Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l

LIVED 1892-1962
64th yahrtzeit 2 KISLEV
BURIED Har HaMenuchoS

Rav Aharon Kotler was the founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha
in Lakewood, NJ, which grew to become the largest yeshiva in America. 
Even before World War II, Rav Aharon was already a very famous Rosh Yeshiva 
in the city of Slutzk. During the war, he escaped to America, 
where he changed the face of American Jewry forever!

At the beginning of the Holocaust, Rav Aharon moved his yeshiva to Lithuania, which had not yet been occupied by the Nazis, ym”sh. But the Russian army took over Lithuania soon after and closed down the yeshivos. In all the confusion, many Yidden were desperately trying to escape.

One of them was a bachur named Yankel Kviat, a talmid of Rav Aharon. Yankel tried getting British papers from the embassy that would allow him to leave the country, but all he managed to get was a letter saying that he might be eligible for a certificate to leave some time in the future.  And then, the entire embassy closed down! Yankel was so desperate to escape Lithuania that he decided to take his chances and travel with only the letter in hand.

Rav Aharon tried talking him out of it, worried that he might end up being sent to Siberia. But Yankel was determined to go, hoping that perhaps an actual certificate would be waiting for him at the port.

The Rosh Yeshiva wished him l’chaim ul’shalom, and Yankel set off on a long journey — a long bus ride to the train station, a long train ride to the port, and (hopefully) a long boat ride out of danger. When he arrived at the train station, he found thousands of people pushing and shoving to get onto the train. Yankel managed to get on, and as he was sitting there, he suddenly heard someone outside screaming, “Yankel Kviat! Yankel Kviat!”

He quickly rushed to the window and was shocked to see his beloved rosh yeshiva frantically searching for him! Yankel managed to get his attention, and Rav Aharon shouted, “Right after you left, a telegram arrived saying that your certificates are waiting for you at the port!”

“But why did the rosh yeshiva have to travel for hours just to tell me this?” Yankel wondered out loud. Rav Aharon answered, “I knew that you would be traveling with a heavy heart, worried about what your next step would be. I wanted to spare you from that worry so that you could travel with yishuv hadaas (peace of mind) and simcha!” 

I WANNA BE LIKE …

Rav Aharon

Let’s try to follow in Rav Aharon’s footsteps by learning Torah with excitement and dedication, and by caring deeply about every Yid!