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Rabbi Yitzchok Leib Kirzner,zt”l Bringing us up to the Torah, Part I By Tzippora Zaslow Rabbi Yitzchok Leib Kirzner, zt”l, was a unique and dynamic figure in kiruv work, Jewish outreach, during the 1980s and early 1990s. A Jew from any background could attend his shiurim and emerge with deep new Torah insights and soaring inspiration in Yiddishkeit; a Vizhnitzer chassid from Meah Shearim, a recent baalas teshuvah, a Jew with no Jewish background at all, or a Boro Park rebbetzin — all would attend the same shiur and be transformed. Rabbi Kirzner knew how to reach the heart of every Jew — the heart that seeks a connection with Hashem. In a shiur on Tehillim 39, explaining the power of Dovid Hamelech’s Tehillim, Rabbi Kirzner said, “[Dovid Hamelech] was taken out of the group of Klal Yisrael and became a model of what the lev, the heart, of every Jew, is … and therefore, the things that [Dovid Hamelech] worked out … are representative of the music of the heart of the neshamah of Klal Yisrael. … After all is said and done, the deepest desire of the Yid is ‘tochalti lecha hi, my hope is to be with You’” (Tehillim 39:8). A Li n k in th e Ch a i n (6 Nisan 5711/April 12, 1951), eventually they moved to New York. He was the third of five children, four boys and One talmidah described her impression of Rabbi Yitzchok a girl, who was the youngest. Leib Kirzner in these words: “He was the number-one person Dovid Kirzner, Rabbi Kirzner’s eldest brother, describes for me who stood for and was the living link in the chain from the Brooklyn neighborhood where they grew up: “The Har Sinai until now. I feel that he was the link to all the neighborhood around Avenues K, L, and Nostrand was not European yeshivos of the past. ... He helped many baalei frum; at that time there were mostly secular Yidden or non- teshuvah connect to that world of bnei Torah, and he made it Jews on the block. We grew up with a sense of pride in who much less intimidating and very welcoming.” we were … we felt privileged. The family felt a Indeed, both his parents had their roots in that lost responsibility to reach out to other Yidden. We brought European world. Rabbi Kirzner combined the best of two people home who showed an interest.” It was a worlds: the Litvish and the Chassidish. His father, Reb Zelig collaborative effort of the family, he says, and he feels that Kirzner, z”l, grew up in the White Russia area in a Litvish this atmosphere “had a lasting impact” on his brother. family. Reb Zelig studied in the Mirrer Yeshivah and in 1941 According to Dovid Kirzner, Yitzchok “stood out in the fled to Shanghai with the yeshivah. His mother, Fraidel family; he was different. He had a seriousness about him, Wenkert, an only child who lived in Vienna, came from a long and even as a child he had great middos. He had a line of Tchortkover chassidim. Her family also fled to tremendous sensitivity to other people’s feelings and Shanghai during the war, and their shidduch was made in needs. He intuitively understood other people... He had a Shanghai. The rest of Rabbi Kirzner’s family perished. great sense of humor, which was in no way a contradiction to his seriousness. He made everyone in the family laugh. S e n s i t i v i t y , Sc h o l a r s h i p , “He was a good kid. Everyone was proud of him — even a n d Sp i r i t u a l i t y as a child. He would take the initiative to help; you didn’t need to ask. He was very easy to get along with.” He was a After the war in 1947, the Kirzners came to the United well-behaved, scholarly kid, and according to his mother, States. Although they first settled in Harrisburg, he was by nature “very connected to spirituality.” Pennsylvania, where Rabbi Yitzchok Leib was born PHOTO CREDIT: ROSLYN DICKENS 16 Hamodia Magazine May 21, 2008 Hamodia Magazine 16 Iyar 5768 17 “It was the Rabbi Kirzner studied in Torah member was required to do something Vodaas in Williamsburg and the for the community. Hashgachah pratis thoughts and Mesivta of Crown Heights. He arranged that Rabbi Kirzner was continued learning in the shiur of chosen to give a Shabbos shiur for baalei ideas,, the depth Harav Feivel Cohen, shlita, in Flatbush. teshuvah on the weekly parashah. He Rabbi Kirzner was also greatly was, according to his wife, “an instant, and clarity of his influenced by the teachings of Hagaon wild success.” Harav Yitzchok Hutner, zt”l, Rosh Rebbetzin Kirzner notes that he was Yeshivah of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim “fantastic with words, but of course, thoughts that Berlin in Flatbush. Although he wasn’t words don’t make a speech; it was the his talmid, he attended the Rav’s thoughts and ideas, the depth and took everybody.. “maamarim” for several years, and they clarity of his thoughts that took had a strong effect on him. Harav everybody.” He was, she says, “a deep He had the ability Chaim Segal, zt”l, also had a strong thinker. He had the ability to make a influence on him. These rebbeim had a very profound thought clear and to make a very notable impact on his personal accessible.” development. He never talked down to his In the late 1960s he entered the audience. Many people told her that profound yeshivah in Lakewood and became a “they were amazed that he could teach talmid of Hagaon Harav Shneur Kotler, to a room [with both] talmidei thought clear zt”l. In Lakewood, he was also close to chachamim and beginners. They were Harav Shimon Eider, zt”l, and Harav intelligent beginners, though, and he and accessible..” Shmuel Blech, shlita. didn’t water down his material. In Kislev/November 1974 Rabbi Everyone felt that he was learning Kirzner married Frumie Kaplan, something new.” daughter of Harav Boruch, zt”l, and Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan, a”h, the A Sp e c i a l Me n t o r founders of Bais Yaakov in America. Rebbetzin Frumie Kirzner became a When Rabbi Kirzner was just full partner in her husband’s work. entering the world of kiruv rechokim, he They lived in Lakewood for four years met a Klausenberger chassid who was before they became part of an unusual to have a profound impact on him. undertaking. According to Rebbetzin Kirzner, Rabbi Yehudah Turner, zt”l, was from G o i n g We s t : Milwaukee and had been influenced by T h e Ca l i f o r n i a the Twerskis one generation earlier to S c e n e become a baal teshuvah. He went Photo Credit: Roslyn Dickens Credit: Roslyn Photo through the whole Litvish educational system, starting with Torah Vodaas. Rabbi Kirzner’s gadlus in Torah was Eventually he met the Klausenberger recognized early on. In 1978 a small, Rebbe, zt”l, and was pulled in that unique kollel of Lakewood yungeleit direction. He was also an accomplished was being started in Los Angeles, violinist and shared Rabbi Kirzner’s and he was invited to join it. He love of music. accepted the offer and moved Rabbi Turner’s to California with his health was poor and family. As part of the he knew that he kollel program, couldn’t sleep in a every sukkah in the cold New York winters, so he had come to Los Angeles in order to be able to sleep in a sukkah. The kollel people used to visit him in the hospital a lot. Rebbetzin 18 Hamodia Magazine May 21, 2008 Kirzner explained that Rabbi Turner intersected with Detroit Street. They “was mashpia” on her husband “to use his were retrofitting the building, making it koach in the world of baalei teshuvah.” earthquake-proof to conform to the Although Rabbi Kirzner only knew building code. It was a two-floor office Rabbi Turner for a few months before the building with seven or eight offices. latter’s petirah, he “idolized him” and While they were doing the construction, looked at him as his mentor. At that one of the main pipes burst and there point, Rebbetzin Kirzner says, Rabbi was a tremendous amount of water Kirzner “was still in kollel full time. He damage to all the offices, except Rabbi wasn’t a teacher yet; he wasn’t reaching Kirzner’s office, which even had a sink in out to the world.” the room... His office was untouched. It After a few years in kollel, he became a ended up being the only functioning rebbi part time. He taught in the mesivta of office in the building. It must have been Yeshivah Gedolah of Los Angeles in the his kedushah that protected the office,” mornings, and in the afternoons and she said. evenings he gave shiurim for baalei When the landlord of the building teshuvah. As a result of Rabbi Turner’s discovered what had happened, he was encouragement, he eventually went into so impressed and so much wanted Rabbi kiruv full time. Kirzner to stay in the building that he Rabbi Kirzner with his son, Menachem reduced the rent. This savings helped Shlomo, in Los Angeles. T h e Je w i s h Le a r n i n g Rabbi Kirzner’s efforts to establish and E x c h a n g e in Lo s further the goals of the Jewish Learning hara.

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