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The Slabodka Roots of the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Hanoch Teller

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The Slabodka Roots of the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Hanoch Teller The Slabodka Roots of the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Hanoch Teller Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, the former Mirrer others should know where he had come from. touch people with his message. Every summer rosh yeshiva was a legend in his time. Under As a sophomore in high school, he went with Rav Nosson Tzvi would address the boys who his great leadership, the Mirrer Yeshiva grew his parents on a trip to Israel. There they attended the NCSY kollel in Israel. They would into the largest institution of its kind in the visited his great uncle, Rav Lazer Yudel Finkel, come to his home and he would say, “There’s Torah world. We can better understand who the rosh yeshiva of Mir. On the outside Rav room for everyone in the world of Torah. Look Rav Nosson Tzvi was by tracing his roots Nosson Tzvi, sporting his Chicago Cubs where I am today. You too can make this back to his namesake the Alter of Slabodka. baseball cap, looked like the typical American quantum leap. All it requires is desire and The Alter was a master pedagogue. He Yankee Doodle. But Rav Lazer Yudel with the abundant diligence.” He wanted people to founded the kollel Yad Hachazkah which perception of a tzadik, saw a vision of a future understand that to be an adam gadol you don’t consisted of 14 outstanding scholars. Among gadol. With the right exposure to the have to be raised in Bnei Brak or Brooklyn. He them were Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Yaakov sweetness of Torah, his nephew could certainly wasn’t. Kamenetzky, Rav Yaakov Ruderman, and blossom into a great leader. Rav Nosson Tzvi Rav Lazer Yudel Finkel. How did one man convinced his parents to let him stay with his After finishing high school, Rav Leizer Yudel nurture a veritable ‘Who’s Who,’ of the next great uncle for the duration of the trip. Rav sent his great nephew a one-way ticket to generation’s greatest Torah leaders? The Alter Lazer Yudel paired him up with the finest study Israel. Taking advantage of the time his maximized the potential of every student by partners in the yeshiva. This was akin to taking parents were away on vacation, Rav Nosson teaching gadlut hadam, the inestimable a second grader and introducing him to top Tzvi departed to the airport accompanied by all significance of every Jew. If one has a true professors of applied mathematics at MIT. Rav his friends. This attests to his character and idea of how sublime and holy one’s soul is, Nosson Tzvi was smitten with the love of how well beloved he was by all. He arrived in one would never act in a way beneath one’s Torah. When his vacation stay ended, he Israel after a long protracted journey, hungry, stature. In this way he succeeded in nurturing reluctantly returned to the US. His parents had disheveled, and tired. Rav Leizer Yudel a cadre of exceptional leaders who changed no desire to let their son stay in Israel before greeted him happily, “Tell me a chiddush the face of the Jewish people. Rav Nosson finishing high school. (novel Torah thought).” Rav Nosson Tzvi Tzvi Finkel was a great great nephew of the replied wearily, “Maybe in the morning when Alter. He imbibed the ideals of his uncle and On a fundraising trip to his hometown Chicago, I’m rested.” Rav Leizer Yudel immediately taught that one must be all one can be and Rav Nosson Tzvi visited the Skokie yeshiva countered, “No chiddush no bed.” Rav more importantly one must never sell oneself where he had once been a student. He walked Nosson Tzvi shuffled off to the beit midrash. short. through the glass doors, stood in front of the He returned a half hour later and related a boys and said, “I too am from Chicago and I question on the Tosfot. Rav Leizer Yudel gave Although Rav Nosson Tzvi was an acclaimed too loved baseball and here I am a rosh him a kiss on the head and told him, “Go to rosh yeshiva, he was never ashamed to yeshiva.” This was his entire address and with sleep, we’ll speak in the morning.” And in time, speak about his past. This was not out of these simple words he set the young boys’ the Mirrer rosh yeshiva built his nephew into a nostalgia. He felt that it was important that imaginations on fire. He was able to reach and gadol. visit us online at: www.naaleh.com | For questions or comments please email [email protected].
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