הרב מרדכי גיפטר

Rav Mordechai Gifter (7 Cheshvan 5676/1915–23 Tevet 5761/2001) was the rosh yeshiva of the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland and one of the leaders of American Torah Jewry. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in Baltimore, he learned in Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon in New York under Rav Moshe Aharon Poleyeff and Rav Moshe Soloveichik, publishing his first Torah article at fifteen. On the advice of his uncle, Rav Yehudah Leib Zer, a dean of that yeshiva, he sailed in the winter of 5692/1932 to learn in the Telshe Yeshiva in Lithuania — his father sold his life-insurance policy to buy the ticket — traveling on the same boat as Rav Avigdor Miller. In Telshe he became a close talmid of the rosh yeshiva, Rav Avraham Yitzchak Bloch, learned as well from Rav Azriel Rabinowitz and Rav Mordechai Pogramansky, and drew near to the mashgiach, Rav Zalman Bloch, to whose daughter Shoshana he became engaged.

In 1939 he returned to visit his parents, intending to go back to Lithuania for his wedding; the war closed the way, and only his kallah reached America — her family would not leave their kehillah in its hour of need. The couple married in Baltimore in the winter of 5700/1940. He served the Nusach Ari shul there, the first native of the city to lead one of its kehillot, while giving shiurim at Ner Israel at the request of Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman; in 5703/1943 he became rav in Waterbury, Connecticut.

In 5704/1944 he joined the Telshe Yeshiva re-established in Cleveland by his wife’s uncles, Rav Eliyahu Meir Bloch and Rav Chaim Mordechai Katz, after the destruction of the mother yeshiva; he served first as mashgiach and rose to rosh yeshiva, leading the yeshiva together with Rav Boruch Sorotzkin. In 5737/1977 he brought twenty talmidim to Eretz Yisrael and opened a Telshe branch at Telz-Stone near Yerushalayim, where his Friday shiur on the Minchat Chinuch drew talmidei chachamim from across the city; when Rav Sorotzkin was niftar in 5739/1979 he returned, after consulting the Steipler, to head the Cleveland yeshiva, living from then on in a small room in the talmidim’s dormitory. For years he stood at the head of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America.

His sefarim include Pirkei Torah on the parshiyot, Pirkei Moed on the festivals, Pirkei Emunah, Hirhurei Teshuvah on the Rambam’s Hilchot Teshuvah, Pitei Minchah on the Minchat Chinuch, and the Netivot Mordechai shiurim on masechtot of Shas, set down by his talmidim. He was niftar on 23 Tevet 5761/2001 and was buried in Har HaZeitim (Mount of Olives) in Eretz Yisrael.