Maran Rav Shach Zt”l: 25 Years Since His Petirah

Today, 16 Cheshvan, marks the 25th yahrtzeit of Maran Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Ponevezh, author of the Avi Ezri, and one of the foremost Torah leaders of the past generation.

FROM LITHUANIA’S YESHIVOS

Born in Vaboilnik, Lithuania, to Rav Ezriel and Rebbetzin Batsheva Shach, Rav Shach left home as a young boy to learn in Ponevezh and later in Slabodka, where he absorbed the Torah and mussar of Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein and the Alter of Slabodka.

His youth was marked by grinding poverty and the upheaval of the First World War. Separated from his family, he wandered between towns and batei medrash, continuing to learn despite hunger, cold and uncertainty.

In Slutzk, he learned under Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, becoming his devoted talmid. Rav Isser Zalman cared for him like a son, and Rav Shach later married his niece, Rebbetzin Guttel, whose dedication enabled him to immerse himself in learning. He subsequently served as a maggid shiur in Kletsk under Rav Aharon Kotler.

A LINK TO THE GEDOLIM OF EUROPE

Rav Shach developed a close relationship with Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzensky. During his stay in Vilna before leaving Europe, he discussed Torah with Rav Chaim Ozer and learned from his approach to the responsibilities of communal leadership.

He was also deeply attached to the Brisker Rov, Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik, becoming a close talmid whose understanding and judgement in learning his rebbi held in exceptional esteem.

The Brisker Rov reportedly told a close talmid that since the petirah of his father, Rav Chaim Brisker, he had not had someone with whom to discuss learning as he could with Rav Shach. In his haskamah to Avi Ezri, he wrote that Rav Shach needed no haskamah, praising his sharpness, breadth of knowledge and profound understanding of pshat.

The Brisker Rov’s trust in Rav Shach extended to sensitive communal matters. He confided in him and entrusted him with conveying his position on important issues affecting the Torah community. Rav Shach also served as a trusted emissary between the Brisker Rov and the Chazon Ish, carrying messages concerning both communal affairs and individuals.

These responsibilities reflected exceptional confidence in his discretion, judgement and fidelity to their Torah outlook—qualities that would later define his own leadership of the generation.

REBUILDING THE TORAH WORLD

Rav Shach reached Eretz Yisroel in 1940. After teaching in several yeshivos, he joined the leadership of Ponevezh in Bnei Brak in the early 1950s, beginning a connection that would last approximately half a century.

His shiurim and his Avi Ezri on the Rambam became deeply influential throughout the yeshiva world. Generations of talmidim learned from his insistence on understanding a sugya clearly and honestly, with complete dedication to discovering the Torah’s meaning.

A LEADER OF KLAL YISROEL

Rav Shach’s influence extended far beyond the walls of Ponevezh. He helped shape the priorities and character of the Torah community in Eretz Yisroel: the centrality of limud haTorah, the responsibility to build and sustain yeshivos, and the conviction that communal life must be guided by daas Torah.

Alongside his responsibilities for the wider community, he cared deeply for each individual, relating to his talmidim and those who turned to him for help with abounding ahavah.

A SPECIAL TORONTO CONNECTION

For Toronto’s Torah community, Rav Shach’s legacy also carries a personal connection through Reb Moshe Reichmann zt”l, who enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with him.

Their bond began during Reb Moshe’s years learning in Ponevezh and continued for decades. Reb Moshe consulted extensively with Rav Shach, turning to him for guidance in his communal activities, tzedakah priorities and the weighty decisions that accompanied his responsibilities as one of the Torah world’s foremost supporters.

Rav Shach, in turn, held Reb Moshe in extraordinary esteem. Their enduring relationship helped sustain and strengthen mosdos haTorah across Eretz Yisroel and beyond, linking Toronto to the heart of Rav Shach’s efforts on behalf of the Torah world.

AN ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL CONNECTION TODAY

This year, his yahrtzeit falls on election day in Eretz Yisroel—a striking connection to an area in which he invested enormous effort.

Rav Shach founded Degel HaTorah to give the Lithuanian Torah community its own political representation. He viewed communal political involvement as a vital responsibility in safeguarding Torah education, the independence of the yeshiva world and the religious needs of the community.

Rav Shach was niftar on 16 Cheshvan 5762. Twenty-five years later, his Torah continues to be learned, and his influence remains deeply woven into the world he helped rebuild.