Gedolim Stories with Pictures Grade Level: Middle Elementary Description: A collection of inspiring and uplifting stories about a cross-section of Gedolim, spanning the Rishonim period until modern times. A picture of each gadol accompanies most of the stories. The stories and pictures can be compiled into a gedolim book or can be distributed individually. Goals/Objectives: Students will identify different gedolim and be able to tell over stories about each one. Materials Needed: • composition notebook • glue • scissors Instructions: 1. Present each gadol and possibly give a brief historical background. 2. Have students cut out the stories and the large-size pictures. 3. Paste one story on one page of the notebook. 4. Paste the picture of the corresponding gadol on the opposite page. 5. Continue until the notebook is full of stories and pictures. Variations: • Design a cover for the Gedolim notebook. • Play a memory game using laminated pictures of the gedolim. Students need to turn over the picture and either identify the gadol or match the picture with his name. • Give out one gadol story and picture at a time, possibly once a week. Discuss the gadol and his special middos with the class. Rashi The GR’A R. Akiva Eiger Nodeh B’Yehudah Chasam Sofer R. Moshe Isserles Steipler Rav Bluzhever Rebbe R. Avraham Kook R. Aryeh Levin Chofetz Chaim R. Yitzchak Elchonan Spektor R. Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld Rav Chaim Michael Dov Weissmandl R. Shraga Feivel Mendelovitz R. Aharon Kotler R. Eliezer Silver Reb Shaul Yedidya R. Shneur Zalman Elazer Taub zt'l, the Baal HaTanya second Modzitzer Rebbe R. Yoel Tietelbaum Satmar Rebbe R. Yosef Dov Soleveitchek R. Moshe Feinstein R. Chaim Ozer Grodensky Rabbi Yitzchak Elchonon Spector Hashem! What good news! Thank you for telling me.” (1817 - 1896) A few minutes later it happened again and the again. Each time Rav Yitzchak Elchonon interrupted himself Rabbi Yitzchak Elchonon to show how happy he was even though he already Spector was the Rabbi in heard the news. Each one of the boys had rushed to be the city of Kovna and the one to make him happy so he did not want make because of this he was any of them sad. That is why Rav Yitzchak Elchonon called the Kovna Rav. R’ was known as a man who was a great gadol who Yitzchak Elchonon was would never make anyone feel sad. known throughout the whole world as a great rabbi. People sent Torah questions to him from everywhere and many people traveled to Kovna to have him help solve their problems because everyone knew how much he loved Jewish people. One time Rav Yitzchak Elchonon was helping two men who had an argument. At the same time Rav Yitzchak Elchonon was waiting to hear if his favorite if his favorite talmid Yaacov would have to go to the army. He hoped he would not because in the army they do not let you learn Torah or keep mitzvos. Suddenly, while Rav Yitzchak Elchonon was helping the two men with the argument, a boy opened the door and said, “Rabbi, we just found out that Yaacov does not have to go in the army! Such good news. Thank you for telling me.” A few minutes later another boy opened t he door and said “Rabbi. Yaacov does not have to go to the army.” Rav Yitzchak Elchonon did not want to tell him that he already knew because he wanted the boy to be happy so he said, “Boruch Rabbi Aharon Kotler keep him company. It is the most important thing you 1895-1963 could do right now.” Even on the most important day of the year, Reb Aharon was thinking about the Rabbi Aharon Kotler was a feelings of a sick man. great Rosh Yeshiva in Europe. Then the rashaim called Nazis, came and everybody had to run away. Reb Aharon came to America and started a new Yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey. Soon, more and more bachurim came to join his Yeshiva. Even after Reb Aharon died, the Yeshiva continued to grow and today it is the biggest Yeshiva in the world. Reb Aharon was a very big Talmid Chacham. When he gave a shiur, the talmidim would review it for many hours because the he said were so important. Reb Aharon was also sensitive to everybody’s feelings. One time, it was Yom Kippur and a man had come to daven in the yeshiva in Lakewood. During the afternoon, the man wasn’t feeling well, so he went to lay down. The most special part of Yom Kippur is the Neilah when they blow the shofar and Yom Kippur ends. Right before Neilah, Reb Aharon went over to a certain bachur and told him to go lay down. The bachur said, “If I stay with the man, I will miss the important Neilah Tefilos.” Reb Aharon said, “The man is probably lonesome and scared and needs someone to Rabbi Moshe Isserles (the Ram’ah) Shabbos. The wealthy man got very angry and started 1530-1572 screaming and shouting. R. Moshe Isserles was a He threatened to take his business to a different store, great talmid chacham. He causing R. Issur to lose a great deal of money. is known to the world as Although R. Issur was sad to lose the money, he would the Ramah. He wrote not change his mind. He told the customer, “I’m sorry comments on the famous you feel that way but I have a minhag not to work on Shulchan Aruch and all Erev Shabbos afternoon and I will not change that Ashkenazi Jews, that is, minhag.” Jews who come from the countries of Europe, Suddenly the man became very calm. He told R. Issur follow his decisions in that he had been sent to test him to see how dedicated halacha. he was to his beautiful minhag. As a reward for being so strong by keeping to his minhag, the man gave R. R. Moshe’s father’s name was R. Yisrael, and like Issur a bracha that he should have a son who would be many people named Yisrael, people called him Issur. a great talmid chacham and leader of the Jewish R. Issur had a custom never to do business on Friday people. Not very long after that, R. Issur had a son. afternoon because he might forget to prepare for They named him Moshe but everyone who knew the Shabbos and that would not be kovod for Shabbos. story of the bracha that the customer had given him, called the boy Issurles, which means be belongs to One Friday morning, a very wealthy man entered R. Issur. Due to his tremendous kavod for Shabbos, R. Issur’s stores and gave him a long list of things he Issur merited to have a son like R. Moshe Isserles. wanted. R. Issur was very happy because he would Every time we mention his name we remember his make a handsome profit from the customer. R. Issur great father. started to put the order together. It took R. Issur much longer than he thought an soon it was afternoon. When R. Issur realized that he must go home and prepare for Shabbos. He turned to his customer and asked him if he could come back after Shabbos to pick up his order, explaining that he never worked Erev Shabbos afternoon so that he could give proper kavod to Rabbi Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik 1903-1993 Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik was known as “The Rav” (the rabbi) to many Jews because he was the teacher of so many rabbis in America. Rabbi Soloveitchik lived in Boston where he was the rabbi of a large shul in New York and where he was the Rosh Yeshiva (Leader) of a big yeshiva. Even though the Rav spent most of his days teaching yeshiva students who were adults, the Rav always had enough time to learn Chumash with little children. He loved it when little children would teach him about the parsha. One Friday, when he was talking at a yeshiva in Boston, he saw a little child crying in the hall. He asked the child what was wrong and the child said that it was Friday and he had not yet learned about the parsha. The Rav immediately took the child into his office and taught him the whole parsha so the child could tell his parents all about the Parsha when he got home. The Rav used to say that it was very important for children to learn Parsha. Rav Yoel Teitelbaum (The Satmar Rebbe) that was the man who said bad things about you?” The 1887-1979 Satmar Rebbe said, “Of course I do, but we shouldn’t be angry with people. He needs the money and it is a Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum mitzvah to help him.” Then the Rebbe thought that was the leader of the maybe he had given this man less tzedakah than he Satmar Chassidim. should have because he said bad things about him. The Everyone knew him as Rebbe called the man back and gave him even more the Satmar Rebbe. The Tzedakah. From this great Rebbe we learn to help Satmar Rebbe lived in another person in need . even if he was mean to us! Hungary and was famous as a very holy Jew and leader of many chassidim. Then, Hitler the Rasha, (yimach shemo), came and started getting rid of the Jews. He got rid of many Satmar Chassidim and put the Satmar Rebbe in a jail called a concentration camp.