which even
true goals are pursued. From a very young age she had shown a spirit
of self-sacrifice, of denial of the self. Yet, this was done not
simply out of duty, but from a true understanding of the other. Her
devotion to her parents was a symbol of total love. She was the only
person among those that I have known to willingly forego, not only of
her own self, but of her own children, in favor of her parents--she
who was the incarnation of motherhood.

Her activities, both as a Rabbi's wife, and as a community worker,
were accomplished discreetly and with total commitment. When, on
occasion, someone would reproach her for doing too much for those who
perhaps did not deserve it, she would reply: "they act according to
their conscience, and I act according to mine."

Her outward appearance, her beauty and charm, impressed people to the
extent that they did precisely because they reflected her inner
qualities, her intelligence, her generosity and unbounded faith. Her
psychological insight into human nature allowed her to differentiate
among people, not on the basis of their standing in life and society,
but according to their true and more real traits of character. Her
love for human beings in general started with her fondness for
children, and her success in the field of education was rooted in the
respect which she accorded equally to both children and adults. For
all her inner seriousness, she had an excellent sense of humor, and
was full of gaiety. She knew how to tell stories from the past, and
imitate people with talent so as to bring to life their characters.
More significantly, she knew how to create a lively and interesting
atmosphere so that no one was ever bored in her presence. In any
gathering the question invariably asked by newcomers was: "Who is this
enchanting lady?"

The young Rav David's time, understandably, was taken up by the study
of the Talmud. In the few rare moments, however, when he found it
possible to engage in general conversation, he demonstrated excellence
in that as well. His stories fascinated his listeners. Experts in the
tales of great Talmudic authorities, in the tales of the Hassidim, or
simply of comical stories and jokes (Hershel Ostropoler, Yankel Yok,
etc.) were always asking from the Rav for more stories that could not
be found in the published sources. Knowledgeable persons would turn to
him for answers to problems in various fields, among which were
philosophy and philology (he knew several languages fluently, an
unusual thing among Rabbis). All of this had been acquired during rare
spare moments, for he remembered well his mother's teaching not to
waste time on secular subject matter. He never forgot that he had
learned Russian during "Nittl" (Christmas night) alone, for his mother
was insistent on not studying Talmud from December 24 in the evening
until the next evening.

Instead of choosing a more comfortable life with his parent, who were
well-to­ do, the young couple opted to remain in residence with the
Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu, so that Rav David could learn under the influence
of his father-in ­law.

A short time later the First World War broke out. All those who could
were then fleeing to the more remote parts of Russia, to move as far
away as possible from the front. The young couple refused to follow
this course and leave Rabbi Eliyahu behind. The latter was not willing
to leave his community at a time when it was in danger.

Already at a young age Rav David began to help his father-in-law in
his rabbinical duties. It was especially during the German invasion
that he had the opportunity to provide valuable assistance. His
knowledge of the occupant's language allowed him to be of help both
with regard to economic and legal matters. He was selected by the
Regional Judge as a representative of the Jewish community at the
Court of Justice of the Occupant. This particular period was a
difficult one for everyone, and full of trials and accomplishments for
the young Rabbi. He had the occasion to learn a great deal in the way
of practical matters, and to show enormous qualities through his
devotion and self sacrifice.

The most difficult thing for him in his private life was the
separation with his parents and his brother. All communications had
been cut off with the German invasion, and he remained without any
news from them for some three years.

About a year after the Bolshevik Revolution, he received from his
brother the terrible news concerning the death of his parents who had
passed away that same year. The dastardly deeds of the Communists had
served, without doubt, to shorten their lives: they both died in their
sixties. The suffering this tragedy engendered was beyond the bounds
of human endurance. Yet Rabbi David showed an unusual courage and
managed not to let his sadness show in public. It was only in the
privacy of his home and family that, at times, the toll this was
taking on him, and the real measure of his sentiments, could no longer
be contained. Broken in his innermost, he nevertheless continued to
manage the affairs of the community as heretofore. The study of the
Torah, as well as his writings, slowly began to give him some
consolation.

By the time of the Holocaust, the greater part of his writings had not
yet been made ready for publication. There were at the time only two
volumes of his Hiddushim which had been reviewed and edited by him,
but not yet published. To our great sorrow, all these writings were
lost in the Holocaust together with the manuscripts of his
father-in-law, the Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu. As is known, only one volume of
the writings of this latter, Halichot Eliyahu was printed in Vilna in
1931, with an introduction of the Gaon Rabbi David.

His approach to the study of the Talmud was an integration of a number
of methodologies derived from his. renowned teachers. And, since he
had studied with authorities from varied places, his own method was
highly nuanced. He was successively influenced by the outlook of Rabbi
Shloimele Kluger, then with that of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, and specialized
in the approach of his father-in-law, which itself was a composite of
the methodologies of the great sages of Lithuania. The fatherly
attitude of his father-in-law encouraged the flowering of many
exceptional qualities in Rav David. He who has had an opportunity to
live in the shadow of Rav Eliyahu will understand the tremendous
influence that such a great man had on all those around him. The Gaon
Rabbi David used to remind his listeners that Torah learning was not
concentrated in one place or country, nor within one single approach,
and liked to refer to authorities without mentioning their
geographical origins. He would often say to the bachurei yeshiva of
Mir and Kletsk who visited him, that just as a Gaon did not have a
fixed place of abode, so it was not possible to refer to one as coming
from one origin or another.

When he was still very young, he was offered several very respectable
positions. As Rabbi Eliyahu had by then lost his wife, Rabbi David did
not see fit to move and leave his father-in-law by himself. He
therefore rejected the offers, and remained in Pruzana as Associate
Rabbi.

Brought up in well to do surroundings in which certain professions
were looked down upon, HaRav David nevertheless was able to shake off
these prejudices due to his broadmindedness. Yet certain things did
remain. HaRav David was, for example, loath to accept honorarium which
at the time constituted the major income of Rabbis. After a while
people even stopped trying, imagining, no doubt that he did not need
them. All this was taking place at a time when it was fully realized
that the assets of the young couple, tied up as they had been in
Czarist notes and securities, were lost forever. While in their home
matters of money were rarely, if ever, mentioned, while one talked
neither of the wealth of former days nor of the constraints of the
present, HaRav David could nevertheless feel the silent reproach of
his entourage.

The news from Russia was disastrous. All his parents', as well as his
brother's, real estate holdings had been seized by the Bolsheviks. The
latter had thereupon demanded that his brother nevertheless continue
to make all necessary repair and maintenance work. Deprived of the
means to comply with their demands, HaRav David's brother was forced
to leave his native city so as to avoid imprisonment. This move to a
different republic made the difficult communications with the family
even more complicated. Deeply affected as he was by what was happening
in Russia, HaRav David nevertheless talked but little about the
subject. He avoided political discussions even when certain leftist
elements attempted to draw him out and express his viewpoint.
Eyewitnesses recount having heard him, at the beginning of the
nineteen twenties, answer one of the pertinent questions concerning
the alleged advantages of the Revolution: "Europe is now more than
ever in a state of disequilibrium. Bolshevik tortures in the name of
social justice will before long bring about a reaction from the
European, but more particularly the German Right which will surpass in
cruelty the Soviet horrors."

New problems were cropping up in the community. Political parties were
being born which sought to enlighten the masses. New schools were
being formed which broke with traditional Jewish education. These
conditions demanded a great deal of adroitness to mediate effectively
among the various cultural and religious currents which passed, often
without warning, from revolutionary ideology to action. HaRav David,
regardless of the beliefs and ideological convictions of the parties
concerned, was always ready to help those who became embroiled with
the Polish Government. He was highly regarded by the authorities, this
despite the fact that he had to have recourse to the Russian language,
virtually banned then, in order to communicate with them.

At times this resulted in ambiguous situations, as for instance during
the visit of Prime Minister Vitos. One Friday morning, the Rabbi, like
the representatives of the other communities, received an invitation
to participate on Saturday morning in the reception being given for
Prime Minister Vitos. The invitation clearly underscored the fact that
the welcoming addresses by the community representatives could only be
given in Polish. People wondered what the Rabbi would do under these
conditions. One of the more active members of the community (of the
left faction) came forward and offered to speak in the Rabbi's place.
Rather than accept, HaRav David instead requested from this person
that he supply him with a Polish Grammar and Dictionary. Bewildered,
this latter complied.

The Rabbi's speech made a strong impression on the Prime Minister. At
the ensuing reception, Prime Minister Vitos thanked him for it, and
was about to engage with him in a conversation in Polish, when he
heard the priest seated next to him murmur in his ear: "If his
excellency wants to talk to the Rabbi, he can only do so in Russian,
for all that he knows of Polish he put in his address." The Prime
Minister probably never forgot this incident, for he later was
particularly well-disposed toward HaRav David. His linguistic
aptitudes were often of service both to the community and to the
region as a whole. Once, for instance, during the Russo-Polish war of
1920, HaRav David had had to see the Polish regional military
commander on a community matter. The superior officer, after having
acceded to the Rabbi's demand, added: "this is probably the last time
we will met. We expect a Bolshevik offensive very shortly, and I am
afraid we will be leaving the area." To This, HaRav David replied that
he wished him well. And, drawing on a Rabbinic saying, he added that
while one could say that a mountain would never meet another, one
could not emit the same certitude about the future of men.

The destruction and havoc visited by the Bolsheviks during the six
weeks of their occupation lasted beat all records. Worse than
requisitions and famine however, was the declaration of a general
mobilization for those aged eighteen and over. Both the occupier and
the local population knew that the Russian army, dubbed "the barefoot
army", had no chance whatsoever to stand up to the new, Western
supported, Polish forces that were approaching. Thus, the young
conscripts who would escape with their lives from the battlefield
would be taken to the ends of Russia, and be cut off forever from
their families. The despairing parents were continuously coming to Rav
Eliyahu for counsel and advice. What should they do? Continue to hide
their young men and risk the worst of punishments, or to let them
depart forever? 1

At the mobilization center, located at the Hotel Mostovlanski, and
across from the Rabbi's residence, these comings and goings had been
noticed. As the young men did not report for induction to the Center,
and could not be found in their homes, an inescapable conclusion had
been drawn: the Rabbi was at the root of the problem. The authorities
allowed it to be leaked to the Rabbi and his family that unless he
were to desist from his interference with the mobilization process, he
and his son-in-law, HaRav David, would be arrested forthright. HaRav
Eliyahu categorically rejected the ultimatum, saying that he refused
to close his door to the despairing who thought that he could be of
help. The next day, the arrest warrant was signed. At the urging of
their family, HaRav Eliyahu and HaRav David agreed to hide at
neighbors'. In the Rabbi's home the night was one of tense waiting and
anxiety. At dawn, the distant noise of canon was heard. A little later
the Poles were back in the city. Despite the hatred of the Bolsheviks,
the return of the Poles was not a joyous occasion.

The molestations and looting by the soldiers are-well-known. The
entire city was shuttered, shops were closed, people locked up in
their homes. The least noise was a cause of trembling and shudder. The
next morning there were knocks at the Rabbi's door. Deathly silence.
The knocks continued, this time against the shutters, accompanied by
supplications in Yiddish: "Please open, please open". A couple in
tears was mumbling words that could not be understood. Finally, the
gist of what they were saying became clear: their son, walking alone
at dawn near where they lived, had been arrested by the Poles and
accused of showing the way to the Polish camp to the Russians. He was
going to be shot the very same day. Only the Rabbi could save him.

At that moment, when even the simple act of stepping outside one's
home was fraught with danger, attempting to go to the military
commander's headquarters appeared as sheer madness. An elderly lady,
who was staying with the family during those days of danger, voiced
her disapproval of the Rabbi's going. HaRav David, his head low, more
like a guilty party than a hero, went out, crossed the center of the
city between two rows of soldiers shouting: "Rabbi! Jew! Communist!"
Once at the Headquarters, in perspiration and out of breath, he was
confronted with the sentries' firm refusal: "No access to civilians!"

Suddenly, as if by miracle, the door of the office opened, and the
Rabbi was face to face with the Military Commander himself. This
latter extended his hand, saying: "The Rabbi's blessing was heard.
Here I am again! What grave matter brings you here at such an
inauspicious moment?" And the Rabbi to explain the case: "Reliable
witnesses can testify that the condemned man is retarded, at the level
of idiocy." The officer's face grew darker: "Of what weight before
martial law are the testimonies of people who would undoubtedly be
accused of being biased, tainted?" HaRav David, at a loss for further
arguments, said: "Perhaps it is to prove that you, unlike the
Bolsheviks, are possessed of justice, that G-d made you come back".
The Commander, spontaneously extending his hand, said: "You have won
me over. The necessary arrangements will be made so as to allow you to
testify in person before the military tribunal." After the formalities
of reconvening the military tribunal had been completed (anxious
moments for the Rabbi's family), the military commander promised HaRav
David that he would, within the realm of the possible, make sure that
order be restored in the city. He then gave the Rabbi a military
escort, and added as parting words: "You have risked your life to save
that of a retarded person."

The above retold but one of the many actions accomplished by Rav David
in a spirit of self-denial, forgetting in the process what he owed to
himself and to his family. He refused his help neither to individuals
nor to organizations. He established yeshivot, schools, orphanages,
and homes for the aged. He helped generously by word and deed all
those who worked for the good of Judaism. For ten years as the aid of
the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu, and for another seventeen as his successor,
he participated in all the public affairs of the city and the state.
Constantly disturbed during his hours of study, he would justify the
interferers, saying that community affairs had priority attention.

During the nineteen thirties, he devoted a part of his time to
studying with his sons, Abraham Yitzhak and Aharon Baruch, who
distinguished themselves both by their unusual capabilities, and by
their desire to perfect themselves in Talmudic studies. The first to
grant them Semicha -- respectively at the ages of nineteen and
eighteen was HaGaon Rabbi Baruch Epstein, the author of "Torah
Temimah". In a letter to their parents, he expressed his admiration
for the two exceptional young men, as well as his belief in their
great promise and potential for the future. They were indeed rare
exceptions in their ability to fusion and unite the two worlds of
Torah and secular general knowledge.

After having studied at the Universities of Vilna and Warsaw, they
were continuing their education at the Sorbonne in Paris, when the
Second World War began. Having returned home on vacation in the summer
of thirty-nine, they were then not allowed by the authorities to leave
Poland again. The young people of Pruzana who escaped from the
Holocaust have told of how, and with what devotion, the two sons of
HaRav David would organize the study of the Talmud during the
Communist occupation. They would be cited as examples of high moral
values and of an authentic Judaism. Rabbi David Faygenbaum, his wife
Zlata and their two sons Rabbi Abraham Yitzhak and Rabbi Aaron Baruch
lost their lives in Auschwitz at the end of January 1943, together
with the Jews of Pruzana. Those who have survived from among the
family of HaRav David are his son, Samuel Feigenbaum, and his
daughter, Anna Krakowski. Married and the father of two sons, the
former, a chemical engineer by profession, works in Paris at the
Ministry of Defense. Anna Krakowski and her two sons live in New York,
where she is a Professor at Yeshiva University. Aside from her
publications on Nineteenth Century French literature, she has also
contributed to Jewish studies, and has published a book on the
intellectual life in the Warsaw Ghetto.

1 Editor note: It seems surprising to read that two rabbis relate same
episodes in these linesPRUZHANY YZKOR BOOK

1983

THE LAST TWO RABBIS IN PRUZANA

By Dr. Anna Krakovski

A. Rabbi Elyahu Feinstein

Hagaon HaRav Eliyahu Halevi Feinstein was born in Slutzk, Russia, in
1843. his father, the Gaon Rav Aharon, was at that time the head of
the Yeshivah in Slutzk, which flourished under his leadership.
Financial difficulties, however, forced him to leave the Yeshiva in
1844, and take up the rabbinate in the nearby town of Storobin.

While Eliyahu was still a child, he astonished all the Torah scholars
of the region with his intellectual capacities and devotion to
learning. At seven he had mastered Seder Nezikin! The Gaon Reb Yossele
Slutzker, who was Rosh Beth Din (Chief Rabbi) of Slutzk and one of the
most prominent Gaonim of that period, took a strong interest in the
child prodigy and bestowed on him a great deal of fatherly affection.
He expressed the belief that Eliyahu was destined for greatness, and
when the boy turned ten, Reb Yossele invited him to his home where he
taught young Eliyahu personally and introduced him to many leading
Torah authorities.

At the age of 13, Eliyahu became engaged to the daughter of the Gaon
Reb Yitzchok Yechiel Davidowitz, the Rav of Karelitz, a descendant of
the "Seder Hadorot." As an engagement gift, Reb Yitzchok Yechiel gave
Eliyahu a rare copy of "Yad Malachi" and the youth filled the margins
of the book with notations. After the engagement young Eliyahu left
for the Yeshivah of Volozhin.

At that time, broke out in the Yeshiva of Volozhin the famous dispute
between the "Natziv" (Reb Hirsh Leib Berlin) and Reb Yosef Dov
Soloveitchik. The two sides decided to bring their case for a Din
Torah before the leading authorities of the time: Reb Dovid Teveli
from Minsk, Reb Zeev Wolf from Vilna, and the aforementioned Reb
Yossele from Slutzk. When the Roshei Yeshivah came to greet the
members of the Beth Din upon their arrival in Volozhin, Reb Yossele
asked them: "and how is my Reb Elyenke?" The Roshei Yeshivah were very
surprised; they knew that Reb Yossele did not bestow titles lightly,
but they had to admit that they did not know of a Reb Elyenke. Reb
Yossele replied that this ignorance indicated that something was amiss
in the running of the Yeshivah...

After this incident, the Roshei Yeshivah paid attention to R. Eliyahu
and recognized his superior abilities. The "Natziv" himself stated
that the young student had already achieved in-depth command of the
Ran and the Rashbah commentaries on the Talmud.

Just before turning 18, R. Eliyahu married his fiancée, Guta. She was
remarkable for her kindness, her humanity, and her first-rate
organizational skills. While her own generosity was limitless, she was
also very adept at raising funds from others. The story is told about
a known miser who was unable to turn down any of her requests. When
his wife would tell him that the Rav's wife was approaching, he would
often hide himself for fear of the "monetary loss," he knew, he could
not prevent if directly approached by her. Until her last day she
decided her energies to all who needed her. Many charitable
foundations were set up with her help. In addition to her work on
behalf of the orphan's home, the old age home, and other institutions,
she was very involved with helping young couples get settled. A most
important foundation was established to build housing for needy
couples, and she supported this project above and beyond her
capacities, at times even jeopardizing her own family's financial
position for its sake.

After the marriage, Reb Eliyahu stayed about 2 years in the home of
his father-in-law. Scholars of the time related that during that
interval, he reviewed every part of the "Shulchan Aruch" four times
and knew the entire work by heart.

During Pesach of 1863, his father passed away and the people of
Storbin unanimously chose the young prodigy, Reb Eliyahu, still not
20, to replace his father as their Rav. R. Eliyahu, however, was
reluctant to assume the obligations of such a position; he wished
still to devote himself exclusively to the study of Torah. Reb Yossele
from Slutzk intervened, and insisted that R' Eliyahu accept the
position. In a moving demonstration of his deep affection for Reb
Eliyahu, he stated publicly: "I wish to merit seeing my Reb Elyenke
serving as a Rav in my own lifetime...'"

R. Eliyahu acceded to his request on one condition: his contract must
specify that he was to be free from all communal obligations every day
until 12 o'clock, apart from deciding questions of Halacha and Dinei
Torah. In fact, he spent his entire morning engaged in Torah study,
still wrapped in his tails;

He contented himself with only a glass of water upon awakening, and a
cup of milk after Shacharith.

Soon communities were competing to obtain Reb Eluyahu as their Rav.
After the Rav of Brisk (the Gaon R. Isser Yehudah, author of "Ezrat
Yehudah") died, the community of Brisk invited R. Eliyahu to accept
the Chief Rabbinate there. He declined the honor, however, preferring
a schedule that allowed him to spend most of his day studying. Later,
in 1870, he was asked to accept the rabbinate in Kletzk. This
precipitated a dispute between Kletz and Storbin, and the issue was
settled by a Din Torah; according to the decision of the Gaonim Reb
Aryeh of Yhuman and Reb Gershon Tanchum of Minsk, the town of Kletzk
attained the young Gaon as their Rav.

At that time in Russia a draft was in effect and each community was
required to provide a certain number of youth for army service. The
landlords took advantage of their wealth and power to free their own
children from army service, at the expense of orphans and children of
the poor, who were conscripted against any consideration of justice to
meet the required quota. This terrible situation called for a
courageous leader and Reb Eliyahu, despite his total immersion in
scholarship and despite his modesty, rose to the occasion. With
forcefulness and fearless pursuit of justice he fought relentlessly
against the corrupt landlords for the rights of the poor. His fame
spread throughout Russia and caused other courageous rabbis to model
after him and join his efforts.

Pursuit of justice and acts of outstanding generosity mark this Gaon's
life story again and again. He made many personal sacrifices to uphold
the high moral standards he held himself to, and only a few of these
will be mentioned here.

In the winter of 1874 his father-in-law the Gaon R. Yitzchak Yechiel
z"l passed away, leaving a wife with six children. The family now had
no means of support and no resources, and it seemed that the only
solution would be to have R. Yitzchak's son-in-law R. Dovid Feinstein
(father of HaGaon R. Moshe Feinstein who lives now in New York)
replace his father-in-law. The people of Karelitz were opposed to this
plan because they felt R. Dovid was still too young, but they were
willing to have R. Dovid assume the post in three years' time if R.
Elye would serve as their Rav in the meantime. For R. Elye to give up
his post at Kletzk and move to Karelitz was an act of sacrifice that
even his wife Guta thought was much beyond duty. It meant leaving with
a new family from a large well-organized " Kehilla " for a relatively
small town where conditions were so much harder!

Nevertheless, R. Elye spent the next three years in Karelitz. During
that time he received requests from many communities to accept
rabbinical positions which became available, but he refused them all,
abiding by the agreement made. It was only about ten days before the
three years were up that he accepted an offer from the city of
Chaslavich in Reisin. A few days later he received a letter from R.
Reuven of Amchislov asking in his own name and on behalf of his
community that R. Elye agree to replace him, as he was moving to
Dinaborg. Although this new offer was a much more attractive post than
the one he had just accepted, R. Elye refused to consider backing down
from his previous commitment.

In Reisin R. Elye found himself in an unfamiliar environment, among
people of totally different temperament and customs, and in an
atmosphere that was highly charged, due to the Czar's draft. Here he
had to begin anew the old struggle to ease tensions between the
landowners and the poorer people. Again, he succeeded in managing the
complex situation. But other problems emerged, and a new chapter in R.
Elye's life-work began. At that time, a movement was beginning among
the Jews to settle outside the "Pale of Settlement" in towns such as
Smolensk, Oriol, Kursk, Charkov, etc... Because this settlement was
illegal, only small numbers of individuals would move out little by
little. Assimilation posed a great threat to those people, isolated
from the established communities. It was necessary to ensure somehow
that they had access to rabbis, shochetim, mohelim, teachers, and
scribes. Hagaon R. Eliyahu set about the risky task of securing from
the government permits for rabbis and others to settle in those
locations. Thus he laid the cornerstone for Jewish life in that
region, and up until World War II the Jewish inhabitants there were
still recalling his achievements.

R. Elye felt a strong responsibility not only to his community but to
Eastern European Jewry in general. He understood political,
economical, and educational realities, and was not afraid to take a
lone stand and present a dissenting view to that of other Torah
authorities when he felt important aspects of reality were being
overlooked. He courageously confronted the issues and brought to them
a lucid viewpoint which was vindicated by future events.

Two such occurrences stand out because they occurred in well-known
congresses of the leading Jewish authorities of the time.

The first congress was held in Petersburg, after the pogroms of 1882.
Reb Elye was the youngest participant at the meeting, which included
R. Issac Eichanan from Kovna, R. Yosef Dov Soloveitchik of Brisk, R.
Hirsh Leib Berlin of Volozhin, R. Eliyahu Chaim Meizel from Lodz, and
R. Reuven from Dinaborg. The most important issue to be discussed was
what steps the congress should take in the face of the pogroms. The
proposal that received the most attention was one calling for a
delegation of Jewish leaders to meet with the Czar, complain about
what was happening and outline to him the awful consequences stemming
from the fact that the enlightened classes stood by passively while
the destruction took place.

Most members of the congress were satisfied with this proposal. They
viewed the Czar as essentially neutral on the Jewish issue, having
been misled by his advisers, and easily to be swayed by confronting
him with the negative image that would ensue. R. Elye dissented. He
believed that the pogroms had all occurred with the full knowledge and
assent of the Czar who was actively involved in the plan of using
persecution of Jews as a way of distracting the public from real
causes of dissatisfaction with the regime. R. Elye felt that such a
delegation would be useless, that it would only be subjected to
humiliation by the Czar who would merely reproach the Jews for
non-existent "crimes", and make a casual promise to help, on condition
the Jews mend their ways. Sadly, R. Elye's predictions proved all too
correct; the situation, moreover, worsened for the Jews.

In 1910 R. Elye participated again very actively in the second
congress, which took place in Petersburg. Here again he called
attention to important problems and offered solutions with great
foresight. He was especially concerned about the issue of education.
He felt that, because of important changes that had taken place in
Jewish society, there was a need to improve the quality of education
in the Chadarim and in the Yeshivohs, and to introduce certain
subjects such as mathematics and language, so as to enable the young
people to prepare for future vocations which they would eventually
have to assume.

This proposal, however, met with a great deal of resistance. Vladimir
Tyomkin, the well-known lawyer and community leader, writing about the
congress, sharply criticized the proceedings and the participants.
Only one man was spared his criticism. He wrote thus: "Amongst the
participants I found only one 'enlightened' individual, Rav Eliyahu
Feinstein of Pruzana. He alone displayed clear thinking and surprising
depth in understanding the cultural, political, and economic
situation."

Perhaps, had R. Elye's ideas been carried out, part of the subsequent
turmoil in Jewish society could have been avoided...

In 1884, as mentioned above, R. Elye was appointed to be Rav of
Pruzana, amidst great ceremony. In his contract, he stipulated those
conditions for which he had already turned down proposals from larger
cities, namely, that during half the day he was to be free of devote
himself to study, research, and questions of Halacha except for
emergency situations. A large part of this time was devoted to
She'elot U'Tshuvot ; he was recognized world-wide as the greatest
authority in Talmudic response.

Pruzana did not escape the great cholera epidemic which ravaged the
county of Polesia, taking thousands of lives. In response to the
situation, aid committees were set up, equipped with the most modern
instruments available at the time, and public kitchens and tea rooms
were established to serve free hot meals for the Jewish and non-Jewish
population. The driving force behind all this activity was the Rav of
Pruzana. The man who never spent a moment on himself, for whom the
time for studying was more precious than anything, who was never seen
to leave his study for even a brief walk to get some fresh air, this
man went personally to visit the sick victims of cholera, attended to
all their needs, and personally checked the functioning of the
institutions, choosing not to rely on official reports.

On one occasion he noticed that the wealthier people paid for the food
they consumed in the public tea rooms. Despite the employees
'explanations that this helped in the maintenance of the institution,
he forbade the practice, explaining that it could embarrass those who
could not afford to pay. Instead he urged the wealthy to make
donations to the institutions, but to refrain from paying when they
ate. Furthermore, he stipulated that the youth from the wealthy
families volunteer to help serve and clean the buildings without pay.

He forbade fasting on Tisha B'Av, during the epidemic; however,
despite his fragile health he did not allow himself to eat that day.

During the first days of Selichot, many serious cases of cholera were
declared. After one grueling day, late in the evening, he asked his
oldest son to accompany him to visit a sick person. On the way there,
the son related that Meir the coachman had died, and that the health
authorities had forbidden his pregnant wife and their children to
leave the building. The Rav retraced his steps and went straight to
the health commissioner. Despite the late hour, he was received and
his request, to allow the woman and the children to spend the night
elsewhere, was granted, on the condition that the burial take place
very early in the morning.

The Chevra Kaddisha, however, concerned about the danger of infection,
refused to enter the house of the deceased. Rav Elye issued an order
to close all the synagogues and not to hold Selichot services. A large
group of people came to the main synagogue, where the Rav was to be
found, but he categorically rejected their demands to permit the
Selichot services. He then stated: "It must be that from On High I
have been designated to perform this Mitzva myself." And he left for
the house of the deceased, accompanied only by one person. Upon seeing
this, people began to gather around the house to try to persuade the
Rav to go home and let them perform the task. He remained there,
however, until the Tahara had been completed, and it was only after
the burial that the synagogues were reopened for Selichot.

The eyewitness who relates this story tells of having overheard R.
Elye speaking alone in the Beth Hamidrash: "Ribbono shel Olam", he
said, "What will become of us if the plague continues how can one
demand of people to expose themselves to the danger which the Tahara
entails, especially when they do not fully comprehend the meaning of
Met Mitzvah? How can they be expected to perform such an act of
courage?" and then, R. Elye, who had such distaste for excessive
display of emotions, broke down and cried. "From that day on," says
the witness, "not one person died of cholera in Pruzana," and he
continues, "the greatness of soul of the Tzaddik saved the city."

Even the gentiles who heard of the rabbi's act of self-sacrifice
proclaimed "we owe him our well-being." Likewise, many years later,
after a great fire devastated half the city, the people remarked: "and
this happened while the rabbi was away from the city."

In fact, that fire disaster took place when R. Eliyahu had gone abroad
to undergo prolonged treatment for a stomach ulcer. Scarcely had he
begun the cure when he received a telegram from a community
representative describing the disaster and entreating him to return.

Paying no attention to the doctor's insistence on his remaining for
treatment, he left immediately for Pruzana. There he was confronted by
a most difficult situation, since the government, never too generous
in helping with such misfortunes, was even less interested in
providing assistance for Jews. R. Elye acted quickly and decisively.
He went to see the head of the Gubernia (regional government), who was
an admirer of the Rav and presented him with what appeared to be a
modest proposal. He asked that the government allow all donations of
building materials, furniture, etc. to be transported to Pruzana
without the usual tariffs levied for transportation.

The governor was quick to present the Rav's request to his friend the
minister, and pressed him to fulfill the small request. At this, the
minister smiled knowingly, acceded to the request, and remarked dryly
that it would cost the Czar's treasury dearly. The result, indeed, was
that Pruzana became an important relay station in the shipment of
wood, building materials, and furniture to the whole of Western
Russia. The money saved because of the tariff exemption was donated by
the merchants for the rebuilding of the town. Thus Pruzana rebuilt
itself in a remarkably short time.

An incident which occurred during the short occupation by the
Bolsheviks (in 1920) illustrated additional qualities of his
character. When the Bolsheviks defeated the Poles they knew a
counter-attack by the Poles would not be long in coming.

The first step taken by the Russians was to draft all young men 18 and
over. It was clear, however, that the Bolshevik occupation was only
temporary, for they would not be able to retain control in the face of
the counteroffensive mounted by the Poles and their Western allies.
The unfortunate parents realized that, if drafted, their sons would be
forever separated from them, as they would have to retreat with the
Russian troops to the heartland of Russia. They felt desperate, and,
as in every time of crisis, they came to R. Elye to seek his help. 1

The newly set up draft committee was housed in the Mostovlansky hotel
directly opposite the Rav's home. Through its windows, one could see a
constant flow of men and women entering and leaving the Rav's house.
Since the young men did not come to enlist and were not to be found at
home, it seemed that the Rav was advising them to hide out. It was
decided to keep watch one or two more days on those who came to see
Rav Eliyahu, and if indeed these were the parents of the potential
draftees, then R. Eliyahu and his son-in-law would be arrested. A
local gentile shoemaker who belonged to the draft committee passed
this information on to the Rav's household and urged them to close
doors to all visitors.

The household members pleaded with R. Eliyahu to do so. His reply was
brief: "One does not close the door before despondent people who are
seeking help." That very evening the police came to arrest the Rav and
his son-in-law, but warned ahead, they had gone into hiding. The
household stayed up all night, waiting fearfully to know if the police
would find the hiding-place. At dawn shots were heard. Terrified,
everyone went out to see what had happened. Reb Pesach the Baker
hurried by to report that the Poles had returned, and the Bolsheviks
had fled the town.

The stories abound of his personal courage and acts of sacrifice for
individuals and for the community as a whole, but we are prevented
from bringing more, due to lack of adequate documentation. Those who
can remember him bear the image of a giant of spirit, a humane,
sensitive, and humble man with affection and understanding for all
people, regardless of social standing or age. Indeed, he was visibly
affected by the innocence of children and showed a fine pedagogical
sense in his interactions with them. He knew how to speak to them and
always showed them respect. They, in turn, responded to him with great
warmth.

Devoted as he was to the study of Torah and to the welfare of Pruzana,
he turned down many offers from large and important communities.
Despite this, after being asked twice to assume the Chief Rabbinate in
Jerusalem, he agreed, because of his intense love of the land, and his
great desire to live in Jerusalem. However, unforeseen circumstances
prevented him from accepting the offer.

Rav Eliyahu's approach to the Talmud was strongly influenced by the
method of the Vilner Gaon. His character and personality were
particularly well suited for such an approach: deep, calm and logical,
with an innate distaste for glossy appearances. He was sharply
critical of complicated "pilpulim" or artificial dichotomies
attempted more as an intellectual exercise than as a way of
determining the true essence of the subject.

Of his many writings only one part has been published, under the title
Halichot Eliyahu.

He passed away on the 27th of Tishrei, 1929. A pillar of Palestine was
taken on that day. There were many eulogies given in the Diaspora and
in Israel. Characteristic was the one given by Rav Sonenfeld (head of
the extreme orthodox "Ey'da"), in which he stressed the loss to the
nation, and expressed the thought that the religious aspect of
Palestine could have been quite different if only R. Eliyahu had
fulfilled his desire and assumed the Chief Rabbinate of Palestine.
Alas we did not merit it.

Of the sons who lived after him, three lived in Russia, and one
remained in Pruzana. All were learned in Torah, but chose secular
livelihoods. They were businessmen of means and were active in
community affairs. The oldest son R. Aharon was well-known in
Ekaterinoslav (later called Dnieproptrovsk). His second son, R.
Issachar Dov, who lived in South Russia, in Vinitza, quietly devoted
energies and personal funds to many Zionist projects. Sadly, these
families remained in Russia, as well as the son and daughter of R.
Isaac, the third son, and the family of Leib who was a notable of
Moscow.

The daughters of R. Eliyahu all married leading Torah scholars of the
generation. The eldest daughter, Badana, was the wife of the Gaon R.
Menachem Krakowski, famous Rabbi of Vilna. Of his many writings only
two volumes were published, the "Avodat Hamelech" on Rambam, and a
book of sermons "Arzei Halvanon". Badana herself was a charming person
and a devoted helpmate. Her sister Pesha, wife of the Gaon R. Moshe
Soloveitchik, was known for her intellect and wide knowledge of Jewish
subjects. She helped her husband a great deal and was a strong
influence in the education of her sons. We have already spoken, in
another section of this book, of Zlata, the third daughter, wife of
the Gaon R. David Halevi Feigenbaum, and the last Rabbinate of
Pruzana. The last daughter Sara Rivka married the Gaon R. Eliezer
Isaac Meizel, the beloved grandson and successor to R. Eliyahu Chaim
Meizel. She, like her sisters, was cultured and well-versed both in
Jewish and secular fields of knowledge. She died at a young age in
Lodz before World War II. Her only child Mina perished with her father
in the Warsaw Ghetto.

B. Rabbi David Faygenbaum

With the last Rabbi of Pruzana, the Gaon Rabbi David Halevi
Faygenbaum, comes to a close in the most tragic fashion a long line of
great scholars who served in that community for centuries. Among them
were such luminaries as Rabbi Yehuda Leib Perlman (Hagadol from
Minsk), Rabbi Eliyahu Chaim Meizel (who then became Rabbi of Lodz),
and Rabbi Eliyahu Halevi Feinstein.

Rabbi David Faygenbaum was born not far from Kiev in the Estate of his
maternal grandfather, Rabbi Abraham Goldinberg, in 1889. Rabbi Abraham
Goldinberg distinguished himself by his sharp talmudic mind and
through his thorough understanding of business affairs. He had a
weakness unusual for someone of his origins: a nostalgia for landed
property. He felt that few things were more real than the possession
of land. In order to fulfill his dream, which did not fit with the
legal framework set by the Czar who forbade Jews the possession of
land, he bought a large estate in the name of a Polish nobleman. The
arrangement made was that the nobleman would guarantee the value of
the estate by transferring to Rabbi Abraham's name some of his town
properties. The financial guarantee provided, however, amounted only
to a small percentage of the estate's value. Several years later, at
the death of the nobleman, this arrangement unfortunately resulted in
the fraudulent dispossession of the estate by the nobleman's sons who
did not respect their father's commitment.

The years on the estate were years of great satisfaction and peace of
mind for Rabbi Abraham. His house was truly a patriarchal house: all
his sons and daughters had settled there, and Rabbi Abraham, who was
very taken up by his business but nevertheless did not want to neglect
Talmudic studies, had brought to his domain a well-known rabbi to help
him keep to a regular schedule of studies.

This small community, made up of his family, employees, and farm
workers, was perceived as exemplary by those living in the surrounding
area. All those living on the estate held Rabbi Abraham in great
esteem and were very devoted to him. His intelligent and highly
educated wife, Dina, great­ granddaughter of Rabbi Meir of
Constantine, elder son of Rabbi Yaakov Emden, helped him in many ways
in establishing these good relations with the inhabitants of their
little community.

The warm spiritual atmosphere was in harmony with the beautiful
countryside and the young child, David, imbibed from both avidly. He
was attracted by the fields and the forests which, to him, were full
of mystery. In the stories he told as an adult, these early childhood
memories which had made such a strong and agreeable impression on him,
became intertwined with the stories told him by his parents, family,
and friends, into a single integrated image.

His unusual memory had enabled him to store a wealth of Jewish
folklore: miraculous tales of Rabbis, anecdotes concerning the lives
and acts of great Rabbinic authorities from all corners of the
Diaspora. David had, since early childhood, an acute sense of the
relevant, of the apropos. Sayings from scholars, particularly striking
works were always cited to the point, or brought in to illustrate in
an especially effective manner the argument being made. His mother,
Rabbi Abraham's daughter Bracha, whose education was far more
extensive than that of young women of her time, was known for her
strict principles and her strong will. She had known how to infuse her
sons with an infinite love for the study of the Talmud, as well as a
profound admiration and respect for her ancestor, Rabbi Yaakov Emden.
Her husband, Rabbi Moshe Yaakov, while possessing a deep understanding
and knowledge of the Talmud, was also well versed in philosophy, and
in many aspects of general culture. In addition, his exceptional moral
qualities and harmonious personality made him react with aversion to
any form of extremism. His preference was for the golden mean, the
derech hamelech.

Nevertheless, as concerned the education of his sons, he did not
object to the methods of his wife, which emphasized Talmudic study to
the exclusion of secular subjects. This silent agreement was no doubt
rooted in a personal experience of his youth. Rabbi Moshe Yaakov, with
his reputation as an illuy , represented a valuable target of
opportunity for the spokesmen of the haskalah. It was their numerous
efforts to attract him to their fold which left in him unpleasant
memories. His conviction, however, was that young people were exposed
to atheism not so much through the study of secular subjects, but
because of the importance attached to that study. The elevation and
promotion of Science to the level of the sacred, to the standing of a
religion, implanted in the minds of young people unjustified doubts
which deprived them of the integrity of belief.

Rabbi Hayim Aron, Rav David's brother, was older by five years. He was
an accomplished Talmudic scholar with extensive knowledge and a strong
analytical ability. He was quick to perceive his younger brother's
outstanding intellectual gifts, and reacted to them with almost
fatherly pride.

It was with such a warm and congenial atmosphere that the lad was
surrounded until the age of fourteen. His teachers could not find
words enough to praise his excellent memory as well as his exemplary
devotion to study. Tanach, he learned until the age of eight. From
then on he pursued only the study of Gemara, Posskim, and Te'shuvot.
The extraordinary familiarity with Tanach that he had managed to
acquire remained with him to the end of his days. He was able to find
more appropriate Hebrew words and phrases than those commonly used by
drawing from memory upon the texts of the Mishna and Tanach.

He could evaluate and weigh all the expressions and phraseology of the
various writers, authors, and philologists, and explain the origin of
particular expressions, their exactitude, or lack of precision. Rabbi
David's method in the study of the Bible rested upon an in-depth
examination of its texts, upon linguistic and logical comparisons, all
of it against a varied background of Talmudic interpretation. His
approach to Talmud was also based upon an exact, and logical, analysis
of the texts. It was in Berdichev, residence of his family, that he
studied until the age of fourteen. His parents then decided to send
him to learn with the great Rabbinic authorities of the time so as to
refine and enrich his knowledge further. Among these should be
mentioned Rav Abraham Benyamin Kluger (son of the Gaon, Rabbi Shlomo
Kluger), with whom the young David remained for several years. It is
from him that he received his first "Semicha".

In a letter, Rav Kluger had underscored the young man's sharp
analytical mind, and his deep and exact knowledge of all areas of the
Talmud, Rishonim and Acharonim. Before the age of twenty, Rabbi David
had received several other "Semichas" from other renowned authorities.
His reputation as an Illuy having spread far and wide in the rabbinic
world, it was not long before marriage proposals began to arrive in
large numbers. When Zlata, the daughter of the Gaon of Pruzana was
introduced to him and his family, their decision was instantaneous.
They were impressed by her moral, intellectual, and physical
qualities. According to an eyewitness, Rabbi David's mother (who was
known for her keen critical sense), would have exclaimed at the time:
"My most audacious dream has become a reality! I have found better
than I thought was possible!" For his part, the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu,
was very impressed by the young " Illuy ".

They were married two years before the first World War. In the family
the story is told to this day of the impact that the young couple's
physical appearance and demeanor had upon the wedding guests. The
memory has persisted among family members and friends, about the young
woman's majestic beauty. Poets and artists, who did not dare address
directly compliments to her, were admitting that she was for them a
source of inspiration. (Of all this she was totally unaware).

Despite all her beauty and charm there was no trace of feminine vanity
in her--only a genuine search for self-betterment, a deep interest in,
and understanding of, other people. It was these values also that
guided her in her concept of what one should look for in a life
companion. When it was mentioned to her that one was not forced to
renounce worldly possessions in marriage, she would reply that the
greatness associated with wealth left with it. The only real
greatness, she would add, was that which derived from the Torah.

On the human plane, her relations to other people were full of
devotion, but also deep and nuanced. She went beyond the superficial
goals set by society, beyond the superficial reasons for which even
true goals are pursued. From a very young age she had shown a spirit
of self-sacrifice, of denial of the self. Yet, this was done not
simply out of duty, but from a true understanding of the other. Her
devotion to her parents was a symbol of total love. She was the only
person among those that I have known to willingly forego, not only of
her own self, but of her own children, in favor of her parents--she
who was the incarnation of motherhood.

Her activities, both as a Rabbi's wife, and as a community worker,
were accomplished discreetly and with total commitment. When, on
occasion, someone would reproach her for doing too much for those who
perhaps did not deserve it, she would reply: "they act according to
their conscience, and I act according to mine."

Her outward appearance, her beauty and charm, impressed people to the
extent that they did precisely because they reflected her inner
qualities, her intelligence, her generosity and unbounded faith. Her
psychological insight into human nature allowed her to differentiate
among people, not on the basis of their standing in life and society,
but according to their true and more real traits of character. Her
love for human beings in general started with her fondness for
children, and her success in the field of education was rooted in the
respect which she accorded equally to both children and adults. For
all her inner seriousness, she had an excellent sense of humor, and
was full of gaiety. She knew how to tell stories from the past, and
imitate people with talent so as to bring to life their characters.
More significantly, she knew how to create a lively and interesting
atmosphere so that no one was ever bored in her presence. In any
gathering the question invariably asked by newcomers was: "Who is this
enchanting lady?"

The young Rav David's time, understandably, was taken up by the study
of the Talmud. In the few rare moments, however, when he found it
possible to engage in general conversation, he demonstrated excellence
in that as well. His stories fascinated his listeners. Experts in the
tales of great Talmudic authorities, in the tales of the Hassidim, or
simply of comical stories and jokes (Hershel Ostropoler, Yankel Yok,
etc.) were always asking from the Rav for more stories that could not
be found in the published sources. Knowledgeable persons would turn to
him for answers to problems in various fields, among which were
philosophy and philology (he knew several languages fluently, an
unusual thing among Rabbis). All of this had been acquired during rare
spare moments, for he remembered well his mother's teaching not to
waste time on secular subject matter. He never forgot that he had
learned Russian during "Nittl" (Christmas night) alone, for his mother
was insistent on not studying Talmud from December 24 in the evening
until the next evening.

Instead of choosing a more comfortable life with his parent, who were
well-to­ do, the young couple opted to remain in residence with the
Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu, so that Rav David could learn under the influence
of his father-in ­law.

A short time later the First World War broke out. All those who could
were then fleeing to the more remote parts of Russia, to move as far
away as possible from the front. The young couple refused to follow
this course and leave Rabbi Eliyahu behind. The latter was not willing
to leave his community at a time when it was in danger.

Already at a young age Rav David began to help his father-in-law in
his rabbinical duties. It was especially during the German invasion
that he had the opportunity to provide valuable assistance. His
knowledge of the occupant's language allowed him to be of help both
with regard to economic and legal matters. He was selected by the
Regional Judge as a representative of the Jewish community at the
Court of Justice of the Occupant. This particular period was a
difficult one for everyone, and full of trials and accomplishments for
the young Rabbi. He had the occasion to learn a great deal in the way
of practical matters, and to show enormous qualities through his
devotion and self sacrifice.

The most difficult thing for him in his private life was the
separation with his parents and his brother. All communications had
been cut off with the German invasion, and he remained without any
news from them for some three years.

About a year after the Bolshevik Revolution, he received from his
brother the terrible news concerning the death of his parents who had
passed away that same year. The dastardly deeds of the Communists had
served, without doubt, to shorten their lives: they both died in their
sixties. The suffering this tragedy engendered was beyond the bounds
of human endurance. Yet Rabbi David showed an unusual courage and
managed not to let his sadness show in public. It was only in the
privacy of his home and family that, at times, the toll this was
taking on him, and the real measure of his sentiments, could no longer
be contained. Broken in his innermost, he nevertheless continued to
manage the affairs of the community as heretofore. The study of the
Torah, as well as his writings, slowly began to give him some
consolation.

By the time of the Holocaust, the greater part of his writings had not
yet been made ready for publication. There were at the time only two
volumes of his Hiddushim which had been reviewed and edited by him,
but not yet published. To our great sorrow, all these writings were
lost in the Holocaust together with the manuscripts of his
father-in-law, the Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu. As is known, only one volume of
the writings of this latter, Halichot Eliyahu was printed in Vilna in
1931, with an introduction of the Gaon Rabbi David.

His approach to the study of the Talmud was an integration of a number
of methodologies derived from his. renowned teachers. And, since he
had studied with authorities from varied places, his own method was
highly nuanced. He was successively influenced by the outlook of Rabbi
Shloimele Kluger, then with that of Rabbi Akiva Eiger, and specialized
in the approach of his father-in-law, which itself was a composite of
the methodologies of the great sages of Lithuania. The fatherly
attitude of his father-in-law encouraged the flowering of many
exceptional qualities in Rav David. He who has had an opportunity to
live in the shadow of Rav Eliyahu will understand the tremendous
influence that such a great man had on all those around him. The Gaon
Rabbi David used to remind his listeners that Torah learning was not
concentrated in one place or country, nor within one single approach,
and liked to refer to authorities without mentioning their
geographical origins. He would often say to the bachurei yeshiva of
Mir and Kletsk who visited him, that just as a Gaon did not have a
fixed place of abode, so it was not possible to refer to one as coming
from one origin or another.

When he was still very young, he was offered several very respectable
positions. As Rabbi Eliyahu had by then lost his wife, Rabbi David did
not see fit to move and leave his father-in-law by himself. He
therefore rejected the offers, and remained in Pruzana as Associate
Rabbi.

Brought up in well to do surroundings in which certain professions
were looked down upon, HaRav David nevertheless was able to shake off
these prejudices due to his broadmindedness. Yet certain things did
remain. HaRav David was, for example, loath to accept honorarium which
at the time constituted the major income of Rabbis. After a while
people even stopped trying, imagining, no doubt that he did not need
them. All this was taking place at a time when it was fully realized
that the assets of the young couple, tied up as they had been in
Czarist notes and securities, were lost forever. While in their home
matters of money were rarely, if ever, mentioned, while one talked
neither of the wealth of former days nor of the constraints of the
present, HaRav David could nevertheless feel the silent reproach of
his entourage.

The news from Russia was disastrous. All his parents', as well as his
brother's, real estate holdings had been seized by the Bolsheviks. The
latter had thereupon demanded that his brother nevertheless continue
to make all necessary repair and maintenance work. Deprived of the
means to comply with their demands, HaRav David's brother was forced
to leave his native city so as to avoid imprisonment. This move to a
different republic made the difficult communications with the family
even more complicated. Deeply affected as he was by what was happening
in Russia, HaRav David nevertheless talked but little about the
subject. He avoided political discussions even when certain leftist
elements attempted to draw him out and express his viewpoint.
Eyewitnesses recount having heard him, at the beginning of the
nineteen twenties, answer one of the pertinent questions concerning
the alleged advantages of the Revolution: "Europe is now more than
ever in a state of disequilibrium. Bolshevik tortures in the name of
social justice will before long bring about a reaction from the
European, but more particularly the German Right which will surpass in
cruelty the Soviet horrors."

New problems were cropping up in the community. Political parties were
being born which sought to enlighten the masses. New schools were
being formed which broke with traditional Jewish education. These
conditions demanded a great deal of adroitness to mediate effectively
among the various cultural and religious currents which passed, often
without warning, from revolutionary ideology to action. HaRav David,
regardless of the beliefs and ideological convictions of the parties
concerned, was always ready to help those who became embroiled with
the Polish Government. He was highly regarded by the authorities, this
despite the fact that he had to have recourse to the Russian language,
virtually banned then, in order to communicate with them.

At times this resulted in ambiguous situations, as for instance during
the visit of Prime Minister Vitos. One Friday morning, the Rabbi, like
the representatives of the other communities, received an invitation
to participate on Saturday morning in the reception being given for
Prime Minister Vitos. The invitation clearly underscored the fact that
the welcoming addresses by the community representatives could only be
given in Polish. People wondered what the Rabbi would do under these
conditions. One of the more active members of the community (of the
left faction) came forward and offered to speak in the Rabbi's place.
Rather than accept, HaRav David instead requested from this person
that he supply him with a Polish Grammar and Dictionary. Bewildered,
this latter complied.

The Rabbi's speech made a strong impression on the Prime Minister. At
the ensuing reception, Prime Minister Vitos thanked him for it, and
was about to engage with him in a conversation in Polish, when he
heard the priest seated next to him murmur in his ear: "If his
excellency wants to talk to the Rabbi, he can only do so in Russian,
for all that he knows of Polish he put in his address." The Prime
Minister probably never forgot this incident, for he later was
particularly well-disposed toward HaRav David. His linguistic
aptitudes were often of service both to the community and to the
region as a whole. Once, for instance, during the Russo-Polish war of
1920, HaRav David had had to see the Polish regional military
commander on a community matter. The superior officer, after having
acceded to the Rabbi's demand, added: "this is probably the last time
we will met. We expect a Bolshevik offensive very shortly, and I am
afraid we will be leaving the area." To This, HaRav David replied that
he wished him well. And, drawing on a Rabbinic saying, he added that
while one could say that a mountain would never meet another, one
could not emit the same certitude about the future of men.

The destruction and havoc visited by the Bolsheviks during the six
weeks of their occupation lasted beat all records. Worse than
requisitions and famine however, was the declaration of a general
mobilization for those aged eighteen and over. Both the occupier and
the local population knew that the Russian army, dubbed "the barefoot
army", had no chance whatsoever to stand up to the new, Western
supported, Polish forces that were approaching. Thus, the young
conscripts who would escape with their lives from the battlefield
would be taken to the ends of Russia, and be cut off forever from
their families. The despairing parents were continuously coming to Rav
Eliyahu for counsel and advice. What should they do? Continue to hide
their young men and risk the worst of punishments, or to let them
depart forever? 1

At the mobilization center, located at the Hotel Mostovlanski, and
across from the Rabbi's residence, these comings and goings had been
noticed. As the young men did not report for induction to the Center,
and could not be found in their homes, an inescapable conclusion had
been drawn: the Rabbi was at the root of the problem. The authorities
allowed it to be leaked to the Rabbi and his family that unless he
were to desist from his interference with the mobilization process, he
and his son-in-law, HaRav David, would be arrested forthright. HaRav
Eliyahu categorically rejected the ultimatum, saying that he refused
to close his door to the despairing who thought that he could be of
help. The next day, the arrest warrant was signed. At the urging of
their family, HaRav Eliyahu and HaRav David agreed to hide at
neighbors'. In the Rabbi's home the night was one of tense waiting and
anxiety. At dawn, the distant noise of canon was heard. A little later
the Poles were back in the city. Despite the hatred of the Bolsheviks,
the return of the Poles was not a joyous occasion.

The molestations and looting by the soldiers are-well-known. The
entire city was shuttered, shops were closed, people locked up in
their homes. The least noise was a cause of trembling and shudder. The
next morning there were knocks at the Rabbi's door. Deathly silence.
The knocks continued, this time against the shutters, accompanied by
supplications in Yiddish: "Please open, please open". A couple in
tears was mumbling words that could not be understood. Finally, the
gist of what they were saying became clear: their son, walking alone
at dawn near where they lived, had been arrested by the Poles and
accused of showing the way to the Polish camp to the Russians. He was
going to be shot the very same day. Only the Rabbi could save him.

At that moment, when even the simple act of stepping outside one's
home was fraught with danger, attempting to go to the military
commander's headquarters appeared as sheer madness. An elderly lady,
who was staying with the family during those days of danger, voiced
her disapproval of the Rabbi's going. HaRav David, his head low, more
like a guilty party than a hero, went out, crossed the center of the
city between two rows of soldiers shouting: "Rabbi! Jew! Communist!"
Once at the Headquarters, in perspiration and out of breath, he was
confronted with the sentries' firm refusal: "No access to civilians!"

Suddenly, as if by miracle, the door of the office opened, and the
Rabbi was face to face with the Military Commander himself. This
latter extended his hand, saying: "The Rabbi's blessing was heard.
Here I am again! What grave matter brings you here at such an
inauspicious moment?" And the Rabbi to explain the case: "Reliable
witnesses can testify that the condemned man is retarded, at the level
of idiocy." The officer's face grew darker: "Of what weight before
martial law are the testimonies of people who would undoubtedly be
accused of being biased, tainted?" HaRav David, at a loss for further
arguments, said: "Perhaps it is to prove that you, unlike the
Bolsheviks, are possessed of justice, that G-d made you come back".
The Commander, spontaneously extending his hand, said: "You have won
me over. The necessary arrangements will be made so as to allow you to
testify in person before the military tribunal." After the formalities
of reconvening the military tribunal had been completed (anxious
moments for the Rabbi's family), the military commander promised HaRav
David that he would, within the realm of the possible, make sure that
order be restored in the city. He then gave the Rabbi a military
escort, and added as parting words: "You have risked your life to save
that of a retarded person."

The above retold but one of the many actions accomplished by Rav David
in a spirit of self-denial, forgetting in the process what he owed to
himself and to his family. He refused his help neither to individuals
nor to organizations. He established yeshivot, schools, orphanages,
and homes for the aged. He helped generously by word and deed all
those who worked for the good of Judaism. For ten years as the aid of
the Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu, and for another seventeen as his successor,
he participated in all the public affairs of the city and the state.
Constantly disturbed during his hours of study, he would justify the
interferers, saying that community affairs had priority attention.

During the nineteen thirties, he devoted a part of his time to
studying with his sons, Abraham Yitzhak and Aharon Baruch, who
distinguished themselves both by their unusual capabilities, and by
their desire to perfect themselves in Talmudic studies. The first to
grant them Semicha -- respectively at the ages of nineteen and
eighteen was HaGaon Rabbi Baruch Epstein, the author of "Torah
Temimah". In a letter to their parents, he expressed his admiration
for the two exceptional young men, as well as his belief in their
great promise and potential for the future. They were indeed rare
exceptions in their ability to fusion and unite the two worlds of
Torah and secular general knowledge.

After having studied at the Universities of Vilna and Warsaw, they
were continuing their education at the Sorbonne in Paris, when the
Second World War began. Having returned home on vacation in the summer
of thirty-nine, they were then not allowed by the authorities to leave
Poland again. The young people of Pruzana who escaped from the
Holocaust have told of how, and with what devotion, the two sons of
HaRav David would organize the study of the Talmud during the
Communist occupation. They would be cited as examples of high moral
values and of an authentic Judaism. Rabbi David Faygenbaum, his wife
Zlata and their two sons Rabbi Abraham Yitzhak and Rabbi Aaron Baruch
lost their lives in Auschwitz at the end of January 1943, together
with the Jews of Pruzana. Those who have survived from among the
family of HaRav David are his son, Samuel Feigenbaum, and his
daughter, Anna Krakowski. Married and the father of two sons, the
former, a chemical engineer by profession, works in Paris at the
Ministry of Defense. Anna Krakowski and her two sons live in New York,
where she is a Professor at Yeshiva University. Aside from her
publications on Nineteenth Century French literature, she has also
contributed to Jewish studies, and has published a book on the
intellectual life in the Warsaw Ghetto.

1 Editor note: It seems surprising to read that two rabbis relate same
episodes in these lines

Zelig Reuven Bengis (1864, Šnipišk?s (Shnipishok in Yiddish)[1], Russian Empire - 21 May 1953[1], Jerusalem, Israel) was the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for the Edah HaChareidis. He wrote a seven-volume commentary on the Talmud, called "Leflagos Reuven".

He was the son of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Bengis[1], the Rabbi of the Russian Empire (now Lithuanian) town of Šnipišk?s (now a neighborhood of Vilna) and his wife Shayna, the granddaughter of Rabbi Aaron Brody, dayan of Vilna. Rabbi Zelig Reuven was soon known as "the Shnipishoker illui" (prodigy). When he was 17 years old, he went to learn in the Volozhin yeshiva under the Netziv, who called him 'the living Shas'. While learning at Valozhyn, his reputation quickly grew and he was known as an extremely sharp student and a diligent learner.
Youth

After having learned in Volozhin for several years, he married the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Broide, Rav of the towns Nemakš?iai (Nemoksht in Yiddish), Šv?kšna (Shvkshna in Yiddish) and Žagar? (Zhager in Yiddish)[1]. After his marriage, he spent eight years living with his in-laws, learning all day. In 1892 he was appointed Rabbi of Bo?ki (Bodki), Poland, succeeding Rabbi Malkiel Tzvi Tenenbaum who took the position of Rabbi of Lomza[1].

Rav in Lithuania
[

After having spent 19 years as Rav of Bo?ki (Bodki), in 1911 he became the Rav of Kalvarija, Lithuania[1]. During his time as Rav of Kalvarija, World War I broke out. During the war, the Russian government forced Jews to move further eastward. Rabbi Bengis settled in Smolensk, a Russian town where many non-religious Jews lived. In Smolensk, Rabbi Bengis involved himself in teaching these non-religious Jews about Judaism. In this, he received strong encouragement from the Chofetz Chaim.

After the war, Bengis returned to Kalvarija. His reputation grew, and he was known as an expert in all areas of Judaism - he knew countless Jewish works, including the entire Tanach, both the Yerushalmi and Bavli, the Rambam, Shulchan Aruch, backward and forward. He received halachic questions from all over the world. Some of his halachic rulings were published in the periodical HaTevunah, but they were never published in bookform.

Rav in the Holy Land
[e

In 1932, after the death of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Bengis was asked to become rosh av beit din (Ravad) - 2nd Chief Rabbi - of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem. At that point, however, he declined the offer, since his rival there would be Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook - a fellow student of the Netziv of Volozhin.

However, the leadership of the Edah repeated their offer in 1937. Since Rav Kook had died, Rabbi Bengis accepted the offer, and moved from Lithuania to Israel[1] - shortly before World War II broke out.

In 1947, he and Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky, the Chief Rabbi - Gaavad - of the Edah, appeared before a United Nations commission which was to decide the future of the British Mandate of Palestine. They spoke against the establishment of a Jewish state there, requesting the UN to recognize Jerusalem as a holy city which should not be part of any state, but should be ruled by the UN itself as an international city. He also requested the commission to allow the immigration of homeless Jews who had survived the war in Europe.

When Rabbi Dushinsky died in 1948, Bengis succeeded him as govad of the Edah. Simultaneously, he also fulfilled the position of Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivas Ohel Moshe, also in Jerusalem.

Bengis died on the 7th of Sivan, 5713 (21 May 1953)[1]. He was almost 90 years old, and had fulfilled rabbinical roles in Lithuania and Jerusalem for over 60 years.

References

^ a b c d e f g h Toldos Hagaon Rabbi Zelig Reuvain Bengis Laflagos Reuvain. Jerusalem. Retrieved Aug 22, 2010. in the introduction to Laflagos Reuvain
External links
[

Rav Zelig Reuven Bengis ZT"L (biography)
Leflagos Reuven / ?????? ????? online at Hebrewbooks.org
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Zelig Reuben Bengis
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Son of Hirsh Bengis and Shaina Bengis
Husband of Esther Bengis and Rose? Bengis
Father of Shimon Bengis and Faiga Bengis