Elchonon Wasserman

Infobox Person
name = Elchonon Wasserman


image_size = 200px
caption = "Rosh yeshiva in Baranowicze"
birth_date = 1875
birth_place = Birz, Lithuania
death_date = 1941
death_place = Ninth Fort, Kaunas, Lithuania
education = Telshe yeshiva
occupation =
spouse =
parents =
children = Simcha, Naftoli, Dovid

Elchonon Wasserman (1874 - July 6, 1941)Weekly Biography: Hagaon Harav Elchanan Wasserman Hy"d, "Hamodia"; July 9, 2008; pg. C3] was a prominent rabbi and rosh yeshiva in pre-World War II Europe. He was one of the Chofetz Chaim's closest disciples and a Torah scholar of note, and well known for being a strong opponent of secular Zionism.

Biography

Rabbi Wasserman was born in Birz, Lithuania to Rabbi Naftali Beinish, a shopkeeper. In 1890, the family moved to Boisk, Latvia, and Wasserman, then 15 years old, studied in the Telshe Yeshiva in Telz, Poland under Rabbi Eliezer Gordon and Rabbi Shimon Shkop. In the summer of 1897, Wasserman met Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik at a health resort and "became deeply attached to him and his way of learning." He left Telz and traveled to Brisk (now in Belarus), where he learned under Soloveitchik for 2 years, thereafter considering him his primary "rebbe" (teacher and mentor).

Wasserman was married in 1899 to Michla, the daughter of Rabbi Meir Atlas, rabbi of Salant. Wasserman lived in his father-in-law's house for many years and rejected offers of rabbinical posts (including a prestigious rabbinate in Moscow, being afforded the opporunity to learn Torah at home. He did however decide to teach, and together with Rabbi Yoel Baranchik, he started a "mesivta" in Amtshilov, Russia in 1903 and earned himself a reputation as an outstanding teacher. Prior to 1907, Wasserman heard that another local rabbi wanted to head the "mesivta" in Amtshilov and he left to avoid an argument, returning to learn in his father-in-law's house. From 1907 to 1910, he studied in the "Kollel Kodshim" in Radin, Russia, headed by the Chofetz Chaim. While at the kollel, Wasserman learned with Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, who would later become the rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva, for 18 hours a day.

In 1910, with the encouragement of the Chofetz Chaim, Wasserman was appointed rosh yeshiva of the "mesivta" in Brisk, leading its expansion until it was disbanded in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I; with its closing, Wasserman returned to the Chofetz Chaim in Radin. When the warfront reached Radin, however, the yeshiva there was closed and Wasserman fled to Russia with the Chofetz Chaim.

In 1914, the yeshiva was exiled to Smilovichi (near Minsk) and Wasserman was appointed its Rosh Yeshiva one year later when the Chofetz Chaim decided to relocate to Semiatitch, and together with Rabbi Yitzchok Isaac Hirshowitz (son-in-law of Rabbi Eliezer Gordon from Telz), was asked to keep Torah alive in Smilovichi.

In 1921, after the war, when the Soviet government began permitting Torah scholars to leave Russia, Wasserman moved to Baranovitch, Poland (now in Belarus) where he took the lead of Novardok, which later became one of the most famous yeshivas in all of Europe. The yeshiva grew under Wasserman's immense Torah genius, and soon had close to 300 students. Copies of the notes taken from Wasserman's Torah lectures were passed around many of the yeshivas in Europe, increasing his influence and fame over most of the Torah world. He was one of the leaders of the Agudath Israel movement and was regarded as the spiritual successor of the Chofetz Chaim.

Rabbi Wasserman had several sons. Rabbi Simcha Wasserman served as Dean of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Detroit in the 1940s, founded Yeshiva "Ohr Elchonon" in California in the 1950s, and later founded Yeshiva "Ohr Elchonon" in Jerusalem. Rabbi Wasserman's other sons were Naftoli and Dovid.

When World War II broke out Rabbi Wasserman fled to Vilna, Lithuania, and in 1941, while on a visit to Kovno, was arrested by the Nazis with 12 other rabbis and sent to his death.

Murder by Lithuanian collaborators

Rabbi Elchonon was taken and murdered by Lithuanian collaborators on the 12th of Tammuz, 1941. Before he was taken he gave this statement: "In Heaven it appears that they deem us to be righteous because our bodies have been chosen to atone for the Jewish people. Therefore, we must repent now, immediately. There is not much time. We must keep in mind that we will be better offerings if we repent. In this way we will save the lives of our brethren overseas."

"Let no thought enter our minds, God forbid, which is abominable and which renders an offering unfit. We are now fulfilling the greatest mitzvah. With fire she (Jerusalem) was destroyed and with fire she will be rebuilt. The very fire which consumes our bodies will one day rebuild the Jewish people."

Works

Wasserman was famous for his clear, penetrating Talmudic analysis. His popular works, essential material in yeshivos around the world, are unique in their approach. He would often quote his "rebbe", Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik, saying "Producing "chiddusim" (novel Torah concepts) is not for us. That was only in the power of the "Rishonim". Our task is to understand what it says." This approach is evident in his works, which include:
*"Kovetz Heoros"
*"Kovetz Shiurim"
*"Kovetz Biyurim"
*"Kovetz Shemuos"
*"Kovetz Imyanim"
*"Kovetz Maamarim"
*"Ikvasa Demeshicha"

Wasserman also published the responsa of the Rashba with annotations in 1932. His talmudic novellae appeared in the rabbinic journal Sha'arei Tzion (1929–34) and in other publications.

After the 1929 Hebron massacre, Wasserman wrote an analysis in which he considered the Zionists ultimately responsible for the murder of 66 unarmed yeshiva students by Arab mobs. [ [http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/rabbi_quotes/WhoHasDestroyedMore.pdf "Who Has Destroyed More, the Arabs or the Zionists?"] , Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman (PDF file)]

References

External links

* [http://www.bh.org.il/Names/POW/Wasserman.asp Beth Hatefutsoth Personality of the Week]