הרב שמואל רוזובסקי

Rav Shmuel Rozovsky (5673/1913–27 Tammuz 5739/1979) was rosh yeshiva of Ponevezh in Bnei Brak and one of the shapers of learning in the yeshiva world of Eretz Yisrael. Born in Grodno to Rav Michel Dovid Rozovsky, one of the morei horaah of the city, he learned in Grodno’s Shaar HaTorah yeshiva under Rav Shimon Shkop, whose derech halimud left its stamp on him for life, and learned as well with Rav Yisrael Zev Gustman. In 5696/1936 he went up to Eretz Yisrael together with his friend Rav Zalman Rotberg, later rosh yeshiva of Beit Meir, to escape conscription into the Polish army; the two learned in the Lomzha yeshiva of Petach Tikva under Rav Reuven Katz, who had helped obtain their papers. For years he kept a fixed weekly seder with Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik of Brisk, which also left its mark on his derech. He married Esther Liba, daughter of Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, the rav of Yerushalayim.

When Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman opened the Ponevezh yeshiva in 5704/1944, he called Rav Shmuel to stand at its head, and there he served until his passing, alongside Rav Dovid Povarsky and Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach, who joined after him. His shiurim drew crowds of talmidim and his derech spread through the whole yeshiva world — many of the roshei yeshiva and ramim of the following generation were his talmidim, among them Rav Gershon Edelstein and Rav Boruch Dov Povarsky of Ponevezh, Rav Yehuda Ades of Kol Yaakov, and Rav Asher Arieli of Mir. Beside sharpening the tools of Gemara learning he pressed his talmidim toward mussar and refinement of character, and toward the wider Torah — Chumash with Rashi and the Ramban.

He was niftar on 27 Tammuz 5739/1979. His shiurim were written down and printed in Chiddushei Rabbi Shmuel, Shiurei Rabbi Shmuel, and Zichron Shmuel, most of them brought to press after his passing. Each year on the night of his yahrtzeit, the Ponevezh yeshiva plays a recording of a shiur of his on the very sugya then being learned in the yeshiva, in the room where the shiurim klaliim are given.