By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com During the period of COVID-19 – everyone needs chizuk. It is appropriate, however, in the new zman, in the new semester of school – for the mechanchim and the mechanchos of our children to get a boost of inspiration and chizuk from one of the Gedolim of the previous generation who perhaps personified the concept of bringing the ideals of Torah, Mussar and dedication to chinuch to Klal Yisroel throughout America, Rav Alter Chanoch Henoch Leibowitz zt”l. It is this author’s hope that this audio-enhanced, digitally cleaned, and re-mastered video will inspire thousands of mechanchim in their Avodas HaKodesh. It is being presented for the Refuah shleimah of three individuals: Ruchama Devorah Leah bas Rochel, a remarkable tzaddaikes Chaim Nachman ben Mindel, a remarkable tzaddik Asher ben Nurit Leah (Obadia), a newly born baby from a wonderful family. May HaKadosh Boruch Hu send them all a complete refuah shleimah. A FURTHER PORTRAIT Rav Leibowitz zt”l had an extraordinary impact on chinuch in the United States. He was the only son of his saintly father, Rav Dovid Leibowitz, zt’l, founder of Yeshiva Rabbeinu Yisroel Meir HaCohen, commonly known as Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim. The yeshiva was first established in 1933 by Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz, a nephew of the Chofetz Chaim. On December 5th , 1941, Rav Dovid Leibowitz passed away, and his son would take over at the helm of the yeshiva. Rav Henoch Leibowitz molded the yeshiva in the image of the great yeshiva of his father’s rebbe, the Alter of Slabodka. Indeed, Rav Mordechai Shulman, zt’l, a rosh yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael who had intimate knowledge of the Slabodka Yeshiva, commented, “Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim is Slabodka.” Slowly but surely, Rav Henoch Leibowitz shaped and molded his talmidim. He imbued them with a sense of mission to do and work for Klal Yisrael. The greatest achievement for one of his talmidim was to merit to be a marbitz Torah in Klal Yisrael. And harbatzas Torah they did. Rav Henoch Leibowitz’s talmidim opened up high schools across the nation and beyond—in Miami, Los Angeles, Rochester, Milwaukee, and Ottawa, to name just a few. Rav Leibowitz nurtured his talmidim and the mosdos they set up. Soon, Chofetz Chaim became a major force in American Judaism. Entire Torah communities were to spring up around the Chofetz Chaim branches. These communities yielded fruit. Many graduates of the Chofetz Chaim schools entered harbatzas Torah themselves, in every capacity. The attitude of Rav Henoch’s talmidim created a major turning point and shift in the field and in the public perception of Jewish education, which affected all other yeshivos, as well. A career of harbatzas Torah became a lofty profession, something that the elite should aspire to achieve. Rav Leibowitz focused his efforts on developing his students in three major areas. He felt that mechanchim—indeed, everyone—should strive to achieve the highest level of iyun (in-depth study) possible. Toward this end, Rav Leibowitz spent countless hours with his students, teaching them how to unfold the latent processes of reasoning in a Talmudic text. He taught them to highly esteem the words of the Maharsha and to hone in on the essence of an argument between a Maharam and a Maharsha. He taught his talmidim to truly appreciate the words of the Acharonim. He
