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Divrei Zichronos on HaRav Henoch Leibowitz zt”l

A Hesped and Divrei Zichronos on HaGaon HaRav Henoch Leibowitz zt"l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim.

Delivered by HaRav Ahron Walkin shlit"a, a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivas Ohel Simcha.

Transcribed by Yitzi Diskind, a talmid in the yeshiva.

Slabodka. A name still known, a derech that is unfortunately somewhat forgotten. "Slabodka" stands for the avodah of "gadlus ha'adam," the greatness of man. That man, the epitome of Tzelem Elokim, is the yetzir kapov of Hashem; it is His prime creation. The Alter of Slabodka believed that understanding and internalizing this concept would definitely halt a person from sinning for fear of jeopardizing and lowering his lofty status of "adam."

Taking the concept of gadlus ha'adam to its next logical step, if man is so great, then he demands the utmost honor and respect. It is for this reason that Slabodka put such a great emphasis on kavod ha'adam.

A noble and ideal concept, the difficulty is that just as one has to believe in and uphold the kavod ha'adam of himself, he must also comprehend and accept the kavod habriyos, the superiority and exaltedness of his friend, for his friend is the exact same yetzir kapov of Hashem. Realizing and accepting that someone else is great - and as great as oneself, worthy of honor and respect just as he - is quite difficult.

If we continue with the above concept, it follows that when we act to undermine the kavod habriyos of another person, we are, in fact, ignoring and overlooking our own kavod habriyos, for both the other person's kavod and one's own are based on and rooted in the same yesod - the honor of Hashem, our Creator. I am convinced that it is precisely due to this, in today's times, when we don't emphasize and  practice enough kavod habriyos and there is just too much "bittul," that we, especially our youth, are suffering from such a lack ofself esteem...

Chazal (Avos 4:1) tell us, "Eizehu mechubad hamechabeid es habrios - Who is honored? One who respects all creations." The one maamar Chazal contains so much depth and so many lessons: Chazal do not say hamechabeid "gedolim" or "chashuvim," nor does it even say hamechabeid "Bnei Yisroel." Rather, Chazal tell us, "Habriyos," Hashem's creations - all of his creations. Respecting a creation is the ultimate form of respect for its creator. By exalting man, Hashem's supreme creation, we, in turn, are exalting Hashem as supreme. It is possibly for this reason that the Mishnah brings as a proof and source for respecting all creations the posuk in Shmuel (1:2:30) which states, "For those who respect me I shall respect..." The posuk speaks about honor and respect for Hashem, not for his creations. As we explained, respecting His creations is indeed respecting Hashem Himself. (See Alshich.)

Hamechabeid es habriyos. We must respect all people, not just the ones we like or choose to respect. Isn't everyone "the creation of Hashem"?

"Eizehu mechubad." It does not say eizehu "nichbad," which means one who is respected by others. Instead, it says eizehu "mechubad," which doesn't necessarily mean that others honor him, but it can also mean that he is "b'etzem" - inherently - a mechubad, an honorable and noble person. (See Rabbeinu Yonah and Me'am Loez.) Kavod habriyos which results from a true understanding and appreciation of Hashem, the Creator of all, will definitely elevate and exalt the person in his outlook and his every action.

The rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim, Rav Henach Leibowitz z"tl, personified and exemplified the derech and principles of Slabodka. He was a prince of men, the essence of royalty and nobility. The rosh yeshiva spent his entire life internalizing and teaching to his thousands of talmidim the ideals and yesodos of "Toras Slabodka." As a son and talmid of his illustrious father, Rav Dovid Leibowitz zt"l, who was a close disciple of the Alter and an honored talmid of Yeshivas Slabodka, the rosh yeshiva inherited and internalized not only the Torah and mussar of Slabodka, but the ruach and nusach of the shita of Slabodka.

There are many points of greatness that we can speak about when being maspid the rosh yeshiva. We can talk of his harbotzas haTorah, we can talk of his manhigus, leadership, and his care and devotion for his talmidim. I am sure that all of these things will properly be brought out by his talmidim. I, though, would like to focus on a specific point which I was personally inspired by from the rosh yeshiva. The rosh yeshiva kavod habriyos was "oysergeveinlach;" it was outstanding. I was not a talmid, but from the times I met him, I saw and learned much derech eretz and kavod habriyos.

One Shabbos afternoon, I decided to walk to Forest Hills (where the yeshiva was located before it moved to Kew Garden Hills) to attend the rosh yeshiva's famous shmuess which he delivered on Shabbos. After hearing his profound words, I wanted to go over to him to discuss the idea he discussed. I was third on line to speak to him and I expected to patiently wait my turn. I was a yungerman and the rosh yeshiva had never seen me before and did not know who I was. But the rosh yeshiva's kavod habriyos and warmth did not permit him to just let me stand on line and wait for him. With one hand he held my arm, and with his other he held the other person waiting, while still speaking to the first talmid. Every few moments, the rosh yeshiva turned to the two of us who were waiting and reminded us that he knows we are waiting to speak with him and that he will be with us soon.

Three years ago, I attended the pidyon haben of a son of a talmid. The rosh yeshiva was asked to be the kohen, and so the pidyon haben was held in the [new] yeshiva in Kew Garden Hills. I stood by the side with everyone else. The rosh yeshiva entered the room and immediately began to recite the nusach of the pidyon. (The rosh yeshiva had another commitment to go to immediately following the pidyon haben.) A moment later, the rosh yeshiva noticed me standing on the side. He stopped, turned to me, and said, "Come closer. Stand next to me. You are the rebbi of the father." I complied. The entire time, the rosh yeshiva kept nudging me to stand closer so that I should feel part of and included in the event. Such a hanhaga is the result of a tremendous "chush" and sensitivity for kavod habriyos.

My zaida, Rav Shmuel Dovid Walkin zt"l, once needed to speak to the rosh yeshiva urgently. He called the rosh yeshiva on the phone and asked when he could come to talk to the rosh yeshiva. The rosh yeshiva replied, "Rav Walkin, you are from the choshuveh rabbonim and you are older than me. I will come to your house and we will speak."

My zaide, who was also a Slabodka talmid and had learned by the Chofetz Chaim for thirteen years, was likewise extremely careful in kavod habriyos and derech eretz. He therefore refused to allow the rosh yeshiva to come to him. "It is I who needs to speak with the rosh yeshiva," my zaida said, "so it is only proper that I come to you." "No," replied the rosh yeshiva. "It would not be derech eretz if you came to me." So went the debate for a few moments, with each one refusing to let the other come to them.

Finally, they both agreed on a resolution that fit their standards of derech eretz: "I will come to you and you will come to me." The plan was that the rosh yeshiva would come from Forest Hills, where he lived, to Kew Gardens, where my zaida lived. In turn, my zaida would go across the street to Yeshivas Tiferes Moshe, a yeshiva which was under the guidance of the rosh yeshiva, so it would be considered that each actually came to the other.

The rosh yeshiva left behind a great legacy for his talmidim to follow and continue. Just as in his lifetime they toiled on every word of his shiurim and shmuessen and internalized all his teachings with the utmost respect and love, they surely shall and will continue to do so now, after his petirah. But it must be said that we all could and should take a good look at this great rosh yeshiva to be inspired and learn from his gadlus in middos and kavod ha'adam, and to be mechazeik ourselves in mentchlichkeit and derech eretz, to treat others with the utmost respect, love and honor deserving of anyone with a Tzelem Elokim created by Hashem, especially a fellow Yid.

We are now entering the days of Sefirah, when we mourn the talmidim of Rabi Akiva who died for not respecting one another. It is indeed the appropriate time to be mechazeik this aspect of being "mechabeid es habrioys." In this zechus, may we merit the geulah. "B'Nissan nigalu ub'Nissan asidim lehigo'el." Bimeheira b'yomeinu. Amein.

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There was once a rosh yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel who was successful in establishing and running a tremendous yeshiva with many talmidim (students). Being proud of his mossad (institution), he invited Rav Eliyahu Lopian zt"l, the great tzaddik and author of "Lev Eliyahu," to give him a tour of the yeshiva. Rav Lopian walked through the doors of the beis medrash (study hall), and obviously noticed the large number of people learning Torah and the kol torah (sounds of Torah study) emanating from the room. The rosh yeshiva was overwhelmed with emotion, cried, and commented to Rav Lopian, "Isn't the kol torah and hasmada (effort in learning) gevaldig (great)? It is a real nachas ruach (pleasure) to Hakadosh Boruch Hu (G-d)." Rav Lopian, who was a great giant in mussar and the epitome of emes (truth), replied, "are you so nisragaish (emotional) and moved to tears because of the yeshiva or possibly because it is ‘your' yeshiva? Tell me, would you be so moved and impressed if you saw the same sight in someone else's institution?" If one means for Hakadosh Boruch Hu and the spreading of His Torah, it really should not matter in which yeshiva there is hasmada and kol torah, even if it is by the yeshiva down the block.

My zaida (grandfather), Rav Shmuel Dovid Walkin zt"l related an interesting story about Rav Chaim Soloveitchik zt"l. Meshulachim - money collectors - came to Brisk with the goal of collecting money for a yeshiva in a town near Brisk. Whoever they went to for money replied with the same sentiment: "why should I give you money for a yeshiva in a different city when we have our own yeshiva here in town to support." When R' Chaim got word of the response that the meshulachim were getting, he immediately called a meeting with all the g'virim (wealthy men) in town and told them the following parable: There was once a rich man in town that had a store. As his business grew, he opened a second branch and, soon afterwards, a third branch. One day a shopper in town met the manager of one of the stores (whose office was located in one of the stores) and he began to apologize profusely for not shopping in the store where the manager worked from. The manager looked at the shopper in bewilderment: "what are you talking about- I don't care which store you shop in, they all belong to the same person and I am just a worker for the boss. No matter what outlet you shop in, the ba'al habos (owner) is happy and if so then I am happy as well."

R' Chaim said that all the yeshivos belong to the same ba'al habos - Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and so He is happy no matter in which yeshiva we learn. When we give money and support yeshivos, the Boss is happy no matter what outlet it is, or where it is located. As for us, we are just "hired" to manage the baal habos's places and it should not make a difference to us which Yeshiva is doing the best and has the most hatzlacha. For at the end it all goes to the same owner- Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Needless to say, the money began pouring and the meshulachim had an easier time collecting charity.

The true measure of a real rosh yeshiva is one who's ambitions and goals are to build and spread Torah for the sake of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and his holy Torah and not far zich- for himself.

My family worked closely for many years with the rosh yeshiva, Rav Henoch Liebowitz, to further causes of Torah and yiddishkeit ( Judaism). It started with my zaida, R' Shmuel Dovid Walkin, who turned to the rosh yeshiva after World War II for student visas that were granted to his yeshiva to bring yeshiva bochrim (students) who survived the war to study in his yeshiva. Yet graciously, the rosh yeshiva supplied many of these visas to my grandfather to bring over simple lost yidden, who would never even have a connection to the rosh yeshiva or his yeshiva. In fact, many of these visas were personally signed by the rosh yeshiva, who by signing them, was taking full financial responsibility for these newcomers - proclaiming that they were employees of the yeshiva as teachers or managers - so that they should not be a burden on the government, seeking financial aid.

My father, R' Moshe Walkin told me that the Vietnam War broke out a few years after he started his yeshiva. As it is well known, bochrim who were not learning in a yeshiva at the time were drafted to the army, but those that were "enrolled" in a yeshiva received a student deferral. Every official and established yeshiva received these deferrals. My father's yeshiva at the time was new and young and so he had difficulty in getting these student deferrals. My zaida reccomended that my father go to the rosh yeshiva and ask him to supply him with these deferrals through his yeshiva, which would mean that these bochrim were actually students of Chofetz Chaim.

My father replied that he can't believe that Rav Henoch would give him these deferrals from his yeshiva for he could use them himself, and with these "piturim" the enrollment of the yeshiva would double or triple overnight. Why would another rosh yeshiva do this for younger rosh yeshiva with a smaller yeshiva in shtot? My zaida was absolutely convinced, "I know Rav Henoch, you will see he will definitely do it, he will give you these deferrals for the sake of helping these bochrim who were in danger of being drafted and the notion that there may be another big yeshiva in Queens won't bother him the least bit. I know him well you will see. I will be right" - and he was.

This is the sign of a true rosh yeshiva, one who puts the good of Torah and K'lal Yisroel before his own. I believe that this was at the core of the rosh yeshiva's vision which drove him to be concerned and involved in the yiddishkeit and chinuch (education) of the day schools and kehilos (congregations) throughout the United States of America, not just his own yeshiva in Forest Hills.

I too could personally attest to the above about the rosh yeshiva. For when we started Yeshivas Ohel Simcha in Kew Gardens Hills, we looked for letters of recommendation and signatures from leading Rabbanim. The rosh yeshiva's letter and signature was first and forthcoming. He told me to come to the yeshiva to get it. I recall the special occasion clearly. The rosh yeshiva- surrounded by a group of rabbeim from the yeshiva as if it were an inauguration ceremony for one of the branches of his own yeshiva- happily and warmly gave it to me.