By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

The Torah community mourns the passing of Rav Avrohom Tzvi Kushner z”l, the Baal Koreh of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l.  He was born in the east side of Manhattan in 1934.  In 1941, as a seven year old child, “Avrohomele” was written up in the Yiddish paper as an Ilui, and at that age knew the entire Chumash by heart.  The article states that if you started any pasuk he would finish it and would also identify where the pasuk was.  He had a remarkable memory, and never studied for any test.  He had absolute recall of everything he learned.

A Yiddish Newspaper clipping from 1941 describes Reb Avrohom as one of the Iluyim of Yeshiva RJJ.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF RAV AHARON’S HANHAGOS AS RECORDED BY REB AVROHOM:

1. In terms of the Birchas Krias Shma, many are makpid to complete even the birchas krias shma before zman krias shma. Rav Aharon ruled that for the brachos that come after the Shma, from Emes v’yatziv, there is no longer a need to speed up.  In other words, only the brachos that come before the Shma must be said beforehand, but the ones that come after.
2. Rav Aharon had a long Shmoneh Esreh and he told the shlichei tzibbur not to wait for him.
3. When Rav Aharon himself davened for the Amud, he would say the end words to the bracha loud enough so that the Tzibbur would hear, but in a slightly lower tone.
4. When reciting Kabbalas Shabbos he would stand up in the first two stanzas of Lecha Dodi, and once again in Bo’i b’shalom.
5. He was firm in not allowing Maariv to start in Yeshiva until 72 minutes after sundown had elapsed.
6. It is well known that he held not to perform Malacha on Motzei Shabbos until 90 minutes after Shkiya had elapsed. Seventy two minutes was a leniency – a kullah.  For matters involving a D’oraisa one should wait 90 minutes.  This is how he personally conducted himself, but he did not wish to command the Bnei HaYeshiva or the Tzibbur to do so.  (Many of the Yeshiva’s Talmidim stated that they saw Rav Shneur zt”l also refrain from Malacha until 90 minutes as well).
7. Rav Aharon was careful to ensure that the Baal Koreh was certainly an adult [and he did not rely on the Chazaka d’Rabbah] showing signs of physical maturity. He did not allow a newly Bar Mitzvahed thirteen year old to Lein.
8. In Yeshiva, he would receive the third Aliyah every Shabbos.
9. On an Erev Shavuos that falls on Shabbos, Rav Aharon arranged that Shalosh Shidus begin at 4:00 PM; he delivered the regular shiur at 5 PM; they davened Mincha at 7:00 PM, and afterward there was the Seder HaLimud until Maariv.
10. It was clear to Reb Avrohom that he saw Rav Aharon wrapped in his Tallis on Shavuos 45 minutes before sunrise.
11. On one Shavuos morning they were unable to begin the Shmoneh Esreh at sunrise and he said, “So what if we did not make it, the main point is that we daven.”

Reb Avrohom z”l (Reb Heshy to the family) attended the fledgling Yeshiva RJJ on the east side as a young child until the age of nineteen, then he left to Lakewood.  His parents came as young children from the Kiev region in Ukraine.  Reb Shmuel Kushner came as a nine year old child and worked in a garment factory.

Reb Avrohom’s classmates in RJJ were Rav Yisroel Meir Kagan shlita, the Rosh Yeshiva of Denver, Rav Mordechai Sussna zt”l, Rav Meir Hershkowitz zt”l.  He heard shiurim from Rav Mendel Kravitz who was yet a talmid of Rav Aharon in the Yeshiba in Kletzk.  Rav Mendel used to invite Rav Aharon to  RJJ to give a shiur in the high school.  Of course, very few knew what Rav Aharon was speaking about, but it made such an impression upon him that at 19 he went to learn in Lakewood.

At the age of eight, Reb Avrohom taught himself how to lein Megilas Esther.  By the time he was bar-Mitzvahed he knew how to lein the entire Chumash.  He got a position leining at a shul in the East Side of Manhattan upon his Bar Mitzvah. This was unheard of, and his leining was perfection itself.

Reb Avrohom arrived in Lakewood in Elul, 1953. The Baal Koreh then was Reb Moshe Hirsch z”l, who eventually moved to Eretz Yisroel   The summer Zman beforehand he learned in Mir of Brooklyn, under Reb Mottel Ginsburg z”l Rav Chatzkel Levenstein ztl’s son-in-law.  He was a close Tamid to Rav Aharon in those nine years that he had learned under him.

The mood in the United States back then was “anti-Yeshiva” to say the least.  When he returned home for Sukkos he would be subjected to open leering, to the point where eventually decided to remain in Lakewood over Sukkos.

Reb Avrohom married his aishes Chayil yb”l in 1958 (the author’s cousin).  They remained in Kollel for two years.  Lakewood then was only four blocks in its entirety.  They lived on 212 Second Street, at the time it was two stories above a store (now it is a fancy office building).

His first Rebbe position was in Ohr Yisroel in Queens for Rav Yehoshua  Geldzaher z”l.  Later, he taught at other Yeshivos and eventually landed in his spiritual home Yeshiva Torah V’Daas.  He taught thousands of Talmidim haschalas Gemorah, and was an excellent Baal Masbir.

Reb Avrohom was the fifth grade Rebbe in Torah V’Daas where he taught Haschalas Gemorah.  He began in Crown Heights when Torah VaDaas had a branch there in 1966.  He remained in Torah V’Daas for the rest of his career.  He taught Ailu Metzios for those 41 years, but he never stopped teaching.  After that he taught remedial Gemorah to individuals and substituted whenever a Rebbe was absent.  He was a loving Rebbe who patiently ensured that his charges would understand the Gemorah.  He taught until the recent Covid pandemic in 2019.

Reb Avrohom’s appreciation for Tefillah was uncanny.  He personified Dovid HaMelech’s words, “Va’ani Sefilasi” always arrived early to shul and Tefillah was his essence.  He never veered from Mesorah or minhagim.  He learned many things from his grandfather and not only kept them but treasured them.  He looked at his mesorah from Rav Aharon in the same manner.

Aside from Tefillah, learning was crucial.  He meticulously chazered the Gemorah with each of his boys, who learned in the Stolin Yeshiva on 42nd Street originally and then they moved to 1818 54th Street where it remains today.  Reb Avrohom was the first Baal Mussaf in the Philadelphia Yeshiva, in Rosh Hashana of 1954, a branch of Lakewood.  He also davened Ne’ilah that year.  Not only did he have a prodigious memory but he was expert in Nusach and knew every nuance and k’neitch of Rav Aharon’s Nusach.  That’The cirrent lsts why he was chosen.

Whenever the Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva had a question as to what Rav Aharon’s minhagim were, they asked Reb Avrohom.   This was from Reb Schneur zt”l as well as to the current Roshei Yeshiva.  The current list of Rav Agaron’s minhagim was obtained through an interview with Reb Avrohom.  Someone wanted to know what Rav Aharon’s minhag was for betzi’as Challah.  Reb Avrohom answered right away, “He held the Challos side by side.”

Reb Avrohom was the meyased of the Lakewood minyan in Boro Park, with Rav Asher Katz who had learned under Rav Aharon in Kletzk, Reb Beryl Pecker z”l, Reb Yossel Lieberman shlita.  Rav Yitzchok Stefansky shlita was also one of the meyasadim – the two of them ran Lakewood Minyan.  The minyan began in Rav Aharon’s apartment in Boro Park at 4701 15th Avenue apartment 3C. They began the minyan right after the shiva of Rav Aharon zt”l Bais Kislev, in 1962.

Rav Yerucham Olshin shlita related at the shiva that Reb Avrohom z”l wanted to make the new Lakewood of Boro Park a makom Torah, and he also wanted to ensure that the Rebbitzen was not lonely.  He and his chevrusah came to the apartment every night to learn together.

In 1973, the Lakewood Minyan of Boro Park purchased the current building on 16th Avenue and 52nd Street (5113-5121 16th Avenue).  The broker who founded it for him was Reb Boruch Zucker.

Reb Avrohom was a fixture in the Lakewood Minyan of Boro Park, and was never absent. He was the Baal Shacharis there and also the Baal Tokaya.  They lived next to Skoiler Rebbe who had a minhag to be mechabed someone with a pasuk and he would give a Dvar Torah based on that pasuk.  One day, he was mechabed Reb Avrohom.  It would have been awkward to leave, and so he remained.  The Lakewood Minyan nearly called the police because something was wrong.

Reb Avrohom valued family and always made sure to attend every family simcha.  He was the generation that held the glue of Yiddishkeit together.  There’s was a generation that not only created the Torah environment in Lakewood today, but also throughout New York.  Yehei Zichro Boruch.

The author can be reached at [email protected]