the path to a

BOCHUR’S
HEART Rav Aharon Chodosh embodied the spirit of Slabodka, yet
he was a mashgiach for a new generation, infusing the lives
of thousands of Mir talmidim with confidence, vitality and a
sense of purpose, never letting old age or ill health slow him
down. His passing last week marks the end of an era – a great
rav schooled in the historic yeshivah tradition who understood
the soul of his American boys
By Yehuda Geberer
and Dovi Safier
Photos Mattis Goldberg, Personal archives, Mir archives, Uri Stern

84 M I S H PAC H A  22 Cheshvan 5780 | November 20, 2019 M I S H PAC H A 85

Subject
The Mashgiach together with Rosh
Yeshivah Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel at a
yeshivah camp. Their joy was his joy

The words “Mir Mashgiach”

are enough to make one
tremble in reverence.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz, Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, Rav Chaim Zev Finkel — the giants of
mussar who filled the post in the past — moved mountains and built men. Our generation
had its own mashgiach. For more than half a century, Rav Aharon Chodosh was “the Mash-
giach” to tens of thousands of talmidim. He imbued us with the spirit of Slabodka and the
Torah of Mir. But most of all, he built people. He saw the latent capabilities of every talmid
and inspired them to achieve their potential.
The last time we were zocheh to spend significant time together with the Mashgiach
was during the Mir Yarchei Kallah last November. Typically, we would show up without
any formal invitation, and always, a short Torah thought would lead to a long schmooze,
complete with an evocative mussar lesson, vort on the parshah, or fascinating historical
reminiscences.
The outpouring of grief and memories from so many others upon Rav Aharon’s passing
last week at age 91 confirmed what we had long intuited, and what Rav Binyamin Finkel —
his nephew and successor — voiced in his hesped: “What made the Mashgiach unique was
that his words of mussar focused equally on ruchniyus and gashmiyus. He’d give tochachah
to family and talmidim with regard to their Torah learning and their eating habits in an When the Mashgiach was still a toddler, Meir Chodosh, was mashgiach. Though his With his father-in-law’s passing in 1965,
equal fashion. Because it was so obvious that he cared for a talmid’s physical needs along his mother brought him and his younger Chevron roots were strong, his marriage to Rav Aharon slowly assumed the post of
with his spiritual ones, the recipient felt his love and would accept his mussar.” sister (today Rebbetzin Shulamis, wife of Rebbetzin Chasida Finkel a”h, daughter of mashgiach, a position he would maintain
Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi) to visit the Mir mashgiach Rav Chaim Zev Finkel, for 55 years. Though he was asked to de-
A Contract Signed in Blood Rav Aharon would often relate the story of his mother, her family back in Europe. Around Shavu- eternally cemented his name to the Mir liver schmuessen, he refused this formal,
Tzivia Leah Hutner, who traveled alone from her childhood home in Eishyshok to Chev- os time, his mother, with young Aharon Yeshivah. It was a shidduch reminiscent of established role, stating that he preferred
ron of the 1920s. There she lived in the home of her uncle, the Slabodka Rosh Yeshivah, Dovid in tow, went to nearby Radin to one that had occurred a half-century earli- to educate and inspire the talmidim in
Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein. She eventually married one of the Alter of Slabodka’s fin- seek a brachah from the Chofetz Chaim. er, when the Alter of Slabodka’s son Eliezer other ways. That was just one hint that
est talmidim, Meir Chodosh, who would go on to be his spiritual heir as the longtime mash- The Mashgiach would later attribute his Yehuda had married Malka, the daughter this new mashgiach was unlike any of his
giach of the Chevron Yeshivah. arichus yamim to that brachah. of the Mir rosh yeshivah, Rav Elya Boruch predecessors. With the passing years, it
At the time of the savage 1929 massacre, the young Chodosh couple were expecting their Prior to Rebbetzin Chodosh’s return to Kamai, thus cementing the Mir as a “mus- grew apparent that Rav Aharon possessed
first child. After they were miraculously saved and blessed with a healthy son, they decided Eretz Yisrael, her husband was offered a sar style” yeshivah for posterity. a keen understanding of both the ideal
to name him after one of the martyred students, Aharon Dovid Epstein — a nephew of the prestigious rabbinical offer in Poland. Re- tzuras hayeshivah as well as the needs of
Rosh Yeshivah and cousin of Rebbetzin Chodosh. This Chicago boy had made the ultimate ferring to her survival in the Chevron po- New Vision for the Mir As a freshly the talmidim. With foresight, persistence,
sacrifice to study Torah in Eretz Yisrael. grom three years earlier, she declared, “My married yungerman and newcomer to the and zero concern for what others might say
The future mashgiach’s name would forever tie him to his destiny: total devotion to the connection to Eretz Yisrael is a contract then-small institution, Rav Aharon ener- or think, he embarked on a rigorous reform
cause of Torah and chinuch, as well as an appreciation for the talmidim who arrived from signed in blood!” No offer could entice her getically sought to improve the Mir Ye- of the yeshivah structure.
overseas to study Torah in Eretz Yisrael. to leave the Holy Land. shivah. His efforts did not go unnoticed. Until his tenure, Yeshivas Mir Yerusha-
In his later years, the Mashgiach suffered from many physical ailments. Every time he Until his marriage, Rav Aharon attend- “Vayakam melech chodosh,” the veteran layim was primarily a kollel for married
would return from the hospital and to his normal yeshivah schedule, it seemed miracu- ed the Chevron Yeshivah in Jerusalem, Yerushalmim in the yeshivah would quip, students. Recognizing the need for an in-
lous. With inner reserves of strength and fortitude, he seemed to defy death itself. Then where Rav Chatzkel Sarna was rosh yeshi- cleverly referencing both his last name and jection of fresh young talent, he restruc-
again, that persistence seemed to have been his hallmark since his birth. vah and his father and primary rebbi, Rav new influence. tured the yeshivah so that its primary fo-

86 M I S H PAC H A  23 Kislev 5781 | December 9, 2020 M I S H PAC H A 87

Path to a Bochur’s Heart

cus was on non-married talmidim.

Rav Nochum Partzovitz’s shiur filled with top students from Eretz
Yisrael, and soon the vanguard began to arrive from the United States as
well. Rav Nochum would later state, “Rav Aharon built the Mir. We had
Rav Leizer Yudel [Finkel], Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, and myself, and we
weren’t able to do it. Rav Aharon built the Mir in Eretz Yisrael.”
The cornerstone of his policy was simple but revolutionary. When
Yehuda Geberer was serving as yeshivah gabbai — a post the mashgiach
would only allow an unmarried talmid to fill — Rav Aharon would tell him
to distribute aliyos primarily to bochurim, and repeat countless times,
“The yeshivah belongs to the bochurim.” He believed that the vitality of
the entire institution stemmed from the bochurim who live in or near the
yeshivah and are constantly there filling the beis medrash with a kol To-
rah.
In the mid 1990s, the Mashgiach asked a student with a more heimishe
background why he didn’t daven in yeshivah on Friday night. When the
young man explained that he and his friends preferred a Shabbos daven-
ing in which Lecha Dodi is sung, the Mashgiach didn’t skip a beat. “You’re
going to be the chazzan this coming Friday night in the yeshivah beis me-
drash, and you’re going to bring all your friends as well. You’re welcome
to sing all you like.” Without consulting with other hanhalah members
about this breach in a hallowed litvish tradition, the Mashgiach took the
initiative; he felt that having the bochurim daven in yeshivah superseded
accepted norms.

Like a Father The Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel ztz”l, had
the utmost respect and trust in the Mashgiach when it came to assessing
A prince of Slabodka. Little Aharon Chodosh with
a talmid’s needs. When the open-door policy in the Mir was in its heyday, his grandfather, Rav Naftali Tzvi Hutner; a young Rav
Rav Nosson Tzvi would sign the acceptance notes with the word “hiska- Aharon; Rav Aharon at his vort, flanked by Rav Eliezer
bel” (accepted). The bearer of the note would then proceed to the Mash- Yehuda Finkel, Rav Reuven Katz and Rav Isser Yehuda
giach for the formal acceptance and registration. Oftentimes Rav Nosson Unterman; with his father-in-law Rav Chaim Zev Finkel
Tzvi was unsure about the potential of a prospective talmid, and he’d sign
the note with “kefi re’os einecha” (as you see fit), trusting Rav Aharon’s
ability to perceive the level and potential of every new arrival.
With the Mashgiach getting on in years and the stream of new appli-
cants rising, we were often part of a small group of bochurim privileged
to assist him at times with translation and paperwork, sitting next to him
in his office as each new bochur stepped in. We witnessed firsthand how
he studied each new talmid intently, never asking uniform questions but
rather tailoring them based on his instant assessment of the individual
standing before him, calming the nervous ones and putting in place the
overconfident ones.
He’d calm one nervous bochur down by playing Jewish Geography
(isn’t your grandfather so and so? I knew him very well), and ask another
about which dirah he planned to join. “Almost the entire hatzlachah of a
talmid in Mir Yeshivah is dependent on who his shecheinim (dirah mates)
are,” he’d often emphasize. On many occasions he’d advise new arrivals
how to be successful in a large yeshivah, which was unlike the smaller en-
vironment from where they had come. “In Mir,” he’d say, “ you must learn
to be like the chassidim — push to get ahead. But don’t push others!”

88 M I S H PAC H A  22 Cheshvan 5780 | November 20, 2019 M I S H PAC H A 89

Path to a Bochur’s Heart
Perhaps the most unique aspect of Rav
Aharon, and what set him apart as an ed-
ucator, was his fatherly approach to the
role of mashgiach. One spoke to him as to
a grandfather or even a friend. He had no
airs about him and was completely unpre-
tentious. He’d make you feel so comfort-
able approaching him that you almost for-
got that he was the mashgiach of the great
Mir Yeshivah.
A talmid recalls his first meeting with the
Mashgiach:
My first encounter with Rav Aharon left an
indelible impression on me. I was a 20-year-
old bochur from Chicago, and before I could
even say my name he put his finger on my
shirt lapel and said, “Sonofsky’s?” This was
a closeout store in Chicago that sold shirts
for cheap prices. I was blown away. (I subse-
quently found out that he had a talmid who
purchased shirts for him there.)
This set the tone for what was to be a fruit-
ful relationship. On the one hand he was the
mashgiach, but at the same time he knew
just the right thing to make you feel comfort-
able.
Rav Aharon’s seat of choice for davening
was in the middle of the beis medrash  —
both because it was unassuming and be-
cause it allowed him closer contact with
the talmidim. He saw davening in yeshi-
vah as the highest priority. In a practical
sense, it was the only way for a bochur to
merit a room in the dormitory, but in an
educational sense he truly believed that it
was the most effective tool for a talmid’s
growth.
Following davening every morning,
there was usually a huddle around the
Mashgiach’s seat. This one wanted to dis-
cuss his likelihood of getting into the dorm,
that yungerman asked him for a loan (he
maintained a gemach for decades, keep-
ing all the records by hand and sustaining
hundreds of kollel families), another bo-
chur who had some important matter to
discuss, yet another asking him to explain
a perplexing passage of davening.
Reb Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz still re-
members joining the Mir at just 17 years
90 M I S H PAC H A 
He saw davening in yeshivah as
the highest priority. In a practical
sense, it was the only way for a
bochur to merit a room in the
dormitory, but in an educational
sense he truly believed that it
was the most effective tool for a
talmid’s growth
old, and finding an unlikely supporter in
Rav Aharon, who invested time and effort
so he would succeed in learning. Eventual-
ly, he felt his time there was done, and so he
packed his bags and made plans to move on
to a different yeshivah.
Then, over bein hazmanim, he was in-
formed that he hadn’t been accepted.
He wasn’t sure what his next step would
be, but of one thing he was sure: There was
no way he could return to the Mir. After
a very public goodbye party, it would be
terribly humiliating to return — everyone
would realize that he had been rejected.
The logical next step seemed to be entering
the business world.
Then his father told him, “If you stay
here in Los Angeles, you’ll be handing a
victory to that rosh yeshivah who refused
to accept you. Your biggest revenge would
be to go back to the Mir and learn with has-
madah.”
So he packed his bags and returned to
Beis Yisrael. Standing outside the beis me-
drash, though, he lost his nerve. He just
couldn’t step inside. Finally, he walked in.
It was excruciating to imagine all those
eyes scrutinizing him, judging him.
Then, suddenly, someone started laugh-
ing. Shlomo Yehuda looked up and saw Rav
Aharon Chodosh, watching him and laugh-
ing. What was happening?
Rav Aharon approached him and said,
“Look at the power of tefillah! I davened
and davened that you should come back to
us, and — look! You’re here!” 
With one powerful line, the Mashgiach
had made it clear: Your place is in the Mir.
Bond for Life Life in the Mir features
no shortage of joyous occasions: siyumim,
l’chayims, seudos preidah, and the like.
They take place in dirahs, shiur rooms,
or any other venue that can be comman-
deered for the purpose. The Mashgiach
would make it his business to attend these
whenever possible. He would participate
in the festivities and generally deliver
some short remarks.
At the seudas preidah for a popular
friend of ours he got up and stated, “In
the future, we’ll refer to the last two years
as the years that Moishy was here in Mir
Yeshivah.” That talmid practically floated
to the airport and has never forgotten the
Mashgiach’s love since.
One Thursday night there was a late-
night vort in a dirah. By 3 a.m. the neigh-
bors had had enough, and summoned the
Mashgiach to come and close it down. He
came in, ended the revelry, and told the
protagonist and his roommates to come to
his apartment the next day.
They arrived promptly and prepared
22 Cheshvan 5780 | November 20, 2019 M I S H PAC H A 91
Path to a Bochur’s Heart
for the rebuke that was sure to come. Rav
Aharon sat them down, went to his kitch-
en, and reappeared with some bottles
of beer. After imploring them to make a
l’chayim, he explained to them that Bais
Yisrael was a residential neighborhood
that existed long before the yeshivah, and
that they should do their best to be sensi-
tive to their neighbors.
Sharing in a talmid’s simchah meant al-
most never missing a wedding. And that
didn’t mean just showing up and saying
mazal tov. Bochurim would dream of the
day when Rav Aharon would do “the Mash-
giach dance” at their weddings. Exuding
sheer joy, he’d take to the dance floor, wav-
ing his homburg around and creating true
simchas chassan v’kallah.
The relationship didn’t end with mar-
riage, nor did it end with a talmid leaving
yeshivah to return to the United States or
to pursue a career. He’d take an active in-
terest in the development of talmidim’s
careers. His questions weren’t limited to
“how are you managing, how are you mak-
ing a living?” Instead, he’d take a genuine
interest in their welfare, expressing sin-
cere regard for their daily pursuits.
Dovi remembers:
Close to 15 years ago, the young daughter
of an American Mir yungerman was diag-
nosed with a life-threatening illness. They
moved back to the United States for treat-
ments and she was miraculously cured.
Last year, when I visited the Mashgiach,
he asked me if I knew how the girl was do-
ing. While it was someone I was acquainted
with, I hadn’t thought about the incident
in quite some time, so it took me a moment
to remember who he was talking about. He
quickly reminded me and then told me that
he still davens for her regularly and smiled
widely when I told her she was a happy,
healthy teenager.
“I still worry for all my talmidim,” he told
me.
A Mashgiach for the Times The
Mashgiach knew that today’s talmidim
92 M I S H PAC H A 23 Kislev 5781
While no longer in Mir, Dovi Safier and Yehuda
Geberer kept up with the Mashgiach at every
opportunity; (Inset) with his dear talmid Shlomo
Yehuda Rechnitz, whose life was changed around
by the Mashgiach’s faith in him
would likely be crushed by the traditional
methods of the great baalei mussar, who
would analyze their talmidim’s deeds and
character traits down to their very core
level and expose their faults. So he devel-
oped a completely different approach to
character development. And a key element
was recognizing each talmid as an individ-
ual.
Bochurim in the Mir — a yeshivah com-
prising thousands of talmidim learning in
several different buildings  — were often
surprised when the Mashgiach remem-
bered each of their faces and greeted them
by name. They may not have known that
the Mashgiach had a trick. On his wall
were files filled to the brim with photos of
talmidim. He would study them regularly,
investing hours poring over the lists, to en-
sure that he knew each and every face.
But that was just the first step. Like the
great mashgichim whom he had molded
himself after, he aimed to reach deep inside
his talmidim and extract their potential.
One American rosh yeshivah related that
the first time he met the Mashgiach, he was
surprised to hear Rav Aharon rattle off the
names of all the graduates of his yeshivah
currently learning in the Mir. His surprise
turned into shock when the Mashgiach be-
gan to discuss each talmid’s strengths and
weaknesses and how they were faring in
Eretz Yisrael.
No one could fool him. Innumerable bo-
churim through the decades would try to
pretend they were yeshivah daveners so
they could finally leave their dirah and “get
into the dorm,” or to enjoy his good graces.
But he noticed everyone and would deliver
the appropriate response to each one. “You
dropped in to Shacharis just so I would no-
tice you, but you were on your way to the
[Beis Yisrael] shtiblach.” “I haven’t seen
you for the past month at yeshivah daven-
ing. You started off well, but you need to get
back on track.” He’d deliver mussar with a
smile and such obvious affection that no
one objected to it.
Once, a bochur who was eager to shteig
but wasn’t quite there yet, was dancing on
Simchas Torah with tremendous fervor to
the song “Mah ahavti Torasecha kol hayom
hi sichasi.” The Mashgiach knew this boy
enjoyed a good laugh, so he pointed to him
and said, “Shakran, you’re lying, you don’t
learn all day!” Unspoken, but undeniably
clear, was the message — “but if you want
| December 9, 2020 22 Cheshvan 5780 | November 20, 2019 M I S H PAC H A 93
Path to a Bochur’s Heart
to, then you can and you will.”
The Mashgiach’s witty take influenced
the bochur to turn things around and have
a productive winter zeman. He later be-
came one of the Mashgiach’s closest talmi-
dim and would often be seen learning mus-
sar with him late at night.
Yehuda remembers:
One Motazei Shabbos, Rav Aharon called
me over after Kiddush Levanah. “You know
the gabbai is getting married soon,” he said.
“I’d like to appoint you as the new gabbai in-
stead.”
I gave a quick “no thanks, not for me,
thank you for the offer” and prepared to dart
away. Not so fast. With his understanding
smile, he said, “I’m not appointing you gab-
bai for the yeshivah’s needs. For that, there’s
no shortage of candidates. I’m doing it for
you. It will be good for you to have respon-
sibility, a sense of empowerment. It’ll be a
good stage for your growth.”
My self-esteem suddenly skyrocketed, and
I accepted the honored position.
American boys who arrived with zero
knowledge of Yiddish or Hebrew oth-
er than “Shalom Aleichem” somehow
immediately connected with this Chev-
ron-raised mashgiach who knew how
to grasp the American bochur. And his
unique blend of humor, sensitivity, and
charm meant that the most coveted invita-
tion in Beis Yisrael was to the Mashgiach’s
Shabbos seudahs.
Rebbetzin Chasida wasn’t just Rav
Aharon’s partner for life; she was his part-
ner in making the talmidim feel like family.
When hosting bochurim, she would inevi-
tably engage them in conversation, inquir-
ing after their needs and ensuring that they
were comfortable in the yeshivah. When a
group of us decided to spontaneously show
up unannounced at the Mashgiach’s home
on Rechov Yoel for an impromptu Chanu-
kah party, no questions were asked, and
within minutes she was frying latkes and
making everyone feel at home. Wives and
children of married talmidim felt instantly
94 M I S H PAC H A 23 Kislev 5781
comfortable with the Rebbetzin when they
came to visit.
For some, the greatest mussar lessons
came from watching the Mashgiach from
afar. One talmid shared his lasting impres-
sion:
As a bochur, I stayed in Eretz Yisrael for
Pesach. Since it was bein hazmanim, the
yeshivah was quiet. The Mashgiach finally
had the opportunity to learn undisturbed.
Following davening he retreated to the
back-left corner of the beis medrash. I clear-
ly remember that I have never seen such
hasmadah from anyone. The Mashgiach sat
American
on his bench swaying side to side, singing
the Gemara for the entire day! I think this
boys who
was the greatest mussar that I ever received
from the Mashgiach. It has made a lasting
arrived
impression on me.
During these intense learning sessions,
he’d remain with his regal looking Chev-
with zero ron-style homburg hat on his head, fixed to
the page before him, a picture of the aris-
knowledge tocracy that is Slabodka.
of Yiddish or No Airs About Him Rav Aharon was
a scion of Torah nobility and held one of
Hebrew other the most prestigious positions of the To-
rah world, but he was completely unpre-
than “Shalom tentious and would do anything  — even
kitchen duty — to help a Jew. A talmid once
Aleichem” walked into the yeshivah kitchen on a Fri-
day and witnessed a sight he would never
somehow forget: There stood Rav Aharon, easing
the workload of a widow who worked in
immediately the kitchen, peeling potatoes for the kugel
l’kavod Shabbos.
connected Dovi remembers:
with this For several years I participated in a SEED
program in Australia. When I came to learn
Chevron-born
in the Mir, I sought out some of the boys I’d
met there, who were in Israel as well. Be-
mashgiach
fore I departed back to America for Pesach,
one of the boys asked if I had somewhere
for them to stay in Yerushalayim. Their
program was based in another part of the
country, and Yom Tov was going to be their
chance to spend time in Yerushalayim. I
gladly gave them the key to my dirah, which
| December 9, 2020 22 Cheshvan 5780 | November 20, 2019 M I S H PAC H A 95
I was paying for that month either way.
On the first night of Pesach, after a Seder
in a remote part of the city, these boys made
the long trek to my dirah, where they planned
to sleep. Their first trip into Meah Shearim
turned out to be a “chavayah,” but perhaps
not the type that the long-haired, starry-eyed
Aussies had quite expected. Unbeknown to
them, my landlord had decided to offer the
apartment to someone else and when these
boys arrived well after midnight, they were
shooed away.
The boys wandered the streets until they
came across an American boy, who informed
them that there was someone who could help
and led them to the home of the Mashgiach at
Rechov Yoel 8.
Still in the middle of his Seder, the Mashgi-
ach answered the door, greeted the strangers
with a smile, and invited them inside. They
shared their problem with him, and he told
them that he’d make sure they had some-
where to sleep. But not before seating them
beside him at the head of the table, where he
made them the focal point of his Seder, con-
versing and singing with them.
After getting to know them, he left his fam-
ily and walked them the few blocks to the ye-
shivah where he set them up with beds in the
yeshivah dorm and ensured that the few bo-
churim staying there would make them feel
at home. This was our mashgiach.
The Mashgiach built a close relationship
with the families that hosted him when he
traveled abroad. Shlomo Zalman Gutfreund
and his family, who regularly hosted the
Mashgiach in Far Rockaway, were accorded
royalty status within yeshivah. Every time
Shlomo Zalman came to Eretz Yisrael he
ate breakfast with the Mashgiach in his of-
fice — a lesson of hakaras hatov that spoke
louder than any schmuess.
The Bordon family were the Mashgiach’s
regular hosts in London, and they — along
with the Halperns and other UK talmidim —
were lavished with tremendous honor in re-
turn.
During one of the Mashgiach’s trips to
96 M I S H PAC H A 23 Kislev 5781
The Mir hanhalah – like one big family. (L to R)
Rav Binyamin Finkel (successor as mashgiach),
Rav Binyamin Carlebach, the Mashgiach, Rosh
Yeshiva Rav Leizer Yudel Finkel, Rav Yitzchak
Ezrachi, and Rav Yaakov Shmuelevitz
London, Marcel Bordon was simultane-
ously hosting a friend who was recuper-
ating from a leg injury. The Bordons only
found out afterward that Rav Aharon had
bestowed special care on this gentleman,
making and serving him breakfast so he
would be able to relax and recover. “That’s
typical of Rav Aharon,” Mr. Bordon told us.
“No airs and graces, only real concern for
people. Everything he did was without the
least kavod for himself.”
Always Connected Rav Aharon saw his
father as his primary mentor, and would
deliver a shiur on his yartzheit every year.
More than that, he lived with a constant
sense of connection to his teachings, and
drew on that connection for the strength
to face the many trials that beset him.
Yehuda remembers:
In March, I conducted an interview with
the Mashgiach as part of the Mir’s virtual
dinner program. When I asked him to share
a parting message to pass on to today’s
generation, he replied as follows:
“I once asked my father, what does
bitachon ( faith) mean? Isn’t it enjoyable
anyway, to rely on something else not in your
power? Perhaps one who sheds his worries
isn’t really being a baal bitachon, just being
mafkir himself to the elements?
“My father answered me, ‘Dovid
Hamelech says in Tehillim that the man who
takes shelter in Hashem is fortunate. We see
from here, that if it makes you feel calm, it’s
bitachon.
“Living with bitachon  — this is the
metzius of Klal Yisrael. Especially during
a mageifah… in Perek 91 of Tehillim, we
see that even if someone sees so many
people dying, he must believe that he can
be spared by Hashem.” As he said these
words, Rav Aharon was overwhelmed
with emotion. Tears flowed freely as he
internalized the tzaros that Klal Yisrael
was experiencing.
W
hen alumni of the great yeshi-
vos of Eretz Yisrael travel with
their families to Eretz Yisrael,
some make Bnei Brak their first stop. But
for us, there was always one address: the
home of the Mashgiach.
During these visits, Rav Aharon would in-
teract with the children, ensuring they re-
ceived a treat and asking them about their
studies. But that wasn’t the real reason we
unfailingly made our way to the apartment
on Rechov Yoel.
We wanted our children to meet someone
who was bentshed by the Chofetz Chaim.
Someone who sat at the table of so many
gedolim. Someone who embodied the spirit
of the Alter of Slabodka. Someone who was
so vibrant, brimming with vigor, who never
allowed bad health or old age to slow him
down — and someone who infused so many
other talmidim’s lives with meaning, vitali-
ty, and a sense of purpose.
Rav Aharon was the closest that our gen-
eration could get to the world that was. He
was a mashgiach schooled in the historic ye-
shivah tradition who understood the heart
of an American bochur. He was our first
stop and our final word.
Yehi zichro baruch. —
To share your own memories and
stories about the Mashgiach, please email
fortherecord@mishpacha.com
| December 9, 2020 22 Cheshvan 5780 | November 20, 2019 M I S H PAC H A 97
 Born a healthy child after his parents’ miraculous salvation from a savage
massacre, he continued to defy the odds throughout his long life. At a Mir
Yeshivah dinner in the US

98 M I S H PAC H A  22 Cheshvan 5780 | November 20, 2019 M I S H PAC H A 99