הרב ירוחם ליבוביץ

Rav Yerucham Levovitz (c. 5635/1875–18 Sivan 5696/1936), the Mashgiach of Mir, was the greatest baal mussar of his generation — the man whose shmuessen formed the inner life of the yeshiva world between the wars. Born in Luban near Slutsk, he learned in Slabodka under the Alter, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, and in Kelm — where he became the foremost talmid of the Alter of Kelm, Rav Simcha Zissel Ziv, whose Torah he would later gather into the sefer Chochmah U’Mussar. From 5670/1910, and again from 5684 after the upheavals of the war years, he served as mashgiach of the Mir, and made it the mussar capital of Lita.

His teaching turned always toward the person himself: all of Torah and mitzvot, he taught, are ways of coming to one’s own essence — a rebbe can give, but the real growth a man must raise from within. Kinah has no place, for every soul is singular, and a man’s greatness begins where he stands alone; teshuvah is the highest of levels because it is the return of a man to his own self. Emunah, he insisted, is not the conclusion of proofs but the experience of closeness — “he who has his G-d near to him sees Him eye to eye.” In his last years he created special vaadim for the bochurim arriving from America and Germany, teaching them Chumash with Rashi three times a week — shiurim that became the foundation of his Daat Torah.

His talmidim carried his voice into every corner of the post-war Torah world: Rav Yechezkel Levenstein, who succeeded him as mashgiach; Rav Chaim Shmulevitz and Rav Nochum Partzovitz of Mir; Rav Dovid Povarsky of Ponevezh; Rav Shimon Schwab; Rav Shlomo Wolbe. His last shmuess, weeks before his passing, was on the pressing shortness of time — “the Master of the house presses.” He was niftar on 18 Sivan 5696 and rests in Mir; his son Rav Simcha Zissel published his Torah in the volumes of Daat Chochmah U’Mussar and Daat Torah, learned in every yeshiva to this day.