Baruch Dayan HaEmet: Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz

Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, the rosh yeshiva of Ponevitch, one of the largest yeshivot in the world located in Bnei Brak, Israel, has passed away. He was 97 years old.

Accoding to VIN, Rabbi Lefkowitz just passed away.

I'll try to post more details when they become available.

Comments

[Apikorus Al Ha'esh]

This is indeed a sad day for organizations like Kupat Ha'ir and Vaad Harabbanim. Whose photo will they use to squeeze money from the masses now?

[logic]

I remember the video showing, the Chabad R"Y, R Ashkenazi, asking him to partake in the Hespeidim for the Mumbai victims. R. Lefkowitz only wanted talk about the, Non-Lubavitch victims. He did not want to define the deaths of the Chabad people as a tragedy. May he RIP.

[Loshonhora]

Shmaryahooo!
You seem to be morphing back in to the fold, but as distant as possible from the group you refer to as the cult, & R" Shach refered to as the Kat hyadua.
Have I got it right?
Of yes beware no one is perfect,some things over there will repel you too, but you are not forced.

[corn popper]

Boruch Dayan HaEmes! What a tremendous loss for Klal Yisroel and the world!

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

A public Service to the FM community:

Dating site for an 'off the derech' crowd

Dating site for an 'off the derech' crowd

http://www.thejerusalemlife.com/news/dating-site-for-an-off-the-derech-crowd

[Guest]

Baruch Dayan HaEmes. He was a great man.

[jewland]

shmaraya. am i missing something? where is the negative spin against charedim in this post????

[ah-pee-chorus]

He was a great man.

Posted by: Guest |

could you tell me what made him "great" ?

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

Just like with Eliashiv, can someone please elighten me: What contribution this particular rabbi have made to the world of Torah?

I would really like to know exact and clear details.

Thank you.

P.S. APC, you beat me to this question, lol ;)

[jewland]

i dont understand the reason of these condisending remarks, some unresolved anger i guess. why are you people questioning his or rav elyashivs greatness? i myself do not agree with alot of what these charedi rabbis are trying to do, but i still can see areas of greatness. living a modest life and studying 18 hours a day and teaching students all day long, helping people in their time of need are all traits of greatness.

[ah-pee-chorus]

werent there succession fights at ponevitch? was his faction the winners?

many years ago i attended rav shachs grandson's wedding at ponevitch. (it may have been granddaughter..i dont remember.)

[ah-pee-chorus]

i dont understand the reason of these condisending remarks, some unresolved anger i guess.

what is condescending about asking what made him great? is a college professor who studies and teaches english literature also great in your eyes? i'm just trying to understand.

[Sarah]

I know this person has just passed away and I know syag lechochmah shtikah etc, etc, but I'll be damned if commenting on this blog isn't slightly addictive, even if it's done through an equal measure of tears and hysterical laughter.

Actually, I knew someone who was Lefkowitz's student.

This is not the place or time to expound on all the inherent wonders of Bnei Brak, like the time I had a heated discussion with a Rav about how the holy hell he supposed throwing rocks on shabbos at the heads of passersby in cars was mutar.

Apparently, the rocks had been especially set aside before shabbos so they were not muksah.

That night I felt a wild and urgent desire to photocopy a huge pile of flyers stating precisely why mideoryta ATTEMPTED MURDER IS NOT PERMITTED ON SHABBOS and sticking them on every damned door I could find.
Seriously.

Sometime during that night though I I realized that the term 'mideoryta' in Bnei Brak is just empty air.
In that city, the mask is the face and there's nothing behind it.

[Yissy-CA]

A public Service to the FM community:

Dating site for an 'off the derech' crowd

Dating site for an 'off the derech' crowd

http://www.thejerusalemlife.com/news/dating-site-for-an-off-the-derech-crowd

Posted by: Bassy the Haredi Slayer | June 27, 2011 at 02:21 PM

Bassy if you're "really" OTD you'll forego children, marriage, and a Jewish Partner. ;)

[Shmuel Landesman]

Rav Lefkowitz ZT"L was the dean, for decades, of the probably most important mesivta (for teens) in Israel - the Ponovezh Yeshiva L'tzi'irim.
He also published the chidushim of his Rebbi - Rav Shlomo Hyman zt"l.
He dedicated his whole life to studying Torah, teaching Torah and doing acts of chesed. He lived an extremely simple lifesyle.
He was also one of the greatest talmidei chachamim alive.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

2 jewland & Shmuel Landesman:

I guess, you guys really don't understand simple questions.

Myself and APC asked to clarify what EXACTLY made this rabbi great. The fact that he was "studying Torah, teaching Torah and doing acts of chesed" DOES NOT make him great!

He also published the chidushim of his Rebbi - Rav Shlomo Hyman zt"l.
This maybe it, but I still do not understand what was in this book(?) that made this rabbi great.

Just so we clear, I'm asking this because I want to have at least 1 reason to refrain from making rather nasty remarks about one more dead "great rabbi" ;)

It is to say, that to people like myself all this "greatness" is nothing but a bigotted self-proclamation w/o any actual basis. And simply because I, for one, cannot find ANY information about this rabbis' actual (not assumed) contribution to society...

[LIL]

what is condescending about asking what made him great? is a college professor who studies and teaches english literature also great in your eyes? i'm just trying to understand.

Posted by: ah-pee-chorus | June 27, 2011 at 03:54 PM

are you comparing the study of English literature to dedicating one's entire life to studying our holy Torah>

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

LIL, are you serious or are you just being sarcastic ?!?

[Gershon]

he was not involved in any ponovitz machlokes, he never left the daled amos of halacha, he met with and spent long time with anyone who wanted to...you can dig all you want there is nothing n egative, he taught thousands of students...shmarya only posted this comment to see what he can stir...if there was possibly somehting and some way to say something negative about him shmarya would of posted it...instead he has to rely on his idiotic friends to say something really stupid....

[ah-pee-chorus]

LIL -

yes, i am.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

I'm sorry, Gershon, I don't know about anyone else, but I was not asking about how he lived his life, nor I was looking for any dirt on him.

I was simply wondering what he acomplished in his life, so I can at least refrain from saying anything negative.

So far, and just like with Eliashiv, no one (yourself included) does not seem to know what exactly did he do in his life.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

APC - lol

[tsvika55]

Aleksandr,
You will never understand what made Rav. Mechel Yehuda great, just as a maggot will never get to understand what it’s like to be a human being. So go ahead, don't "refrain" from showing off your true nature and continue wallowing in your own filth and misery. The problem is you always will be the one looking up from your place of comfort and decry the greatness of the ones who’s world you are never to understand. That is the curse that you have chosen to bestow upon yourself.

[LIL]

I am 100% serious you ignorant pig.

[Robert Wisler]

I wrote a book that was the standard text for those who wished to write Windows device drivers and I lead a simple humble life. I was a devoted student of Bill Gates who is an extremely charitable man. Does that make me great?

[brisker]

Logic, where can I find the video where he won't give hespedim for the lubavitchers?

[Guest]

>I wrote a book that was the standard text for those who wished to write Windows device drivers and I lead a simple humble life. I was a devoted student of Bill Gates who is an extremely charitable man. Does that make me great?

No, because Windows sucks.

[seymour]

I wrote a book that was the standard text for those who wished to write Windows device drivers and I lead a simple humble life. I was a devoted student of Bill Gates who is an extremely charitable man. Does that make me great?

Posted by: Robert Wisler | June 27, 2011 at 08:33 PM

no

what makes you great is that you stand up to these people who cannot understand a simple question

what made this guy great?

PS I jus started using Linux It seems to work faster then windows

[seymour]

I am 100% serious you ignorant pig.

Posted by: LIL | June 27, 2011 at 08:09 PM

if you cannot answer a simple question you are ignorant

just tell why he is great

there are many people who devout their live to different study subject

some become great because it let to major medical breakthroughs.

so what has he done that a regular joe should consider him great and what has he done to make the world better?

a simple question

can you answer besides saying he studied Torah.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

The problem is you always will be the one looking up from your place of comfort and decry the greatness of the ones who’s world you are never to understand.

If i'd be paid a penny for every time I heard this from OJs, I'd probably be pretty rich by now.

Unfortunatelly, if you do not explain, how am I to understand? Just a rethorical question...

[Jake Mt]

From what I read, R' Mechel led a very simple life who shunned the trappings of materialism and koved that comes with someone of his Torah stature. To me, that's what makes him great in my eyes. Alex, I hope that answers your question.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

Sorry, Jake, it does not. Like I said before, it is unclear what this man has acomplished, not how he lived.

What does "someone of his Torah statue" mean?

[LIL]

How can people be so blinded to not realize the level of dedication it takes to immerse ones life in torah study? it is our purpose on this earth and to master it at the level that the Tzaddik z'l reached is a major achievement. You clearly don't appreciate the Torah.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

Well... whatever...

I was not expecting any coherent response anyway, so let's just leave it at that...

[corn popper]

First we have to define greatness, and then we can see who measures up to that standard.

In my eyes, "selflessness" is greatness.

A small persons sense of self encompasses only him/her self. A greater person is able to include others into his/her sense of self.

To explain. A little child cries in middle of the night waking others (not because he's bad) simply because he/she can only care about them selves. Personal growth enables us to see others (i.e. wife, children, neighbors, co-workers, other drivers, etc.) as well, to recognize their needs, and to genuinely care for them.

If you can accept this definition of greatness, then you can understand why Reb Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zatzal is being mourned by so many.

He genuinely cared for others. Despite his brilliance and erudition, he was humble, modest and unassuming. Generations of people in need of advice and inspiration, found a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, and a friend to comfort them.

This is why he will be mourned and greatly missed.

Yehai Zichro Boruch!

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

Ok, this is an example of what I would consider "greatness":

Rabbi David Yosefon was main author and editor of the Russian translation+(minor commentary) of the Tanakh.

His translation, as of today, is the most accurate Russian translation that ever existed, and that stands on par with such pillars as YLT and KJVB for English speaking people.

His work helped to introduce a mutitude of Russian Jews to Torah. In fact, most FSU Jews in Israel and in Russia would know Torah from his translation.

And I bet that his work will stand as his memorial for a very long time, and continue instoducing Russian speaking Jews to Torah.

Now this what I call a great achievement, and this particular rabbi does indeed deserved to be called great.

Now, what rabbi Lefkowitz has achieved?

[corn popper]

Aleksandr,
Introducing Russian people to Torah is indeed a great achievement. Along the same lines, inspiring budding student to become great Torah scholars is also a great accomplishment.
Reb Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zatzal inspired tens of thousands to become Torah scholars.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

How, corn popper, HOW ?!? You seem to be avoiding exact details!

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

Oh yeah, and I'm asking this because I cannot locate this information either...

[Jake Mt]

Alex, it is apparent you don't really know who R' Mechel A"H was. He was the Rosh Yeshiva of the great Ponovitch Yeshivah in Israel who inspired many students to dedicate themselves to Torah study & Yiddishkeit. By setting an example to many thousands of yungerleit on how one should conduct themseleves is a true sign of greatness. All while shunning the koved and materialism that comes with such stature.

[Aleksandr Sigalov]

Ok, I'm sorry guys. I do not wish to continue this conversation.

We are going in circles here, so no point really...

[daniel]

I can try to answer you something... the world has been created by G..d with power of goods and power of destructions, both in spiritual sens and physicall sens. The role of each man is to become as " good as possible" and also work for the word to be better ( in a pgysical way and spiritual way); Let's imagine that one of the US general of Iraq war die.. You will say he was a great man , he was fighting for his country, for a better world and not only for himself ... well that would be someone who was great in the phyisical world and who combatted the phyisical bad side of the creation... Now whatever is physical , has the equivalent of spiritual, Rav Lefkovitz Zl was a "soldier" who was fighting all his life to make good and kill the bad side of the world in a spiritual way , how would you do that ? by studying torah and doing mitsvot...He was a great man because thanks to him and his work , the good side of the spiritual world stands now against the bad side of the spiritual world... without him, and people like him, the bad side (sitra hahara) would probably have taken other the spiritual world in a bad way, thus creating much more wars in the physical world...I personnally think that you just know nothing , so you don t have to ask yourself what this Rabbi Did to be so great, when you will have thousands of students maybe you can ask you this question...

[ben]

to Aleksandr Sigalov
Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zatza
mastered the entire talmud of BAVLI and yerushalmi which to fully master would take a good 20 years maybe more (2 doctorate) he also learned the entire shulchan aruch with all its commentaries by hart which would take another 20 years and was a "professor" for 5 decades
how is that